Dancin' In the Streets

[Loons The Great]

The more Eddie complains about this tune(Van Halen doing Dancin' In the Streets? C'mon), the more I start to dig it. Van Rothin' vettin' up a Motown numbah, ALL HELL YEAH!! I likes that!! I wish In The Midnight Hour would've have made it onto 1984, too. Eddie should never have been allowed to speak at interviews. Dave should have ordered him to play guitar during interviews only. Especially after 1985. One of Eddie's worst whines is about the mighty, mighty Van Halen's cover tunes. He should have known that Van Halen fans dug it when they cooked up a lil' blues by Jimmy Reed(BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY BLUES 1980), ol' school rnb crunchfunk by Little Richard(Lucille 1981), Texas blues by ZZ Top(Beer Drinkers and Hellraisers 1983), or some classic 'Vis ala an ol' Zep sendup (Heartbreak Hotel 1983).

I imagine a Phish-head didn't whine when Phish did a cover tune. Or a R.L.Burnside fan doesn't cry when he revs up an ol' Hambone Willie Newbern blues. Or a Nirvava fan doesn't moan about Kurt Cobain doin' a scary version of an ol' Leadbelly tune. Or a Jeff Buckley fan wouldn't be bitter about him singin' a Bob Dylan tune like,"Mama You Been On My Mind."

One foot in the past, one foot in the grave, one foot out the door, followin' the rearviewmirror, one hand on the front bumper of popular culture, keepin' yer eyes on the road and yer hand upon tha wheel, goin' to the roadhouse, preachin' to the choir, goin' to the church, goin' to Algiers, goin' to a go go, well well well yez yeah...sho' nuff' I said nah nah...awwww reep....Yez Yez Yezzah...Yallah...Fo' sho'...like a thunderbolt in your Cheerios, son...blow your harmonica, son...Peace in the Valley...Wabash Cannonball...Skip to My Lou...You'll Never Walk Alone...Midnight Special...Cottonfields...Goodnight Irene...Rock Island Line...Line 'Em...Hey Rattler/Oh My Lord...Down By The Riverside...Death Letter...Spoonfull...I Shall Not Be Moved...Sendin' Up My Timber...We Shall Overcome...Two Trains Runnin'...I'm So Glad...Top Jimmy...Wabash Cannonball Part 2...

[Roguesgirl]

Great to see you, Loons

[EbDawson]

Originally posted by Loons The Great
Eddie should never have been allowed to speak at interviews.

Yeah, Sam lets him talk. Nuff said.

[Loons The Great]

NUTHIN BUT YEAH
...a lil' toast to the sweet nonstop soul thug pop tune Dancin' in the Street...the tune that will make your honey sweety mama shake like...jello on a plate...OWWWWWWWW...HahahaHAAAAA...Hmmm Hmmm Mmmm MMMM...Oooh well well...

Callin' out around the whirl, are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer's here an' the time iz right for dancin' in the street

[little nicky]

I like Dancing in the streets because its real Van Halen. They play it on the radio still too. It's a groovy song because it's got that Mowtown sound with David Lee as the master of ceremonies like the circus. Drinking with my girlfriend in a convertable in the summertime song. Thats what its like.

[DlocRoth]

Originally posted by Loons The Great
The more Eddie complains about this tune(Van Halen doing Dancin' In the Streets? C'mon), the more I start to dig it. Van Rothin' vettin' up a Motown numbah, ALL HELL YEAH!! I likes that!! I wish In The Midnight Hour would've have made it onto 1984, too. Eddie should never have been allowed to speak at interviews. Dave should have ordered him to play guitar during interviews only. Especially after 1985. One of Eddie's worst whines is about the mighty, mighty Van Halen's cover tunes. He should have known that Van Halen fans dug it when they cooked up a lil' blues by Jimmy Reed(BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY BLUES 1980), ol' school rnb crunchfunk by Little Richard(Lucille 1981), Texas blues by ZZ Top(Beer Drinkers and Hellraisers 1983), or some classic 'Vis ala an ol' Zep sendup (Heartbreak Hotel 1983).

I imagine a Phish-head didn't whine when Phish did a cover tune. Or a R.L.Burnside fan doesn't cry when he revs up an ol' Hambone Willie Newbern blues. Or a Nirvava fan doesn't moan about Kurt Cobain doin' a scary version of an ol' Leadbelly tune. Or a Jeff Buckley fan wouldn't be bitter about him singin' a Bob Dylan tune like,"Mama You Been On My Mind."

One foot in the past, one foot in the grave, one foot out the door, followin' the rearviewmirror, one hand on the front bumper of popular culture, keepin' yer eyes on the road and yer hand upon tha wheel, goin' to the roadhouse, preachin' to the choir, goin' to the church, goin' to Algiers, goin' to a go go, well well well yez yeah...sho' nuff' I said nah nah...awwww reep....Yez Yez Yezzah...Yallah...Fo' sho'...like a thunderbolt in your Cheerios, son...blow your harmonica, son...Peace in the Valley...Wabash Cannonball...Skip to My Lou...You'll Never Walk Alone...Midnight Special...Cottonfields...Goodnight Irene...Rock Island Line...Line 'Em...Hey Rattler/Oh My Lord...Down By The Riverside...Death Letter...Spoonfull...I Shall Not Be Moved...Sendin' Up My Timber...We Shall Overcome...Two Trains Runnin'...I'm So Glad...Top Jimmy...Wabash Cannonball Part 2...

Couldn't have said it better.

[Classic]

Thanks for telling the truth like it is, Loons!

[Loons The Great]

Eddie, Alex, and Michael don't like Dancin' In The Streets because Diver Down was Dave and Ted's album. That's the truth-a.

I'm not sayin' Dancin' In The Streets is my favourite tune...but I think it motors...it's motorvatin'...

[SNIPER]

I see nothing wrong with Diver Down. It used to be my least fav but now I love it just as much as any of the other CVH cd's. You kind of have to love it because we are not going to get any new stuff ever from that cocksucker and the boneholder.

[indeedido]

Oddly, Dancing in the Street started out as a Van Halen original. Eddie showed Ted Templeman and the guys this synthesizer song he came up with, and Ted's sitting there humming. Ted told him to stop for a second and said "this song you wrote is almost identical to Dancing in the Street. So Ed claims they never listened to the original, they just put it down and Dave started singing. From an article in March 2003 Guitar World....I dig the music, but wish they would have used different lyrics.

[Loons The Great]

Originally posted by indeedido
Oddly, Dancing in the Street started out as a Van Halen original. Eddie showed Ted Templeman and the guys this synthesizer song he came up with, and Ted's sitting there humming. Ted told him to stop for a second and said "this song you wrote is almost identical to Dancing in the Street. So Ed claims they never listened to the original, they just put it down and Dave started singing. From an article in March 2003 Guitar World....I dig the music, but wish they would have used different lyrics.

In some of 'em ol' bootlegs, you can hear Eddie play the riff durin' his solo...back in de club days...Fo' Sho'...

It befuddles me that anyone could ever complain about Van Davin' vettin' up a cover tune...we're not talkin' 'bout Smashmouth butchering a Doors tune...we talkin' the mighty, mighty Van Halen...sendin' up some motherfuckin' TIMBAH...take me to the solo, Simba!!...ALL HELL FUCKIN YEAH!!!!!!...

Wella...wella...WELLAAAHH...

[Terry]

Good summertime driving to the beach tune, agreed.

Am kinda ho-hum about covers in general, but CVH Van-Halenized the ones they did, so there was a point to it.

For all the bitching Ed did about Diver Down's covers, it didn't stop him from playing them on the Hide Your Sheep tour while wearing a shit-eating grin.

Drunken imbecile.

[rustoffa]

Summer's almost here!

[Loons The Great]

Originally posted by Terry
Good summertime driving to the beach tune, agreed.

Am kinda ho-hum about covers in general, but CVH Van-Halenized the ones they did, so there was a point to it.

For all the bitching Ed did about Diver Down's covers, it didn't stop him from playing them on the Hide Your Sheep tour while wearing a shit-eating grin.

Drunken imbecile.

Preach it nah, preach 'em blues!!

[Loons The Great]

Nothin' wrong with Van Halen cookin' up some ol' Motown nah nah yez...can ya dig it??...

[Loons The Great]

I am so sick of mofos complainin' 'bout this a here tune. IT'S A MOTHERFUCKING MOTOWN SONG. YOU KNOW, MOTOWN?? SHUT THE FUCK UP, EDDIE, AL, AND MULLET AND COVER WHATEVER SONG ROTH WANTS!!

[Loons The Great]

Wow!
Ah yeah!
Calling out around the world,are you ready for a brand new beat.
Summers here and the time is right,for dancing in the streets,
Theyre dancing in chicago ( theyll be dancing )
Down in new oreleans ( dancing in the streets )
Up in new york city ( dancing in the streets )
All we need is music ( sweet sweet ) sweet music (sweet sweet music )
Therell be music everywhere.
Therell be swinging,swaying,records playing,dancing in the streets,oh!
It doesnt matter what hat you wear,just as long as you are there,
So come on
Grab a guy,grab a girl,everywhere around the world.
Therell be dancing,dancing in the streets.
( oh )its just an invitation,across the nation,a chance for folks to meet.
Therell be laughing and singing,music swinging,dancing in the streets
All we need is music ( sweet sweet ) sweet music (sweet sweet music )
Therell be music everywhere.
Therell be swinging,swaying,records playing,dancing in the streets,oh!
It doesnt matter what hat you wear,just as long as you are there,
So come on
Grab a guy,grab a girl,everywhere around the world.
Dancing,dancing in the streets,
Way down in la,everyday,dancing in the streets ( dancing in the streets )
San francisco way, ( dancing in the streets ), they do it everyday now,
( dancing in the streets )

[bantonelli]

Dave was raised in an integrated school and he's got the Soul in his blood. That's how he could pull off a Martha Reeves and the Vandellas tune with success.

I think the controversy of the Sisters not digging this song to do is hilarious and a contradiction.

WHY, if they hated it so much, would they re-release it on their "Best of" Volume 1 ?

They should have released "Little Dreamer" or D.O.A. or a host of other tunes, if they didn't like it. BUT the truth of the matter is, it was fans like us that gave the Radio Stations the statistics to show it got rave reviews....chalk another brilliant move by ROTH.

I'm Dancing in the Street about this truth!!

[diamondsgirl]

I never saw the problem with them doing DITS. They Rothalenized it nicely.

they used to do that KC and the Sunshine Band tune and they rocked the fuck outta that bitch too.

take a good song and make it betta I always say...

[DavidLeeNatra]

never missed to have the song on my selfmade "best of" tapes...pure roth...pure fun...

[Simon Ribeiro]

Excellent posts, Loons.