Van Halen was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972… Read Full Bio ↴Van Halen was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead guitarist, Eddie Van Halen. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

From 1974 until 1985, Van Halen consisted of Eddie Van Halen; Eddie's brother, drummer Alex Van Halen; vocalist David Lee Roth; and bassist/vocalist Michael Anthony. Upon its release in 1978, the band's self-titled debut album reached No. 19 on the Billboard pop music charts and would sell over 10 million copies in the U.S. By 1982, the band released four more albums (Van Halen II, Women and Children First, Fair Warning, and Diver Down), all of which have since been certified multi-platinum. By the early 1980s, Van Halen was one of the most successful rock acts of the day. The album 1984 was a commercial success with U.S. sales of 10 million copies and four hit singles; its lead single, "Jump", was the band's only U.S. number one single.

In 1985, Roth left the band to embark on a solo career and was replaced by former Montrose lead vocalist Sammy Hagar. With Hagar, the group released four U.S. number-one, multi-platinum albums over the course of 11 years (5150 in 1986, OU812 in 1988, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge in 1991, and Balance in 1995). Hagar left the band in 1996 shortly before the release of the band's first greatest hits collection, Best of Volume 1. Former Extreme frontman Gary Cherone replaced Hagar and recorded the commercially unsuccessful album Van Halen III with the band in 1998, before parting ways in 1999. Van Halen then went on hiatus until reuniting with Hagar in 2003 for a worldwide tour in 2004 and the double-disc greatest hits collection The Best of Both Worlds. Hagar again left Van Halen in 2005. In 2006 Roth returned, but Anthony was replaced on bass guitar by Eddie's son, Wolfgang Van Halen. In 2012, the band released their final studio album A Different Kind of Truth, which was commercially and critically successful; it was also Van Halen's first album with Roth in 28 years and the only one to feature Wolfgang.

As of March 2019, Van Halen is 20th on the RIAA list of best-selling artists in the United States; the band has sold 56 million albums in the States and more than 80 million worldwide, making them one of the best-selling groups of all time. As of 2007, Van Halen is one of only five rock bands with two studio albums to sell more than 10 million copies in the United States and is tied for the most multi-platinum albums by an American band. Additionally, Van Halen has charted 13 number-one hits on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart. VH1 ranked the band seventh on a list of the top 100 Hard Rock artists of all time.

Eddie was diagnosed with cancer in 2001, and died of the disease on October 6, 2020. A month after his father's death, Wolfgang confirmed that Van Halen had disbanded.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Halen

Studio albums
Van Halen (1978)
Van Halen II (1979)
Women and Children First (1980)
Fair Warning (1981)
Diver Down (1982)
1984 (1984)
5150 (1986)
OU812 (1988)
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991)
Balance (1995)
Van Halen III (1998)
A Different Kind of Truth (2012)

Could This Be Magic
Van Halen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey baby
Yea, yea, one, two, one, two, three, four

Out upon the islands on a cool summer night
Buddy, you don't got to hurry, take your time
What you need is on the menu and you get it tonight
Buddy, you got womens on your mind

Could this be magic?
Or could this be love?
Could this turn tragic?
You know that magic often does

And I see lonely ships upon the water
(Better save the women and children first)
Sail away with someone's daughter
(Better save the women and children first)

I hear music on the landin', and there's laughter in the air
Just could be your boat is comin' in
Yea, you're leanin' back and your foot's tappin'
And you got your head right
There's a full moon out tonight, baby, let's begin

An' she said, could this be magic?
Or could this be love?
Oh, oh
An' I said, could this turn tragic?
You know that magic often does

And I see lonely ships upon the water
(Better save the women and children first)
Sail away with someone's daughter
(Better save the women and children first)

(Edward, thank you)

And she says, could this be magic?
Or could this be love?
And I say, could this turn tragic?
You know that magic often does

And I see lonely ships upon the water
(Better save the women and children first)

Sail away with someone's daughter
(Better save the women and children first, yes)

Overall Meaning

Van Halen's "Could This Be Magic?" appears to be a sensual ballad about a summer night romance. The lyrics suggest they are someplace removed from civilization such as on "the islands." The singer tells his listener to not worry about rushing because the menu they want (sex with women) is available all night. There is a sense of unreality to it all, as if this could be a dream or maybe even an illusion. This is reflected in the refrain where they question whether this is magic or love. They also question whether things could turn tragic because magic often does.

The lyrics also reference "lonely ships upon the water," and they stress the importance of "saving women and children first." This might suggest they are in a dangerous situation, perhaps on a sinking ship, and they are attempting to find some solace in each other's arms. The overall tone of the song is dreamy and romantic, but with a hint of danger.

Line by Line Meaning

Out upon the islands on a cool summer night
We're on an island on a cool summer night.

Buddy, you don't got to hurry, take your time
Don't rush, take your time.

What you need is on the menu and you get it tonight
What you want is available and you can have it tonight.

Buddy, you got womens on your mind
You're thinking about women.

And I see lonely ships upon the water (Better save the women and children first)
I see abandoned boats on the water, reminding me to put the safety of women and children first.

Sail away with someone's daughter (Better save the women and children first)
The boats are taking away someone's daughter and women and children must be saved first.

Could this be magic?
Is this experience magical?

Or could this be love?
Could this be love?

Could this turn tragic?
Could this end badly?

You know that magic often does
Magic often leads to disappointment.

I hear music on the landin', and there's laughter in the air
I can hear happy sounds on the shore.

Just could be your boat is comin' in
Your boat might be arriving soon.

Yea, you're leanin' back and your foot's tappin'
You're relaxed and tapping your foot.

And you got your head right
You're in the right mindset.

There's a full moon out tonight, baby, let's begin
It's a full moon and time to begin the magic.

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alex Van Halen, Edward Van Halen, David Roth, Michael Anthony

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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