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10. Sleepwalkin' (1976)
!976's album 'To The Hilt' was my first Earring album and the two singles my second and third Earring singles. Sleepwalkin' is one of these songs that make me wonder whether the crediting of songs to Hay/Kooijmans is justified. The bass riff in the background and Zuiderwijk's typical drumming and short solo's are such an integral part of this song, that a credit ought to be justified. This is more than just arranging, to my ears at least. There's more of that coming up below. This song is a driving force but it is more. It has a symphonic rock element as well. My take is that for the interludes the band listened to Genesis e.g. Besides that, there is the great sax solo of Bertus Borgers who played with the band for decades. This is some great musicianship and Robert Jan Stips, who would leave the band and later surface in The Nits, taking his moment. Another number 5 hit for the band.
That Day is Golden Earrings' second single. As the studio's in The Netherlands and the people operating them were all sub par, the band went to England to record in the Pye studio. The result is history, as Golden Earrings broke big with the song. Reaching number 2 for five weeks, behind 'Michelle', one of my least favourite The Beatles songs, the band became a famous pop band. A piano is the main instrument on That Day, played by Aad den Dulk, a friend of drummer Jaap Eggermont. The vocals are a joint delivery of Krassenburg and Kooijmans. What changed is the "steenkolen Engels". It looked like some people took lessons after 'Please Go'. Does perfect pop exist? I don't know but this sure sounds like it. At 17 George Kooijmans could already write a fantastic pop song. As an aside. Golden Earrings was a five and later a four piece, but so many songs had a prominent keyboard. That is rather strange, isn't it, for a band without a keyboard player. It would take years for the band to become a rock band. The beat/pop band was extremely good though.
As I already wrote, Golden Earring experimented a lot. With Robert Jan Stips gone it was joined by former Cuby + Blizzards guitarist Eelco Gelling and that led to the sort of injection The Rolling Stones had with Mick Taylor. The guitar work on this single is truly exquisite. Who plays what, I don't know, but there are so many parts and riffs flying around it's almost impossible to keep up. I've liked this single from the day I heard it first, right up to this day. The eastern influence was brought in by Gelling, Bombay by Hay who lived in India in his earliest youth. Only number 7? Yes, and just I can't understand it.
The last really big hit of Golden Earring is the ballad Going To The Run about a Hell's Angel. A friend of Barry Hay who crashed his motorbike, turned into a fantastic song. The chorus sung by Hay and Kooijmans is one of the finest in rock history. Despite playing in cover bands for well over 30 years, this was the first Earring song we've played, with my current band Sweetwood. And it got voted out last year. The remaining one is 'Rader Love', that we mastered after a lot of practising. With Going To The Run the Earring showed how good its ballads can be. One of the very best songs of the band ever.
Enter Cesar Zuiderwijk, exit Sieb Warner. In a matter of months the band had totally reinvented itself and entered the stage with a real rock song. Heavy riffing and Barry Hay getting into his own. Finally he is the rocker that his voice is best equipped for. Of course, there is the flute played by Hay that is a remnant of times soon gone. With Back Home the band was right on top of the times as bands like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath were scoring their first hit in the same year. Just two years previously the band scored its first number 1 single (not in this list) and the two could not be further apart. The transition is in a way incomprehensible. Back Home is so loud and rough. The audience must have loved it as it was number 1 for five weeks with five weeks at number 2 around the 1 position. It makes Back Home Golden Earring's biggest hit by far. Did the old fans follow? I simply can't imagine they did. This then fourth grader did though.
We approach the first five and here it becomes really hard. On any day it could well be that a song could be in a different position but I think this is about accurate where I am concerned. Golden Earring(s) has produced several great songs but these five certainly are on top of all the others. Two of the songs were the band's claim to fame internationally. When I bought a compilation album in 1977 in Australia called 'Immortal Hits', it contained one Golden Earring song (and one Focus, 'Hocus Pocus'). We all know which song that is of course. The songs were all from the Polydor label, but still, Australia! Travel through the U.S. and you will hear the song regularly, just like Shocking Blue's 'Venus' by the way. Golden Earring is a pop/rock icon, globally. That ought to have had far more international hits, but alas.
Twilight Zone is the band's fourth number 1 single and built around a great riff. Sort of out of nowhere the band was really big again. Originally meant for a George Kooijmans solo album but added to 'Cut' that was supposed to be the band's final album. Come today we all know how that went. Again, a global hit was scored but again that could not be followed up, unfortunately. With Twilight Zone the band was able to combine two worlds and sort of reinvent itself. Twilight Zone without a doubt is a rock song, but it is also very danceable and has a lot of sounds that will sound familiar to U.K. postpunk/new wave bands. The Dick Maas video clearly catered to the demands of MTV. We are 44 years down the line but this single is still as strong as it was on its release day. Remember my comment on credits. Just listen to that bass riff and tell me your view.
When we had the intro, that was supposed to be a drum intro, we had created our own Beethoven's Fifth, said Cesar Zuiderwijk recently in an interview. The intro was thought up by bassist Rinus Gerritsen. Radar Love is one of the best rock songs ever of course. Iconic. The kind of song millions of people will recognise right at the first note played. A road song ideal for driving into the distance and within seconds you're speeding as well. As I wrote above, how can this be just written by two if the contribution from the rhythm section is so huge, including the iconic opening riff? What Cesar is doing here is composing on drums. Without his drumming in this way, the song would not half has its power it possesses and the same goes for the bass part. Rinus Gerritsen is a killer bass player! Some guitar parts were played by Eelco Gelling, who was not yet a member. Radar Love was the band's third number 1 hit.
This single/song is nothing less than a mini rock opera. For the life of me I can't understand that this was not a worldwide number 1 hitsingle. In fact, it did not go beyond number 4 here. It has everything you want great songs to have, split over an a and b side as the band refused to make a single edit. As I once wrote a whole post on this song, I'm going to refer you to it. Before I do, that bass player!
https://wonomagazine.blogspot.com/2021/11/a-classic-rock-giant-she-flies-on.html
When The Lady Smiles is Golden Earring's fifth and final number 1 single. Released one year after 'Twilight Zone' and meant as the continuation of the international success. But because of the video being pulled out of rotation by MTV, we will never know what it could have achieved. By attacking a nun on a tram in the video the band sealed its fate. That the perpetrator, Barry Hay's version of Van Kooten and De Bie's character 'De Vieze Man' ('The Dirty Man'), is severely punished further on in the video, is a subtlety that went by the puritan Americans. And us, Dutch? We just saw a great video accompanying an even greater song. As that is what When The Lady Smiles is for certain. This song has so much energy, can be danced to, has a host of guitar lines, and a chorus that is beyond superb. The only element I was not a fan of, was the 'Johnny and Mary' style solo at the end. George Kooijmans has played so many far better ones. The verses hold the tension that the song needs, so that the release in the pre chorus and then the chorus makes their point double and then triple. This song has the absolute wow factor.
1. Just A Little Bit Of Peace In My Heart (1968)
George was married to Melanie Gerritsen for 56 years. Melanie is bassist Rinus' sister, while their brother Rob for decades took care of finances for the band. A family band in a certain way Golden Earring was. But, in 1968 she broke up the relationship. George was heartbroken and must have decided to write one of the ultimate love songs ever to win her back and succeeded. Still called Golden Earrings, he went into the studio and came out with this masterpiece that reached number 2 behind The Cats' 'Lea'. In a way this is the least Golden Earring(s) song of all in this list, as the song has drums and bass but is carried by the orchestra arranged by Frans Mijts. Full blasting horns and loud violins! Listen to the end and you will find that bass sound already that would become a signature of Golden Earring a few years later. Kooijmans plays an acoustic guitar on the song and is pouring his heart out, to quote a later single. For me this was an earth shaking song. With 'Hey Jude', 'MacArthur's Park' and 'Eloise' it showed a third grader the power of music. There would be more songs at that level through the decades but very, very seldom better. For a short time, George Kooijmans was the lead singer of the Earring(s) on the singles before the band finally found the modus that would make Barry Hay the star he remained for well over five decades. Here George is shining like never before and never after. It goes to show that heartbreak leads to the best songs.
Summing up. The Earring will be there for my whole life as the songs will be there forever. Longer than I will live. Cover bands will keep the songs alive for some time to come. It's impossible to say what my truly favourite Earring(s) period is. I love the singles from the Earrings period. The rock period in the first half of the 70s is great, just like several singles from the early 80s. In the past days I played the 'Devil Made Us Do It' box repeatedly and found music at such a consistent level, even from the periods I thought I liked less. The box set is an altar for the music of Golden Earring(s). Should a song like 'Where Will I Be' be in this top 25? Yes, probably. Tomorrow this list may look different, for now this is it.
Golden Earring is no more. At the end of this week the farewell shows are over. The music is there and I am sure going to enjoy them for some time to come.
Barry Hay seems prone to retire on Curacao, but Cesar is active in music, e.g. with Sloper and Rinus has become the bass player in the revived Supersister, with my neighbour from down the street Leon Klaassen on drums.
Wout de Natris - van der Borght
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