Forty years ago this week, Van Halen’s classic song “Jump” began a five-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The tune, which was the band’s one and only song ever to top the chart, saw Van Halen modernizing their hard-rock sound with some melodic synth lines played by the group’s resident guitar hero, Edie Van Halen.
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“Jump” certainly was among Van Halen’s catchiest and most enduring songs, evidenced by not only by its chart success but by the number of other artists who have covered the tune over the years.
Here’s a look at a few interesting versions of “Jump” by a variety of music acts, either recorded in the studio or performed live.
Aztec Camera (1985)
Aztec Camera was one of the first groups to cover “Jump.” The Scottish pop/New Wave band released its slow-down version of the tune as the B-side of a single back in 1985. The song features sparse acoustic guitar and piano accompanying frontman Roddy Frame’s low-key, almost-monotone vocals.
Paul Anka “Jump” (2005)
Veteran crooner Paul Anka reworked “Jump” as a jazzy, horn-driven swing tune for his 2005 album Rock Swings. Anka’s big band-inspired version works surprisingly well, particularly in the call-and-response chorus section.
Rock Swings also featured Anka’s takes on popular songs by Bon Jovi, Survivor, R.E.M., Oasis, Soundgarden, Nirvana, Eric Clapton, and others.
The John Jorgenson Band Featuring David Lee Roth (2006)
Bluegrass outfit The John Jorgenson Band enlisted David Lee Roth himself for their own unique version of “Jump,” which appeared on the 2006 tribute album, Strummin’ with the Devil: The Southern Side of Van Halen. As the title suggest, the record featured bluegrass-style renditions of popular van Halen tunes.
Diamond Dave sounds like he’s having a blast on the “Jump” cover, which features fluid mandolin, banjo, fiddle, and acoustic guitar solos throughout. Yee-haw!
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band with Tom Morello (Live, 2014)
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band kicked off their April 6, 2014, concert at Reunion Park in Dallas with a cover of “Jump.” The Boss and company apparently picked the tune to play because the show was part of the March Madness Music Festival, celebrating that year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, who was touring with Springsteen that year, delivered a blistering, jaw-dropping guitar solo that probably made Eddie Van Halen proud. Springsteen only played “Jump” on other time in concert, on May 18 of 2014 in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Foo Fighters (Live, 2018)
Foo Fighters regularly played “Jump” in concert during many of their tour dates in 2017, 2018, and 2019. The band often did a mash-up of the Van Halen hit and the classic John Lennon ballad “Imagine.”
A fan-filmed video of Foo Fighters’ July 16, 2018, concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City shows frontman Dave Grohl humorously chatting with the crowd as the piano intro to Imagine is played.
“Ladies and gentleman, I’m a peaceful man,” Grohl says in the clip. “Every night I come out here and sing a song [that] we can all sing together. … I’m talking about a song of love, hope, peace, togetherness. Can we come together right now? … I can bring us all together. Let’s do that right now.”
He then proceeds to belt out “Jump” as the Foo Fighters keyboardist continues to play the “Imagine” piano part, with some of the audience joining in as well.
