Mean Street

Infobox Single |
Name = Mean Street
Type = Single
Artist = Van Halen


Released = 1981
Recorded = 1981
Genre = Hard rock
Heavy metal
Length = 5:01
Label = Warner Bros. Records
Producer =
Reviews = |
Last album = "And The Cradle Will Rock..." (1980)
This album = "Mean Street" (1981)
Next album = "Unchained" (1981)

"Mean Street" is the lead off track from Van Halen's 1981 album "Fair Warning". The song set the tone for the album in that it is a very dark and almost brutal sounding song. The track opens with a now-famous solo introduction from Eddie Van Halen which sees the guitarist expertly mimicking slap bass technique and also implementing an ingenious rhythmic displacement idea which is the key to making the fairly simple pattern sound so arresting. The introduction also incorporates numerous uses of fretboard tapping combined with artificial harmonics. Overall, the first 30 seconds of the song became one of the true benchmarks of Van Halen's inimitable style and elements of the intro were incorporated into his solo spot long after the song itself had been removed from the live set list (along with the vast majority of the classic Roth tunes once Sammy Hagar joined the band). The riff proper is in a somewhat more conventional blues style although as with a great deal of Van Halen's playing, its effectiveness is rooted in the style and timing with which it is performed. The bridge section features some inventive use of octaves and the following solo includes some typical Edward Van Halen three note per string patterns and phrasing. To close, the song features an atmospheric breakdown section which includes much use of the whammy bar to create the appropriate mood. [http://www.classicvanhalen.com/albums_fw.shtml]

Roth's lyrics depict a monotonous ('searching for the latest thing, a break in this routine') and tough ('poor folks play for keeps down here') existence in a rough part of a city. Along with much of the record both musically and lyrically, they are in stark contrast to Van Halen's 'party band' categorisation. 'Somebody said, "Fair Warning! Lord strike that poor boy down!"' are the only lyrics that appear in the liner notes, shown spray painted on an outside wall of a building, part of which, where the Van Halen logo is also spray painted, is smashed.

Interestingly, the music for the song was the product of two different songs that were recorded on Van Halen's demo from the mid-seventies. The solo from a song called "She's the Woman" is used as a bridge between verses, and the main riff is from a song called "Voodoo Queen". Neither of these songs have been officially released. [http://www.classicvanhalen.com/unreleased.shtml]

The song returned to the band's live set for the first time in many years during the III tour which featured Gary Cherone on vocals. It was a staple of the band's 2007-2008 reunion tour.