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)
Dirty Water Dog
Van Halen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
His platform could I endorse
Another accomplice slinging dirt
Campaign promises falling short
I don't belong to any race
Pledge allegiance to a place
No borderline in the sand I'd trace
I'm just a sucker for a pretty face
Position's always been a little left of cynical
I'm fundamentally for the individual
Preoccupied purely with the physical
When heavy is the weight of the world
And the river runs a little too deep
Like a hound dog chasing a bird
Sometimes a certain tom's gotta peep
I'm a peek-a-boy, looking at girls
And I think I like, I think I like, I like what I see
I don't want to find religion
Or another man's opinion
I can't choose what's not my decision
When there's only one under the sun
There's no need to be denied
Chew before swallowing pride
I want to live so let me die
Oh by the way, what's your sign?
Can't comprehend the meaning of the metaphysical
I'd rather leave that to your so-called intellectual
But what I do know I know feels only natural
I'm just a red-blooded heterosexual
When heavy is the weight of the world
And the river runs a little too deep
Like a dirty water doggin' a bird
Sometimes a certain tom's he gotta peep
I'm a peek-a-boy, looking at girls
And I think I like, I think I like, I like what I see
When heavy is the weight of the world
And the river runs a little too deep
Like a dirty water doggin' a bird
Sometimes a certain tom's he gotta peep
I'm a peek-a-boy, looking at girls
And I think I like, like a hound dog, chasin' a bird
And I think I like
A dirty water dog
And I think I like, I think I like, I like what I see
The lyrics of Van Halen's "Dirty Water Dog" convey the singer's disinterest and discomfort in politics and religion, instead focusing on his physical attraction to women. The first verse speaks to his disillusionment with the political system, rejecting candidates and their campaigns for not meeting his standards. He declares his independence from any race or country and places his loyalty in beauty rather than borders. The following verse then dismisses the need for religion or the opinions of others, emphasizing the importance of personal choice and living without shame. The chorus draws parallels between the singer's desires and those of a dirty water dog hunting prey, portraying him as a creature driven purely by instinct and impulse.
Furthermore, in the second verse, the singer proclaims his ignorance of the metaphysical or intellectual, preferring to trust his own instincts and physical desires. This rejection of intellectualism in favor of bodily pleasures also points to the band's party-hard image and their reputation for heavy drinking and carousing. The repeated refrain of "I think I like, I like what I see" reinforces the singer's fixation on physical beauty and his lack of interest in anything deeper or more meaningful. Overall, "Dirty Water Dog" presents a portrait of a man guided solely by his impulses and preferences, disconnected from the wider world of ideas and politics.
Line by Line Meaning
No candidate would I support
I do not believe in any political candidate.
His platform could I endorse
I do not back or align with a political agenda.
Another accomplice slinging dirt
I see other politicians mudslinging each other to get ahead.
Campaign promises falling short
Political candidates tend to not fulfill their promises during their term.
I don't belong to any race
I don't want to associate myself with any specific race or nationality.
Pledge allegiance to a place
I don't have strong ties to any particular country or nation.
No borderline in the sand I'd trace
I don't believe in drawing boundaries or dividing people based on nationality or race.
I'm just a sucker for a pretty face
I am easily attracted to physical beauty.
Uncomfortable in the realm of the political
I don't feel at home in a political environment.
Position's always been a little left of cynical
My stance on politics is slightly doubting and distrustful.
I'm fundamentally for the individual
I believe in individualism over group identity or politics.
Preoccupied purely with the physical
I am mostly concerned with the physical or superficial.
When heavy is the weight of the world
When the world seems like it has too many problems.
And the river runs a little too deep
When things start to feel overwhelming or out of control.
Like a hound dog chasing a bird
Like an animal chasing after something it desires.
Sometimes a certain tom's gotta peep
At times, one has to take a peek or explore their desires.
I'm a peek-a-boy, looking at girls
I enjoy looking at attractive women.
And I think I like, I think I like, I like what I see
I am attracted to what I am seeing.
I don't want to find religion
I am not interested in exploring religion.
Or another man's opinion
I am not influenced by others' opinions.
I can't choose what's not my decision
I can only make a decision based on what I know to be true.
When there's only one under the sun
When there is only one reality.
There's no need to be denied
There is no need to deny yourself what you want.
Chew before swallowing pride
Think before letting your ego or pride take over.
I want to live so let me die
I want to live life to the fullest regardless of the consequences.
Oh by the way, what's your sign?
A flirty or playful comment asking about astrology.
Can't comprehend the meaning of the metaphysical
I don't understand the philosophical or abstract concepts of the world.
I'd rather leave that to your so-called intellectual
I leave those discussions to those who consider themselves intellectuals.
But what I do know I know feels only natural
I only trust what feels natural to me.
I'm just a red-blooded heterosexual
I am a straight male with natural desires.
And I think I like
I am attracted to something.
A dirty water dog
I am attracted to something that is considered dirty or unconventional.
And I think I like, I think I like, I like what I see
I am attracted to what I am seeing.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alex Van Halen, Edward Van Halen, Gary Cherone, Michael Anthony
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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