Ironically, one of the songs selling best is a Van Halen cover of The Kinks’ 'You Really Got Me.'"
I don't know what's ironic about that. The point is simply that the royalties go to the songwriter, so Ray Davies gets the windfall. And Stevie Nicks gets the money for the current "Dreams" craze caused by Mr. Doggface. I don't find it strange at all that old songs are popular and money is made for things written half a century ago. Half a century ago is exactly right in my zone. I love The Kinks. So let me give you this:
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39 comments:
I like the Kinks version. There’s too much Hair Band mentality in the Van Halen version.
Lee Roth gyrates and thrusts his hips like that rainbow dude. Young male sexual thrust dance thru the ages. Also - i note that Lee Roth is channeling Robert Plant a bit there.
I've never watched that video. thanks.
The Kinks did it better
I've watched my favorite live version of my favorite "Van Hagar" tune at least a dozen times over the past 48 hours.
the 70's - when music was real.
It's a good cover. Their "Pretty Woman" is also good. Maybe when people unfamiliar with VH hear these well-known covers they'll explore originals, too.
He was actually skilful and actually talented. ITunes listeners are experiencing the shock of the new.
Wait until Bach dies, then they’ll see something!
Four macho men. So over the top. Super masculine, yet the lyric goes "Don't ever set me free."
Today?
What joyless times we live in. No band like this could take the stage now.
All we have are elderly Rolling Stones.
(lifts sunglasses) : Can you roller skate?
My taste in guitarists is Julain Bream, the reason I took up the lute.
is there someone who thinks it's strange that old songs are popular?
This isn't really completely on topic but I am amused at various articles I've read where Eddie Van Halen is described as Dutch-American. Which his family was from the Netherlands and he came here as a child and was a naturalized citizen and certainly it's fine to make note of that but I have been around as long as Eddie Van Halen and I don't ever remember that being pushed as some kind of identity for him before, Eddie Van Halen, guitar hero, hair band maestro and oh uh...yeah...Dutch-American. The Dutch were here really early, yes? Manhattan, $24, the ultimate NY real estate deal. So not exactly a trail-blazer immigrant wise. But I guess before we're through we're all going to have to be hyphenated, nobody is just plain American.
Steel Panther started off as a Van Halen cover band.
Thanks Van Halen.
Van Halen has been the quintessential bad boy band just on the other side of acceptable (or example, Hot For Teacher); but, merde putain could that Eddie play the guitar. The others were not too shabby. I sort of lost interest after David Lee Roth left the group (for whatever reason); Roth added a theatrical side to Eddie's incredible guitar pyrotechnics.
Probably because they used the camera so effectively for their videos, Van Halen was my generation's response to clean Chuck Berry. For example, Panama https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuKDBPw8wQA
Marc Anthony (of the band and Julius Caesar) said: "When shall come another?" "Never, never," the crowd responds.
Rest in Peace, young man.
David Lee Roth is sporting a blouse just like Robert Plant did.
Two old songs I clearly remember returning to the charts were Stand By Me by Ben E. King because of the Rob Reiner film of the same name and Prince's 1999 for obvious reasons.
I was reading a story earlier this year talking about "Born to be Alive" by Patrick Hernandez. Now, that song was a huge international hit in 1979, but even last year was bringing Hernandez almost a million dollars a year in royalties still. The internet has been a huge boon to old, but still under copyright music.
I don't know why exactly, but my favorite Van Halen song is "Jamie's Crying". Second favorite is "The Cradle Will Rock".
It's possible, from what I've heard recently, that Eddie V. was a genuine good guy who happened to play stupendously great guitar.
If that's the case, the celebrations should never cease. Of good guys, acting in good ways for good reasons.
Rest in peace Mr. Van Halen.
Eddie Van Halen might inspire me to take up the lute.
"Guildofcannonballs said...
Maybe sports agents and their families ought be given more thought?
How could you survive if Jerry McGuire didn't go ahead and git him some.
3/29/20, 10:27 PM "
"Guildofcannonballs said...
Courtney Love is worse than all colds/bacteria/virus' combined.
3/14/20, 11:44 PM "
tim d said...
is there someone who thinks it's strange that old songs are popular?
No, but I am sort of bothered by the fact that I don't see much in the way of new music coming out of today's youth.
" J. Farmer said...
Two old songs I clearly remember returning to the charts were Stand By Me by Ben E. King because of the Rob Reiner film of the same name and Prince's 1999 for obvious reasons.
10/8/20, 6:45 PM"
God just rewarded me in a way amazing.
Literally the word "pray" was definitive.
Mysterious indeed, Thank You God!
"Blogger NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...
tim d said...
is there someone who thinks it's strange that old songs are popular?
No, but I am sort of bothered by the fact that I don't see much in the way of new music coming out of today's youth."
Then pay me sir. I've been conspicuously writing tunes here at the Althouse blog for a while now.
You wire Althouse $43000 US dollars to start. She takes a third to do the accounting and pay my taxes of it. That's it.
WE WILL GET THIS DONE.
Mentioning mansplaining is Bullshavick.
Most of today’s music - and I’ll readily admit I don’t access and hear much of it - that I HAVE heard is uninspired and derivative... certainly not even close to the quality of music I listened to in my youth... nothing unique or even artistic about it. But EVH was from that earlier era and he certainly helped to carry on the proud tradition of gunslinging guitarists and good rock music.
Not that surprising, if you think about it. Fleetwood Mac and Van Halen were hugely popular back in the day, and they've been under the radar just long enough for the younger generation not to have heard of them.
Can you imagine looking up the funny TikTok song and discovering the entire Rumours album, all at once? Mind blowing.
along with radio Panama - this song is also a guilty pleasure cranker.
Van Halen, when "nuanced" just isn't enough...
"Panama", "Yeah,we're running a bit hot tonight, I can barely see the road from the heat coming off it, AH, I REACH DOWN, BETWEEN MY LEGS............EASE THE SEAT BACK..." Lord Byron would have killed for the freedom to express sexually connotative lyrics to his adoring female minions. He just needed smoke pots and and a sweetly grinning Eddie Van Halen with his magic guitar.
I like this song but there is something about the way its crafted that is off.
Sammy's voice is top. I don't even like music like this - but Sammy's voice is amazing. sexy.
VH did the song ok, but the glitter is too much. The Kinks recorded and performed the song better. Ann, I'm in roughly the same age group -- I'll be 72 next week. "Those were the days."
I started drinkin' the whiskey to diluite WI beer.
They know.
I started drinkin' the whiskey to diluite WI beer.
They know.
HA, HAM LASAGNE AND EGGPLANT PARMISIAN.
JEANNE FORT COLLINS
hAM LASAGNE AND EGGPLANT PARMASIAN.
Literrally the best meal I ever ate. Jeanne in FORt Collins.
Ham Lasagne. Egglplant, par,esian.
Lip synched. It might as well have been a Hullabaloo rerun.
I like a lot of Fleetwood Mac, but the lyrics to Dreams always bug the hell out of me.
"Thunder only happens when it's raining"
No, that's not at all true; that's definitely false as anyone who has lived in a warmer area can definitely tell you. Thunder happens all the time without "it raining," ok Stevie?
"Eddie Van Halen is described as Dutch-American"
Yeah, back in '78 no one cared about that. They didn't even care that the Van Halen brothers were about one-quarter Indonesian.
The reason that the cover is trending is because "Eruption" is the lead in. The two songs go together. I feel like journalists should be smarter...or at least do thirty seconds of research.
"You Really Got Me" is not the only prominent Kinks cover by Van Halen:
Where Have All the Good Times Gone
David Lee Roth has said in interviews that Van Halen regularly played other Kinks covers in their bar band days.
What's ironic is that most people who use the word "ironic" have no idea what it actually means instead of what they think it means.
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