Van Halen's '1984' at 40
Van Halen's '1984' at 40
The seminal record represents an end of an era for the band, and the start of something new for this writer.
Good morning!
Today, we’re taking a look at Van Halen’s ‘1984,’ released on January 9th, 1984
“Do you like the song Jump?”
The new kid in class was staring across our cluster of desks, waiting for my answer. I’m not sure why he thought that would be a good opener. I still don’t. But I did like the song, and it got us talking for a few minutes before our school day started.
‘Jump’ was, of course, one of the hits on Van Halen’s 1984 album. An album that turned 40 yesterday. The band’s 6th record would also turn out to be David Lee Roth’s last, giving rise to one of the longest parlor games in the music world: Van Halen or Van Hagar?1 Nobody throwing Gary Cherone’s name in the mix is ever taken seriously.
Perhaps more than anything, this record represents the apex of the Eddie Van Halen vs. David Lee Roth power struggle. We know now how that war ended, but at the time, I’m not sure how many people recognized it as an actual feud. Roth was the quintessential frontman, papering over any perceived lack of talent with charisma, teased hair, and flying kicks. He wanted to put on a show.
Van Halen did, too, but he was much more interested in the music itself, or rather in where he could push it–and his talents. He’d dabbled with keyboards before, but on 1984, they took on a much more prominent role. Maybe he’d grown sick of playing blistering solos faster and faster. Perhaps he felt like he had nothing left to prove. Maybe he just wanted to try something new.
‘Jump’ isn’t the only track that has keys on it, of course, but people tend to associate the track–-and its iconic opening synth riff— with the album. “I’ll Wait” is built entirely around them.
For better or worse, Van Halen was now a band with synthesizers baked into its sound.
That’s not to say that the classic VH sound was gone– you can still hear Eddie’s trademark killer riffs on tracks like ‘Panama.’ ‘Hot For Teacher’ is an archetypical example of the bawdy songs fans knew and loved.
The record was unquestionably a commercial success, and its more accessible sound was the on-ramp for many fans. Zooming out a bit, it changed the way ‘metal” could sound, with many bands taking the album as permission to add poppier elements to their music. But it was a short stretch for the group themselves, with Roth exiting the band not too long afterward.
Again, for better or worse, this pivot split the Van Halen up and painted a dividing line down the middle of the fan base for years to come.
So, do I like ‘Jump?’ I do. It’s not my favorite song on the record (take a bow, ‘Panama’), and it’s not my favorite album by the band- that award goes to Van Halen II. But it is the song in their discography that means the most to me. That new kid? 40ish years later, we’re still close friends.
1984 might’ve ended the band, but ‘Jump’ was the start of something incredibly important.
Listen:
Van Halen | 1984
Click the record to listen on your platform of choice.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this record! Memories, hot takes, and glances askance are also welcome.
Thanks for being here,
Kevin—
For what it’s worth, I’m firmly in the Van Halen/Roth camp. I will carve out an exception for 1988’s ‘Feels So Good.’
Nicely put. I still dearly love the first four VH LPs with Roth, but rarely listen to the last two. However, I did put this one on for the first time in years after Eddie’s death, and was pleasantly surprised by how well most of it still held up. (And yeah, “Panama” still totally smokes.)
"Jump" was everywhere in the mid-80s. You simply could not escape it.
Along with Michael Jackson Trapper Keepers, anything VH would have been incredibly sought after in my 4th or 5th grade classes.