Van Halen

80s Song of the Day: Jump by Van Halen

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Jump by Van Halen was released on December 21, 1983, with House of Pain as the B side. It was the lead single from the band’s sixth studio album 1984 – their last with David Lee Roth as lead singer.

The song was Van Halen’s first to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and their only No. 1 hit with Roth as lead singer. It was also a No. 1 hit in Canada and Italy. It reached No. 7 on the UK Singles chart.

The music video for Jump, considered ground-breaking at the time, won an MTV Video Music Award in 1984 for Best Stage Performance.

jump

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80s Song of the Day: Panama by Van Halen

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Don’t you know she’s coming home with me?
You’ll lose her in the turn
I’ll get her!

PanamaPanama by Van Halen was released on June 18, 1984. The U.S. release featured Drop Dead Legs as the B side, while the U.K. release featured Girl Gone Bad. Panama was the third single from the album 1984.

Panama reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 64 on the UK Singles Chart.

Watch the music video for the song.

80s Song of the Day: Dreams by Van Halen

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And in the end on dreams we will depend
Cause that’s what love is made of

Dreams Dreams VHby Van Halen was released May 24, 1986, with Inside as the B side. It was the second single from the album 5150, Van Halen’s first album with new lead singer Sammy Hagar.

Dreams only reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. The first single from the album, Why Can’t This Be Love, had peaked at No. 3.

Watch the music video for the song, which featured the Blue Angels performing aerial stunts.

45 RPMs: Van Halen Love Walks In

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Contact is all it takes
To change your life to lose your place in time

5150

Cover of Van Halen’s 5150

As much as I loved Van Halen with David Lee Roth (1984 was an epic album as far as I was concerned), I made the transition to a Sammy Hagar-fronted Van Halen pretty smoothly. 5150 was one of my favorite albums in 1986, and I still have the copy of the record I purchased that year – impressive considering I traded most of my records, except for a select handful, for CDs in the 90s.

 

Love Walks In, one of five singles from 5150, was one of my favorites off the album. I would listen to it over and over and over again. I was 13 at the time, so even though the lyrics were a little odd (aliens pulling strings and travels across the Milky Way), I read it all as a tale of first love throwing your world upside down. And at 13, that was right up my alley. The song was a moderate success for Van Halen, reaching No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Continue reading →