Wanna stump your fellow music fans? Just ask them to name the first Van Halen song to feature keyboards. Odds are they’ll “Jump” right into to the incorrect answer.
Van Halen’s “Jump” is often thought of as the band’s first-ever song featuring keyboards. Not so. Understandable since 1980’s “And the Cradle Will Rock…” sounds like yet another guitar heavy masterpiece from the great Eddie Van Halen. But those sounds are coming from a second-hand Wurlitzer electric piano he picked up at a pawn shop. Like a brilliant mad scientist, Eddie discovered a whole new sound produced from the instrument Ray Charles once used to record his hit single “What’d I Say”.
The Professor of Rock has just recently released an episode devoted to this Van Halen classic, which you can view above.
Read VHND’s in-depth look at Van Halen’s 1980 album Women and Children First HERE.
Visit The Professor of Rock’s YouTube page HERE for more videos