Songfacts®:

• This was written by Ray Davies and first recorded by his band, The Kinks, in 1965. Van Halen did a lot of Kinks material in their early years; David Lee Roth had a Kinks compilation album, so they learned a bunch of their songs and played them at club shows and soundchecks when they were just starting out. The first Van Halen single was a Kinks cover: "You Really Got Me" in 1978.
• In a 1982 interview with Creem, David Lee Roth explained why they chose this song to cover. "The message implied there, whether it might be superficial to some people or not, exists these days more than ever because, what with so many businessmen on stage playing business music. Where have all the good times gone? I'm serious. It happened to punk rock a lot, it happened to new wave, it happened to reggae and heavy metal and on and on – a lot of business people just want to make a buck, and they're becoming craftsmen more than songwriters."
• This is one of five cover songs on the Diver Down album. Van Halen released an album every year between 1978-1982, and by this time, they needed a creative break. Recording covers meant they did not have to write as many songs.
• The tour to support this album was called the "Hide Your Sheep Tour."