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)
Josephina
Van Halen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've known you for all of mine
But not all of yours
You're not a stranger
No, nothing could be further
I look back and I wonder
What you were like, long before
The fact from the fancy
And the dreams in between
Tell me a story
All about yours truly
Photographs from the past
Imagine the mystery
Didja get your head lost in a daydream?
Cinderella, waiting for her charming
Did ya break a heart, like little girls often do?
Pigtails and painted toes
All dressed up in your mother's clothes
Can you shine the light?
Ah, can you shine the light?
Oh, please can you shine some light?
Yeah, can you shine the light?
Shine the light on a shadow
Josephina, would you lay down your defenses?
So I could make sense of
Those colors fading to grey
It's not that you're hiding
Something, I'd never imply
Yesteryear I may be gone
Can't say the same for today
Yeah, Josephina
Ah, Josephina
How else am I to know, that all the while
There was a mischievous look, behind that smile?
It's hard to tell, when innocence comes and goes
I'm sure that there were times, life could be unkind
Without a shoulder to cry on
Can you shine the light?
Ah, can you shine the light?
Yeah, please can you shine some light?
Yeah, can you shine the light?
Yeah, can you shine the light?
Shine the light on a shadow
The song "Josephina" by Van Halen is a sentimental and reflective piece that explores the idea of understanding someone's past, particularly the background of Josephina. David Lee Roth, the lead singer of the band, tries to connect with Josephina and learn more about her life, beyond what he knows of her. The song evokes a sense of nostalgia, as Roth looks back and wonders about Josephina's life before they met. The lyrics seem to suggest that everyone has a past that is worth knowing, and one can only truly understand a person by understanding their history.
The song opens by acknowledging that David Lee Roth had known Josephina for a long time, but not all of her past. He expresses a desire to learn more about her life, and imagines what she was like before he knew her. Josephina is not a stranger to Roth, but he longs to know more about her, to understand her better. The lyrics "Tell me a story, all about yours truly, photographs from the past, imagine the mystery" suggest that Roth wants Josephina to open up and share her past with him, so he can piece together the mystery of her life.
Throughout the song, Roth questions Josephina's past but also acknowledges that he may not always know the whole truth or understand her struggles. He recognizes that innocence can come and go and that life can be unkind. Ultimately, he asks Josephina to "shine the light on a shadow," to reveal the parts of herself that may have been hidden in the past.
In summary, "Josephina" is a poignant and reflective song that emphasizes the importance of understanding one's past to truly know them. David Lee Roth invites Josephina to open up to him and share her story, so he can better understand her and shine a light on the mysteries of her life.
Line by Line Meaning
Josephina, there's so much I want to know
The singer expresses their curiosity towards Josephina's life.
I've known you for all of mine
The singer claims that he has known Josephina for all his life.
But not all of yours
The singer acknowledges that there are parts of Josephina's life where he wasn't present.
You're not a stranger
The artist reassures Josephina that she's not someone he doesn't know.
No, nothing could be further
The artist emphasizes that Josephina is someone he is familiar with.
I look back and I wonder
The singer reflects on his past with Josephina and wonders about aspects of her life that he hadn't been a part of.
What you were like, long before
The singer desires to know Josephina's past experiences and personality traits.
Josephina, if I asked you, would you tell me?
The artist hopes that Josephina would be willing to share her stories with him.
The fact from the fancy
The artist wants to know the truth about Josephina's stories and experiences without embellishments.
And the dreams in between
The artist indicates that he is also interested in hearing Josephina's dreams.
Tell me a story
The singer requests a story from Josephina's life.
All about yours truly
The artist specifies he wants to hear Josephina's personal story.
Photographs from the past
The singer suggests looking at old photographs to gain insight into Josephina's past.
Imagine the mystery
The singer thinks that exploring the unknown aspects of Josephina's past is a great mystery.
Didja get your head lost in a daydream?
The singer asks Josephina if she had ever been lost in her imagination.
Cinderella, waiting for her charming
The artist compares Josephina to Cinderella, suggesting she might be looking for her perfect partner.
Did ya break a heart, like little girls often do?
The artist wonders if Josephina ever broke someone's heart.
Pigtails and painted toes
The singer describes Josephina's appearance during childhood.
All dressed up in your mother's clothes
The singer vividly imagines Josephina as a child playing dress-up in her mother's clothes.
Can you shine the light?
The artist requests Josephina to share more about her past.
Ah, can you shine the light?
The artist emphasizes his desire for Josephina to share more.
Oh, please can you shine some light?
The artist begs Josephina to share more of her history.
Yeah, can you shine the light?
The singer continues to request Josephina to share more.
Shine the light on a shadow
The artist wants more clarity and knowledge about unknown or ambiguous aspects of Josephina's life.
Josephina, would you lay down your defenses?
The singer desires Josephina to reveal the vulnerability she may keep hidden.
So I could make sense of
The singer hopes that gaining knowledge about Josephina's past will help him understand her better.
Those colors fading to grey
The singer imagines Josephina's past experiences losing vibrancy and eventually becoming dull and grey.
It's not that you're hiding
The artist implies that Josephina may be keeping some details of her past to herself involuntarily.
Something, I'd never imply
The artist reassures Josephina that he doesn't blame her for not sharing before.
Yesteryear I may be gone
The singer acknowledges that he may not have been present for some of Josephina's past.
Can't say the same for today
The singer implies the importance of their present connection and continuity of their relationship.
How else am I to know, that all the while
The artist wonders how else he could have known about Josephina's secret emotions and experiences that might have been locked away from him.
There was a mischievous look, behind that smile?
The artist wonders if there were moments when Josephina was hiding something naughty behind her smile.
It's hard to tell, when innocence comes and goes
The artist reflects on the challenges of reading Josephina's expressions when her innocence may be fluctuating.
I'm sure that there were times, life could be unkind
The singer acknowledges that life can be tough at times.
Without a shoulder to cry on
The artist implies that sometimes there was no one to turn to in times of need.
Can you shine the light?
The singer requests Josephina to share more about her past.
Yeah, can you shine the light?
The singer continues to request Josephina to share more.
Shine the light on a shadow
The singer wants more clarity and knowledge about unknown or ambiguous aspects of Josephina's life.
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
Joseph Q
💜2020✨promesa de un Ángel
~{`r.i.p. Eddie´}~
⌚YouTube: Millennium-Lance and the Open Scroll
🌹
#REVELACIÓNES
#DanielCapítulo8🏁
🎠🌈🌈🌈💍🌈🌈🌈🔥
manteniendo la Fe...
(honrando a San Martín de Porres)
#FriendshipTrainGladysKnight
🍷#UnAmor pásalo
💜😎
Ben C
This is the biggest hidden gem in the entire Van Halen discography. Easily my favorite song with Cherone and one of my overall VH favorites.
Scott Coleman
I find myself coming back to this song Eddie's investment into the third formation
Jaci Sig
@Nick Davis It did go gold so it got some love.
Nick Davis
VH3 gets no love but I have always listened and loved it.
Philip Pouponneau
Great tune
J P
Solo flies to the sun
Shubho Roy
A very underappreciated record, a very underrated song.
Keira Brianna
Love this song. One of my favorite Van Halen songs.
JacquelineLava
This is one of the most brilliant songs I have ever had the pleasure of listening to!! Van Halen are gods <3
vanshipman
I have always dug this album. It is radically different from all the other VH records obviously, but it was cool to hear something weird and abstract from Edward. He made up for it (14 years later😤) with A Different Kind Of Truth. That album rocks like the locomotive on the cover.