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)
How Many Say I
Van Halen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or couldn't keep quiet, when she needed a hug
Come on too strong, when a little's too much
How many, how many, say I
Go on and say yes, and really mean no
Would you rather guess, when you just don't know
And then say I love you, but aren't willing to show
How many, how many, say I
How many say I, how many say I
How many say I, how many say I
Say live and let live, so quick to judge
Slow to forgive, when you're holding a grudge
Don't always believe, all you need is love
How many, how many, say I
How many, how many, say I
How many, how many, say I
How many say I, how many say I
How many say I, how many say I
How many say I, how many say I
How many say I, how many say I
Have you ever looked down when the homeless walked by?
Or changed the channel when you saw a hungry child?
Know something to be true, then deny it
How many, how many, say I
How many, how many, say I
How many, how many, say I
How many say I, how many say I
How many say I, how many say I
How many say I, how many say I
How many say I, how many say I
The lyrics to Van Halen's song "How Many Say I" seem to be criticizing people's lack of sincerity and authenticity in their relationships and interactions with others. The singer asks several questions about situations in which a person might be insincere, such as not listening to someone when they want to talk, being overly physical when it's not desired, saying "yes" when you really mean "no," and claiming to love someone but not showing it. The repetition of the phrase "How many, how many, say I" in the chorus emphasizes the idea that many people are guilty of such insincerity and hypocrisy.
The lyrics also touch on issues of judgment and forgiveness, suggesting that people are quick to judge others but slow to forgive them. The singer encourages listeners to adopt a more forgiving and accepting attitude, rather than always looking for faults in others. The final verse addresses issues of social injustice, such as ignoring homeless people and hungry children, and denying the truth about social problems.
Overall, the lyrics seem to be urging listeners to be more honest, sincere, and compassionate in their relationships and interactions with others, and to be more aware of social injustice and inequality.
Line by Line Meaning
Are you ever so silent, when she wanted to talk?
Have you ever been uncommunicative when your partner wanted to have a conversation?
Or couldn't keep quiet, when she needed a hug
Have you ever been intrusive when your partner wanted some space?
Come on too strong, when a little's too much
Have you ever been overwhelming when a situation required a more delicate touch?
How many, how many, say I
How many people do these things?
Go on and say yes, and really mean no
Have you ever been dishonest by saying one thing, but meaning another?
Would you rather guess, when you just don't know
Have you ever made uninformed guesses instead of seeking the truth?
And then say I love you, but aren't willing to show
Have you ever been insincere by saying 'I love you' but not showing it through actions?
Say live and let live, so quick to judge
Have you ever judged someone unfairly, despite advocating for tolerance and respect for all?
Slow to forgive, when you're holding a grudge
Have you ever held a grudge and been hesitant to forgive others?
Don't always believe, all you need is love
Have you ever felt that love is not the only important thing?
How many say I
How many people do these things?
Have you ever looked down when the homeless walked by?
Have you ever ignored people in need, like the homeless?
Or changed the channel when you saw a hungry child?
Have you ever avoided seeing the suffering of others by changing the channel or ignoring it?
Know something to be true, then deny it
Have you ever denied the truth, even when you know it to be true?
How many say I
How many people do these things?
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
Sixstrings Band Official
The starting of the song is really beautiful. God bless EVH, he was suffering depression and drug addiction at the time. This is a song of a lost man. I'm glad he recovered from this situation. Rest in peace Eddie Van Halen. 😢
Sean Axner
Believe he initially wrote this for Roger Waters
Jaci Sig
@Sixstrings Band Official Me, too! I read that it wasn't meth but that Ed started freebasing cocaine. I think Ed was always fragile and I think he may have been on the spectrum, if I had to guess from everything I've seen of him and read about him, that it might have been a touch of Asperger's perhaps? And assuming that's the case, then that explains why he was an alcoholic.
Sixstrings Band Official
@Jaci Sig He also told that tongue cancer was caused by metal guitar picks. He could say many things, but in the end maybe he was fragile and scared about hard problems of life and started to heavily drink again and smoke meth, apart from the daily abuse of tobacco. He broke with Sammy, with Vallerie and I guess his loneliness was a trigger for his depression. Those were the dark years of EVH 1998-2007. All that said, I love EVH with all my heart!!!
Jaci Sig
Jazz SixStrings Ed did an interview in 1998 where he told the interviewer he was the happiest he'd ever been.
SAS ALEX
One day after his passing, i listen to this song with a total different feeling... its a very personal song now RIP Eddie
Chiyo-Chan Holocaust
Look It is sad the man died but this is still cheesy trash
Jonathan Barnes
Hominy say aye.
Jaci Sig
Love this song, the lyrics and the music.
Mike Hughes
Daniel Sherwood clearly you're someone who cares about quality vocals/lyrics, and that's okay. Musically, this song is great, especially the middle