Jump back, what’s that sound? It’s the sound of a brand new synth-pop version of Van Halen’s “Panama” that just dropped.
The Los Angeles pop duo known as The Bird and the Bee have just released an Amazon-only cover of Van Halen’s classic track “Panama”.
Multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin, one half of The Bird and the Bee, told Billboard re-imagining this VH classic was a no-brainer considering how much of a fan they are of not just the song but the band.
“‘Panama” is such an epic, driving, rock jam. Van Halen blends anthemic songs with virtuosic playing like nobody else and David Lee Roth always delivers. [Bird and the Bee vocalist] Inara [George] and I discovered we were both big fans of Van Halen growing up and had so much fun re-interpreting this one.”
Here is The Bird and the Bee’s version of “Panama”:
This isn’t The Bird and the Bee’s first flight into Van Halen land. Their 2009 album ‘Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future’ features a song called “Diamond Dave,” in which the narrator admits to a school-girl crush on Roth. Here’s that ode to DLR: