In Memoriam: Eddie Van Halen – 1955-2020
One of the greatest to ever play the guitar tuned 65 years old on January 26th. Edward Van Halen revolutionized the way a guitar was played. His otherworldly guitar skills made him not only an icon but an inspiration for the next generation of guitar slingers. The other thing is.. he was about the coolest to ever do it. For instance, in the video for their number one smash hit, ‘Jump’, Eddie is all smiles but has a calm swagger that can only be had by the best.
In our world today, we tend to celebrate or write good things about people that have departed. Well, I’d like to take this opportunity to write about a living legend. Eddie Van Halen. Because as you look up and down the catalog of music in Eddie’s repertoire you realize that it wasn’t only the hits that everyone should know about. Nearly every Eddie Van Halen song had a cleaver artistic expression that rivals a genius solving a mathematical equation. Am I saying that he is a musical genius? I am, indeed.
Most guitarists in bands that feature a singer will come up with great guitar parts but a lot of times they are in between the words. Not Eddie. Instead of laying down rhythm guitar oriented guitar riffs, he wrote complex runs that most would save for their spotlight in the form of a guitar solo. For him, it was just another day at the office – as David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone sang over these legendary guitar tracks. Here’s the thing: others have tried to use this formula with substandard results. Mostly it’s because the guitar winds up taking over the song and the singer never really gets the chance to lock in. The beauty of what Eddie did was that he complimented the song and let it breathe – all the while recording complicated music. That’s real talent.
So in honor of his 65th birthday, I’ve compiled a list of my top ten favorite Van Halen songs. Doesn’t really matter where you fall in your preference of era’s – just sit back and enjoy the mastery of Eddie Van Halen.
Before we get started – let’s set the mood:
Now that I’ve got your attention, let’s begin with our top ten favorite Van Halen songs – *note – Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love was #11. Killed me to leave it off but I wanted to stay true to my order of listening preference. I know.. I know.
10. She’s The Woman – A Different Kind Of Truth: What can I say? I love the sound of Eddie’s guitar and the Fair Warning type of groove. On my first listen of the A Different Kind Of Truth, this one stuck with me and remains one of my go to VH songs.
9. I’ll Wait – 1984: Originally I left this off of the list since this is not a quintessential EVH guitar song but I called it the Van Halen list and I love me some I’ll Wait. So there ya go.
8. Me Wise Magic – Best Of Volume 1: This song sent shock waves when it came out. The internet was nothing like it is today and there were only rumors. But radio began playing a new song featuring the original members – it was a huge friggin’ deal. Trust me. They delivered in a big way with this one. It was classic Van Halen.
7. Why Can’t This Be Love – 5150: First single with Sammy Hagar. This ushered in a new era for the band but it was business as usual. New singer, new hit songs and a new hit album. I spent many hours at the roller skating rink going in circles listening to this song.
6. Unchained – Fair Warning: I mentioned Eddie’s guitar tone on Fair Warning earlier. Combined with Michael Anthony’s monsterous bass guitar, this has got to be one of my favorite verse/chorus grooves ever.
5. Drop Dead Legs – 1984: Never-mind hit songs – this is one of my favorite riffs EVH has ever produced. When it starts going after the intro and into the verse – it just gives me chills. Plus, there aren’t enough cool instrumental outros. This one is one of the coolest.
4. Little Guitars – Diver Down: There are some days that this is number one for me. The intro of this song is a mix of trippy and dominating at the same time. The song shifts to a verse filled with Eddie picking off the high strings with his fingers and really set up later work by the band.
3. Poundcake – For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge: Poundcake is definitely one of my favorite album openers for the band. Second, actually. We’ll get there in a sec. But Eddie’s power drill combined with his innovative guitar movements such as using harmonics to drive the song, make this one especially memorable. Plus it just grooooves. In the back of my head somewhere, I know this thing won Eddie a guitar solo of the year by a guitar mag. Don’t remember which – but I remember it happening. It’s bitchin’ – go listen.
2. Mean Street – Fair Warning: Best song to open an album for Van Halen? Mean Street. Most of the stuff on this list I will take whatever flack you want to give me. I get it. But this? Nah – it’s the best opener. That riff. So much swagger from everyone in the band. Alex Van Halen lays down such a great drum track here. The bass is classic Michael Anthony. David Lee Roth sets up the outro solo beautifully as he flows calmly into aggression as the song becomes even more menacing.
1. Jump – 1984: The band’s biggest hit is also my favorite song. You could not go anywhere and not hear this song in ’84-’85. Record stores, radio, MTV – it was everywhere. And those summers were filled with my tape of 1984 constantly being flipped over, again and again. Even though this one is driven by the synth, there are some great guitar moments as well. Those pre-choruses become alive because of Eddie’s guitar. And let us not forget the guitar part of the solo. This song really had it all and the band was at its absolute peak. It’s one of those rare songs that despite it being played so much, I never really tired of it. Even now as I type this. I have this album blaring in my earbuds. This was one of my favorite videos ever made also. It’s been tried over and over again but they caught lightening in a bottle with this one. The video sits somewhere around 70 million views. Turns out I’m not the only one who enjoys it.
I hope you had fun going on this Van Halen journey with me. I enjoyed watching and listening as I put this together. All in all, I listed 20 songs and ranked my top ten. I’d love to hear/see what your list looks like. So before you hate – coordinate – your own list!
Happy Birthday – Eddie Van Halen!
-Tommy Marz
You can follow Tommy on Twitter and let him know what you think.