GLOBAL TEXAN CLASSIC 3-WAY: VAN HALEN – Jump
Van Halen – Jump [1984 LP] can be found on Apple Music.
by Walter Price
In Memory Of…
EDDIE LODEWIJK VAN HALEN
January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020
Baby how you been? Way back in the year Nineteen-Hundred and Eighty-Four, you loved you some Sade, Laurie Anderson, Art of Noise, INXS, Hall & Oats, or maybe Don Henley the solo artist. But if your best friend’s older brother had a bitchin red on black Camaro, you were blasting the quintessential 1980’s rock n roll extravaganza that was (and still is) Van Halen’s 1984!
One of those life-changing albums that have had every song studied, memorized, and worshiped. But it was one song that introduced the masses of teased up hair enthusiasts to what would become legendary. That Eddie Van Halen shredding rocker was “Jump”, and the world would never be the same.
Sure, Eddie’s guitar masterwork was pretty neato, but the world was spellbound by lead vocalist and master swaggering jump kick maestro Davis Lee Roth. His come-hither Cheshire cat smile, golden flowing locks, and a vocal style that soothed men and the ladies the same. Swoon.
“Jump” is a song that we wrote for several different reasons, primarily because it is leap year and secondly because I was watching television one night and it was the five o’clock news and there was a fellow standing on top of the Arco Towers in Los Angeles and he was about to check out early, he was going to do the 33 stories drop – and there was a whole crowd of people in the parking lot downstairs yelling “Don’t jump, don’t jump” and I thought to myself, “Jump.” So, I wrote it down and ultimately it made in onto the record, although in a much more positive vein. It’s easy to translate it the way you hear it on the record as a “go for it” attitude, positive sort of affair – I jog, therefore, I am, approach.” -DLR
Who am I kidding, you know all this. But have you heard how other folks have interpreted this classic rock single? If so, nice! If not, you’re not too far away from checking out three ways Van Halen’s “Jump”, inspired some to leap into cover versions.
Rock In Peace Eddie…
[original pub date 28. June 2017]
Bruce Springsteen
Steel Panther
Jazzkantine
VAN HALEN
Eddie Van Halen photo by Abby Gillardi (Wiki Commons)
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(David Lee Roth quote from the Lisa Robinson interview for Rock Video Magazine in 1984)
Producer -Ted Templeman
David Lee Roth – lead vocals
Eddie Van Halen – guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals
Alex Van Halen – drums
Michael Anthony – bass, backing vocals
“If you want to be a rock star or just be famous, then run down the street naked, you’ll make the news or something. But if you want music to be your livelihood, then play, play, play and play! And eventually, you’ll get to where you want to be.” – Eddie Van Halen