5 Van Halen Songs That Made Us Fall In Love With the Hard Rock Band in the Early 1980s

Before Van Halen, it was rare to hear the sounds of a hard rock band in most places, unless you were running with a crowd that particularly enjoyed that niche genre of music. But when the Van Halen brothers broke into the music scene, they changed all of that with the music of Van Halen.

The group, which formed in 1972, has been credited with reigniting the hard rock scene, thanks to Eddie and Alex Van Halen’s backyard gigs turned record deal. Van Halen’s deal led to their 1978 debut album Van Halen, and eventually their massive careers as one of the best hard rock groups and best-selling groups of all time.

Van Halen received one Grammy award for their 1991 album, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and were later inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

Take a glimpse back to the start of Van Halen’s legendary career and listen to some of their greatest hits — from “Panama” to “Unchained” — and remember why you loved Van Halen as much as we know you did.

1. “Panama” (1984)

“Panama” is not actually about the country Panama, despite what the title makes it seem. This track from the album 1984 is about a car, which is used as a metaphor for a woman. The theory is that the song was named after a car David Lee Roth saw race while in Las Vegas called the “Panama Express.” The song rose on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 13, remaining on the charts for 15 weeks.

“The guys asked me to write something with an AC/DC beat,” Eddie Van Halen shared of the song. “That ended up being Panama. It really doesn’t sound that much like AC/DC, but that was my interpretation of it.”

2. “Hot for Teacher” (1984)

The meaning of this track from 1984 is fairly clear: a student is falling for his attractive teacher. The song became very popular, especially the music video that accompanied it, which featured each of the Van Halen members as younger versions of themselves in a classroom that was transformed into a strip club.

Although the song only hit No. 56 on the Hot 100 chart, “Hot for Teacher” has become a Van Halen classic and one of their most memorable tunes.

3. “Jump” (1984)

Serving as the only Van Halen track to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, “Jump” was one of the group’s most popular songs. Van Halen was already a massive success, but this song and the album it came from really allowed their career to skyrocket.

“Jump” was internationally successful, hitting No. 1 not only in the US but also in Canada. The song also reached No. 2 in Ireland and Australia. Fans loved this track for its infectious melody and interesting music video. Take a listen to the song!

4. “Unchained” (1981)

Although this song never made the Billboard Hot 100 chart, “Unchained” is often considered a Van Halen favorite. The track was originally titled “Hit the Ground Running” and featured Ted Templeman, who was Van Halen’s producer on many projects.

And remember the line, “Come on, Dave, give me a break,” to which David Lee Roth responds, “One break, comin’ up!”: turns out that moment might not have been written in but just happened during the song’s recording, but the band liked it so much they kept it in the final record.

5. “Runnin’ With the Devil” (1978)

This classic Van Halen hit was the opener on the group’s debut self-titled album in 1978, introducing the world to their unique style and infectious music. The track opens with the sounds of car horns, which were the band members’ actual car horns sounding off. “Runnin’ With the Devil” placed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 84 and remains one of Van Halen’s favorite songs.