“Light Up The Sky” is the sixth track on Van Halen II.
Eddie wrote the main riffs for this song immediately after the recording of Van Halen. The rest of the song was written in the studio.
Instrumentally, it is an explosion of energy. It takes two of David Lee Roth to keep pace, as he trades lines with himself at the end of each of the verses (Mike Anthony and Eddie add vocal backgrounds on the choruses). The image of those children (that is, of Van Halen) ‘lighting up the sky’ was likely inspired by the famous passage in Jack Kerouac’s On the Road: ‘The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes “Awww!”. That is the spirit of Van Halen, and the sound of this song. And, during some concert performances the band would actually torch Alex Van Halen’s drum kit just to make the point.
Eddie: “I wrote the music for that song right after our first record was recorded. I used to play it for the guys and they’d go, “Oh, Eddie’s got a new riff.” Nobody really said anything and then when we came back off the tour we played all our new riffs and songs for Ted and he really liked that one, and I was totally surprised. Because it’s a little more progressive, the changes are a little more bent than the commercial stuff. So I was happy that he liked that. It worked out to be a good one.”
Guitar World:
The introductory stair-step joust between guitar and bass heralds wide dynamic shifts between quiet passages, balls-out rock riffage and a drum breakdown,capped by a solo full of tremolo picking and precise whammy waggles. There is a lot of drama in these three minutes.
Lyrics:
Yeah, we’re all fast breakers comin’ out of the gates takin’ chances. We’re the crash and burn.
Yeah, there is a way with beauty, but you never gave a love cross the line where none return.
I watch my television; almost lost my mind.
It said, “Open your eyes. Leave it all behind.”
I heard the wind a whisp’rin’, strong magic comin’ on!
They comin’ out for sure.
Come see your children; yeah, they’re lighting up the skies.
Won’t recognize them any more.
Ooh, mama, see the firelight.
Ooh, we’re comin’ out tonight.
Wolves at my door wised up quick.
Turn here and gone from on the go.
Seems the old folks who come up short were the pretty little kids who didn’t want it, no.
I had to pay admission when I came tonight.
And it said, “Open my eyes. Leave it all behind.”
I heard the wind a whisp’rin’, strong magic comin’ on!
They comin’ out for sure.
Come see your children; yeah, they’re lighting up the skies.
Won’t recognize them any more.
Ooh, mama, see the firelight.
Ooh, lightin’ up the sky.
Light up the sky.
Light up the sky.
Light up the sky.
Light ’em up!