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Amsterdam (Van Halen song)
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Wikipedia article
"'Amsterdam'" is a rock song written by the group Van Halen for their 1995 album 'Balance'. It was released as single to mainstream rock radio and peaked at number nine on the 'Billboard' Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart during the summer of 1995.[http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=376&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+Mainstream+Rock+Tracks&ci=3020465&cdi=6952071&cid=06%2F24%2F1995 Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks - Chart Listing For The Week Of Jun 24 1995]
Background
The song was written primarily by their lead singer Sammy Hagar, but was credited to a songwriting partnership of all four members of the band as was usual in all original Van Halen's songs at a time when the musical differences between him and his bandamates were increasing. According to a 1995 interview on Dutch radio, the song is based upon Sammy's tourist impression of Amsterdam, such as the freedom he felt in the city.
According to Ian Christe's book 'Everybody Wants Some: The Van Halen Saga', Eddie and Alex Van Halen didn't like the lyrics, feeling the song did their birthplace a disservice, due to its explicit references to cannabis use (with lines such as "roll an Amsterdam", clearly it refers to "roll a joint" ) and to its little content. Sammy, however, wouldn't budge, as it was about his tourist impression over the memories of the Van Halen family homeland. About this, Eddie Van Halen said to 'Guitar World' in 1996:
Well, I wasn't sober before, and I wasn't even listening to the lyrics! It's not like I suddenly wanted Sammy to be my puppet or anything, but once in a while I would take issue with a specific lyric or line. For example, I always hated the words wham, bam, Amsterdam, from 'Balance', because they were all about smoking pot they were just stupid. Lyrics should plant some sort of seed for thought, or at least be a little more metamorphical."
Music video controversy
A music video was shot for "Amsterdam" in January 1995 during their promotional tour in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. After the finishing touches was completed in April, Warner Bros. sent the video to MTV, who sent it back due to the song's references to marijuana, specifically the lyric, "Score me some Panama Red, yeah." They altered the lyrics for the video for airplay, but MTV still refused to play it. The altered video eventually aired on MuchMusic in Canada.
References
Category:1995 songs
Category:Songs written by Alex Van Halen
Category:Songs written by Eddie Van Halen
Category:Songs written by Michael Anthony (musician)
Category:Songs written by Sammy Hagar
Category:Warner Records singles
Category:1995 singles
Category:Van Halen songs
Category:Songs about Amsterdam
Category:Songs about cannabis
Category:Song recordings produced by Bruce Fairbairn
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