Somebody Get Me a Doctor

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Somebody Get Me A Doctor is a song by American Rock band Van Halen on their 1979 studio album Van Halen II. The song was written by vocalist David Lee Roth while he was spending time in a Mexican hospital due to a broken leg he acquired performing his wild stage act. Versions of the song appear on many of the early Van Halen demos including the one famously produced and funded by Gene Simmons. The guitar solo in the song was originally improvised by Eddie Van Halen on the spot and went straight onto one of the early demos. Ed liked the solo so much he touched it up and the version heard on Van Halen II is very similar to the demo version. The song was played live on the Van Halen II and Diver Down tours, during the later of which it was often combined with a cover of the song "I'm So Glad" and with an Eddie and Alex Van Halen jam session (From which came the earliest versions of "Girl Gone Bad"). It was resurrected to replace the bass solo during the III with Michael Anthony on lead vocals, a trend which continued on the Best of Both Worlds 2004 tours, where it was combined with a normal bass solo.