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)
You Really Got Me
Van Halen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Girl, you really got me now
You got me, so, I don't know what I'm doin'
Girl, you really got me now
You got me, so, I can't sleep at night
Girl, you really got me now
Oh yeah, you really got me now
You got me, so, I can't sleep at night
(You really got me) oh
(You really got me) whoa, oh
(You really got me)
Please, don't ever let me be
I only wanna be by your side
Please, don't ever let me be
I only wanna be by your side
Girl, you really got me now
You got me, so, I don't know what I'm doin', yeah
Oh yeah, you really got me now
Got me, so, I can't sleep at night
(You really got me) ah, ah
(You really got me) ah, ah
(You really got me)
Oh, no, no, ah
Ah, ow, ah-ah, ah, ow, ah-ah, ah, ow, unh
Girl, you really got me now
You got me, so, I don't know what I'm doin', awh
Girl, you really got me now
You got me, so, I can't sleep at night
Girl, you really got me now
You got me, so, I don't know where I'm goin', yeah
Oh yeah, you really got me now
Got me, so, I can't sleep at night
(You really got me)
(You really got me) oh
(You really got me)
Oh, oh, oh
Van Halen's song You Really Got Me is a rock classic which is often considered as one of the greatest guitar riffs in rock music history. The song is an ode to the power a woman can have over a man and how it can leave the man feeling helpless and confused. The opening line "Girl, you really got me now" is a declaration of just how deeply affected the man is by the woman.
The repeated line "You got me, so I don't know what I'm doing" highlights the obsession and addiction the man has for the woman. He is so captivated by her that he is incapable of rational thought and doesn't know what he is doing. The line "I can't sleep at night" reinforces the intensity of his feelings and how they are affecting his daily life.
The chorus of the song, which consists of the repeated line "You really got me", serves to highlight the overwhelming power the woman has over the man. The final lines in the song "Please don't ever let me be, I only want to be by your side" demonstrate just how much the woman has consumed the man's life, and how much he wants to be with her.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh
Expressing surprise, excitement, or pleasure
Girl, you really got me now
Addressing a girl who has a strong hold over the singer
You got me, so, I don't know what I'm doin'
Being controlled by the girl to the point of confusion
Girl, you really got me now
Reiterating the girl's control over the artist
You got me, so, I can't sleep at night
The girl's power has become a burden on the artist, disrupting his sleep
Girl, you really got me now
The girl has thrown the singer's life into chaos and confusion
You got me, so, I don't know where I'm goin', yeah
Being lost and disoriented due to the girl's power over the singer
Oh yeah, you really got me now
Emphasizing the strength of the girl's hold over the artist
You got me, so, I can't sleep at night
The girl's power has resulted in a negative impact on the artist's sleep
(You really got me) oh
Repetition of the girl's power over the artist
(You really got me) whoa, oh
Intensifying the girl's control over the singer
(You really got me)
Highlighting the girl's strong hold over the artist
Please, don't ever let me be
Wishing to remain under the girl's control
I only wanna be by your side
Wanting to remain close to the girl
Please, don't ever let me be
Reiterating the desire to remain under the girl's control
I only wanna be by your side
The only thing the artist wants is to be close to the girl
Girl, you really got me now
The girl's hold over the artist is still strong
You got me, so, I don't know what I'm doin', yeah
The girl's control over the singer has led to confusion and indecision
Oh yeah, you really got me now
The girl's power over the singer is emphasized once again
Got me, so, I can't sleep at night
The girl's control over the artist is causing a negative impact on his sleep
(You really got me) ah, ah
Repetition of the girl's power over the artist
(You really got me) ah, ah
Intensifying the girl's hold over the artist
(You really got me)
Emphasizing the girl's strong hold over the singer
Oh, no, no, ah
Exclamation of the severity of the girl's control over the artist
Ah, ow, ah-ah, ah, ow, ah-ah, ah, ow, unh
Exclamations indicating the extent of the singer's emotional pain caused by the girl's power over him
Girl, you really got me now
Reiterating the girl's strong hold over the singer
You got me, so, I don't know what I'm doin', awh
Confusion and disorientation resulting from the girl's power over the singer
Girl, you really got me now
The girl's power over the artist has disrupted his life
You got me, so, I can't sleep at night
The girl's control over the artist is causing a negative impact on his sleep
Girl, you really got me now
Emphasizing the depth and extent of the girl's hold over the singer
You got me, so, I don't know where I'm goin', yeah
The girl's power over the singer has made him feel lost and directionless
Oh yeah, you really got me now
The girl's hold over the artist is still strong
Got me, so, I can't sleep at night
The girl's power over the artist is having a negative impact on his sleep
(You really got me)
Reiteration of the girl's strong hold over the artist
(You really got me) oh
Intensifying the girl's control over the singer
(You really got me)
Emphasizing the girl's power over the artist
Oh, oh, oh
Exclamations expressing the depth of the singer's emotional turmoil caused by the girl's power over him
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, BROADWAY MUSIC CORPORATION, Kassner Associated Publishers Ltd
Written by: Ray Davies
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DrPG199
You will be missed Eddie Van Halen.
@davebutler5358
Changed everything.
@juanjoviadero7182
Rest in peace, Rock Star
@ludamoma24
@@juanjoviadero7182 Rest in peace legend.
@abhiram7821
RIP to the absolute legend
@keep_walking_on_grass
Eddie was 23 edit: 22 years old when it was recorded and he played liked he had practiced for 100 years. also his sound is out of this world. What a guitar God.
@trapperboy7345
100 years lol
@n10cities
Amen! Rest In Peace, Eddie! :(
@CarolzinhaPQ
I love him so much ;_____;
@user-lb2vh8kh6g
Look at jason becker
Perpetual burn was released when he was 17 and his playing is way bettwe than eddies