Inside (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Inside is a song by American Hard Rock band Van Halen. It was included on their 1985 album 5150, the first to feature new vocalist Sammy Hagar who had replaced David Lee Roth earlier the same year.

The song features guitarist Eddie Van Halen playing keyboard as well as guitar. It is considered an unconventional song for Van Halen and nothing they had already recorded or have recorded since has any resemblance to the song.

The lyrical theme of the song appears to be about Sammy Hagar having to adapt his personality and image in order to be accepted by Van Halen fans still upset about Roth's departure from the band. The most obvious example of this from the lyrics is probably "I get up, bought brand new shoes and walk like someone else"

Throughout the song the band can be heard speaking under the instruments at different levels of audibility. In an interview after the album's release Eddie Van Halen spoke about how the band "Just kinda got stoned and drunk in the studio one day while the equipment was still running. We were listening through some of the stuff a few days after and found it tagged on the end of Dreams. We cut it up into separate parts, choose the best bits and overdubbed Inside onto the top of it" Some of the audible lines include:

• "Where'd you get those clothes?"
• "From your closet"
• "I think you mean my wife's closet"
• "J.C. Penney's man! J.C. Penney's!"

• "Don't touch me there, just don't do it!"

• "Hey Mike, what was that shit you gave me last night?"