Top 10 Golden Earring Songs

Photo: Bert Verhoeff / Anefo [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Most rock and roll fans in the United States and just about everywhere else, except the Netherlands, have no idea how big the band was in its native Dutch Country. Everyone knows their monster hit “Radar Love,” released in 1973. However, since its formation in 1961, the band has released over 25 studio albums, eight live albums, and 74 singles.

In their native country of the Netherlands, the band has enjoyed five number one singles and seven number one albums. Their last number one album was released in 2012. In the early days, the band was called The Golden Ear-rings, but in 1969, they dropped the plural and changed the name to just Golden Earring.

Like many bands that have been together for over fifty years, there have been some lineup changes. Nonetheless, there has also been an incredible consistency among the four main members of the band since 1970. The group’s founding members, Rinus Gerritsen and George Kooymans, have been with the band since 1961. Vocalist Barry Hay has been with the band since 1967. Drummer Cesar Zuiderwijk has been with the group since 1970.

Golden Earring has always been one of the hardest-working bands in the business. During their early 1970s success with their worldwide hit “Radar Love,” they had bands such as Aerosmith and Kiss as their opening acts. Throughout their career, they shared the concert stage with such groups as Led Zeppelin, Boz Scaggs, The Doobie Brothers, ZZ Top, J. Geils Band, and even Jimi Hendrix.

Sadly, many people in the United States are unaware of how great this band is. Their early material in the 1960s rivals some of The Beatles’ best work. When listening to their music, it is easy to see why they were so huge in the Netherlands and other parts of Europe. We hope this Top 10 Golden Earring songs list introduces some of this band’s great music and entices rock and roll fans to learn more about this fantastic band.

# 10 – I am A Fool

Just Earring by Golden Earring (2009-05-26)

We open our top 10 Golden Earring songs list with one of the great tracks from their debut album entitled Just Ear-rings. The track “I Am A Fool” defines the sound of mid-1960s ballads with its Beatles-style British invasion sound. However, the spoken word middle section was somewhat ahead of its time and showed the promise of this great band more clearly than the album’s lead single, “Please Go.”

# 9 – Don’t Wanna Lose That Girl

Winter Harvest by Golden Earring (2009-05-26)

We continue our list of top 10 Golden Earring Songs with another deep track from the band’s second album. The great song “Don’t Wanna Lose That Girl” is defined by a sparse arrangement draped in killer harmonies and a swinging melody to die for. The song was released on the band’s second album, entitled Winter Harvest. The album was released in 1967. Choosing songs like “Don’t Wanna Lose That Girl” proves why it’s worth buying the band’s original studio albums for all the tracks, not just the hits.

# 8 – Temporary Madness

The Golden Earring song “Temporary Madness” was released on the album Bloody Buccaneers. The record was released in 1991. At a time when bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam were the most popular groups in the world, Golden Earring was still going strong in their native Dutch land. At this point in their career, the band sounded like an entirely different group from the one they had been in the 1960s.

# 7 – Still Got The Keys Of My First Cadillac

In 2012, Golden Earring released the album T&A. It had been almost ten years since the band released a studio album of new material. The last record the band released before T&A was 2003’s Millbrook U.S.A. Nonetheless, the band’s great T&A album was not ignored on this top 10 Golden Earring song list. Our favorite track on the album was the great Golden Earring song “Still Got The Keys Of My First Cadillac.”

# 6 – Back Home

While we love diving into some of the deep album tracks on this Golden Earring songs list, we can’t ignore all the number one hits the band had in their native home of the Netherlands. The Golden Earring song “Back Home” was released on the band’s 1970 album entitled Golden Earring. The song “Back Home” hit number one on the Netherlands music charts.

# 5 – Candy’s Going Bad

“Candy’s Going Bad” has been a Golden Earring fan favorite since the song was released. “Candy’s Going Bad” was the opening track to the band’s 1974 album Moontan. The album stands as the band’s most significant musical and commercial achievement in the eyes of many. It was the band’s biggest album ever released in the United States. The album’s commercial success was due to the worldwide hit “Radar Love.” Nonetheless, it’s one of the greatest rock and roll albums ever released, and the opening track, “Candy’s Going Bad,” sets it all up.

# 4 – That Day

Continuing our list of top 10 Golden Earring songs, we return to the band’s earliest days. The incredible Golden Earring song “That Day” was released as a single in 1966. The song was highly successful for the band, reaching number two on the Netherlands’ music charts. If you have never heard this song, be prepared to be blown away. It is one of the great 1960s songs many in the United States have never heard.

# 3 – Dong-Dong-Di-Ki-Di-Gi-Dong

The Golden Earring song “Dong-Dong-Di-Ki-Di-Gi-Dong” was one of the band’s biggest hits of their career in their native Dutch land. The song was a number-one single for the group. “Dong-Dong-Di-Ki-Di-Gi-Dong” was released in 1968.

# 2 – Twilight Zone

MTV catapulted the careers of so many bands in the early 1980s. Bands that looked good primarily benefited from MTV’s video presence. However, it wasn’t just new bands that benefited from the network. Old groups like ZZ Top, The Scorpions, and many others found new audiences through their clever videos featuring cars and hot women. Golden Earring also enjoyed incredible success with the arrival of MTV. Their song “Twilight Zone” became a smash hit on the music channel.

“Twilight Zone” was released on the 1982 Golden Earring album entitled Cut. It was the first time the band had a number one single in the United States, as the song reached the top of the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart. It also hit number one on the Netherlands Dutch Top 40.

# 1 – Radar Love

If you have never heard of the band Golden Earring, chances are you have at least listened to the song “Radar Love.” The band’s classic track has become one of the most popular classic rock tracks of all time. Golden Earring’s “Radar Love” was released in 1973. The song was issued on the Moontan album. Incredibly, it only hit number one in the Netherlands. However, it charted in more countries than any other Golden Earring song. Some fans believe “Radar Love” is such an iconic rock song that it belongs in the same category as other classic rock songs such as Foghat’s “Slow Ride,” Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear The Reaper,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Freebird,” Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane,” or even Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

The comparisons to those classic songs are warranted because “Radar Love” became a part of pop culture. The reason those songs became part of pop culture is that they are fabulous, exciting pieces of music that often feature many moving parts and depth not found in most rock music. That is what “Radar Love” presented to fans. It was a brilliant piece of music that one could listen to repeatedly without getting bored.