3 Legendary Tracks From Van Halen’s ‘1984’

When Van Halen released 1984, it closed a chapter.

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David Lee Roth was out and Sammy Hagar was in. You also saw Eddie Van Halen’s guitar playing—and his guitars—evolve. But the close of Van Halen 1.0 might be the group’s finest 33 minutes and 10 seconds.

This isn’t a knock on Hagar. “Summer Nights” and “Best of Both Worlds” deserve spins as much as anything in VH’s catalog. But listen to 5150 and 1984 back-to-back. There’s a ferociousness that’s missing post-Roth.

Their sixth album has just nine tracks. And a third of them are rock masterpieces. But the rest of the album is worth exploring, too. “I’ll Wait,” “Top Jimmy,” and “Drop Dead Legs” also showcase everything great about his era of Van Halen.

Still, Roth’s gig was up. Thankfully, they recorded the three legendary tracks below before they changed singers.

Throw my rope, loop-de-loop
Nice white teeth, Betty Boop

“Hot for Teacher”

If you pull up a drum lesson on YouTube for how to play Alex Van Halen’s intro to “Hot for Teacher,” you are met with what looks like an Olympic sport. He bangs a galloping rhythm before layering a double-bass shuffle with his feet. Then the groove—mimicking an idling engine—travels to the rest of the kit before his brother Eddie two-hand taps a flurry of notes on his guitar. Many musicians who came after Van Halen got the Olympics part of the technique but not the feel, groove, or, most importantly, musicality. When the main riff finally kicks in, the brothers blow through a jam that sounds like Jeff Beck’s “Space Boogie” had it been born at Gazzarri’s.

“Panama”

Leaning into the Sammy-or-Dave debate remains dangerous business. At the risk of jolting a hive of Red Rocker bees from their slumber, the reason Dave wins is “Panama.” There isn’t anything in Van Hagar’s catalog with this kind of power. Eddie may have wanted to choke his former lead singer, but David Lee certainly ignited sparks in King Edward’s playing. Also, the carnival barker vibe that accompanied early stage VH better suited the rubber band riffs and animal noises emanating from Eddie’s Frankenstrat. What it must have been like to be in the studio while Roth tracked his spoken-word bits.

“Jump”

Few rock guitarists have broken more ground than Eddie Van Halen. When people heard “Eruption” in 1978, it forever changed rock music. It also changed how guitars were built. But the band’s biggest hit is “Jump,” a synth-rock track. Yes, there’s a guitar solo here. But it’s followed by a cascading synth solo. Eddie was driven by restless curiosity. He merged the way Jimmy Page played “Heartbreaker,” then added Mozart’s virtuosic keyboard technique, all through the lens of a scientist. The man was a genius and we are lucky to have lived in the time of Eddie Van Halen.

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