When it was announced that David Lee Roth was leaving Van Halen in 1985, it was anyone's guess as to what his next musical move would be - especially coming off a couple of very un-Van Halen-sounding cover tune hits. But Roth opted to return to his hard rockin' roots with "Yankee Rose." As for the song's meaning, Roth told MTV in 1986, "I pictured the Statue of Liberty as if she was a real live fox. And she's walking in front of the candy store, and I'm out front as usual, being lewd towards her. So what we have here is that sexy kind of patriotism." The "Yankee Rose" video would start with a near two-minute comedic skit, taking place inside a seedy convenience store.