40 years ago today, “Why Can’t This Be Love” climbed to #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 — becoming the first major hit of the Van Hagar era.
Do you remember what it felt like hearing the “new” Van Halen for the very first time in 1986?
Here’s the “Why Can’t This Be Love” entry from the book Van Halen: Every Album, Every Song, by Morgan Brown:
Track two [of 5150] is a stronger statement of intent for the Hagar-fronted band [than “Good Enough”]. Not quite a ballad, it nevertheless showcases a lovelorn melancholia that Roth would have rejected, but at which Hagar excels. Commencing with an irresistible bubbling synth riff, played on Eddie’s Oberheim OB-8, it settles into a steady mid-tempo rhythm, with tasteful power chords providing some background rock muscle. Alex’s chunky snare packs its usual punch, but Anthony’s playing is buried beneath thrumming synth bass. The verse drops into a pensive minor key, as Hagar emotes about “that funny feeling again.”
The premise is simple: he loves the girl and sees potential for a relationship, but she’s less convinced.
Sammy’s words have been the subject of mockery, especially the second verse’s clumsy assertion that “only time will tell if we stand the test of time.” However, tautology aside, it’s a perfectly functional lyric, matching the music’s tone well, without the uncomfortable crassness that marred “Good Enough.” There’s little wit or nuance to “Straight from the heart, oh tell me why can’t this be love,” but sung with un-Roth-like sincerity over a nagging synth hook, it’s the stuff that radio playlists and stadium singalongs are made of.
The bridge allows a prog/fusion influence to surface as Sammy scats along with Eddie’s offbeat, arpeggio-based guitar/synth melody, showcasing his impressive upper range. It’s a hint of adventurousness delivered in a catchy, palatable form. The guitar solo is harmonically darker but surprisingly restrained — a chord-based melody with a little whammy-bar ornamentation, blending with the squelching synth. After a reprise of the scat bridge, an extended chorus lets Hagar showcase even more impressive upper-register work.
In some ways, the song is a natural next step from “Jump,” yet its simple romantic, melancholic tone marks a clear departure from the Roth years. The single, released in March 1986, was a great success, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number eight in the UK. The 12-inch single included an unnecessarily padded five-minute mix of the song, but the proper album version remains a compact, perfectly constructed slice of stadium pop.
This was an excerpt from Van Halen: Every Album, Every Song. Get the book at Van Halen Store.
Shown here is the rare UK-pressed 7-inch limited-edition picture disc for “Why Can’t This Be Love,” backed with “Get Up” on the B-side. Only around 7,000 copies were made, and it’s been a prized collector’s piece ever since.