42 years ago today, on October 27, 1984, Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100! From Alex Van Halen's explosive drum intro and Eddie's blistering guitar work to David Lee Roth's outrageous lyrics and one of the wildest music videos of the MTV era, "Hot For Teacher" remains a quintessential Van Halen classic. To celebrate the anniversary, we've … [Read more...]
One This Day: Van Halen Launches First Tour with David Lee Roth Since 1984!
Photos by ROBERT YEAGER Nineteen years ago tonight, Van Halen launched their first tour with original singer David Lee Roth since 1984! The 2007–2008 tour became the highest-grossing tour in the band's history, with arena sellouts across the country and more than $93 million in ticket sales. Nearly a million fans traveled from around the world to see the landmark … [Read more...]
The Mystery Behind Alex Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher” Drum Intro
For 42 years, drummers have debated one of rock's greatest mysteries: What exactly is happening during the opening moments of Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher"? Was it a Lamborghini engine? A hot rod? Electronic drums? Four bass drums? Layered parts? Or was it simply Alex being Alex? In a new Drumeo video titled "Alex Van Halen Fooled Everyone With This Drum Intro," drummer … [Read more...]
Photos: Opening Night of Van Halen’s 1984 Tour
Van Halen kicked off their legendary 1984 world tour on January 18th — 42 years ago today! Michael Anthony, Neil Zlozower and Tim McCrum share their memories of that first show, below. McCrum also shares his photos from that night exclusively with VHND, and Eddie recalls how massive that tour was. A sold-out crowd of 11,628 people witnessed Van Halen's first show of the … [Read more...]
Dressing Van Halen
Fleur Thiemeyer and David Lee Roth. Photo by Neil Zlozower Fashion Designer to the Stars, Fleur Thiemeyer, was recently interviewed on “Final Resonance TV” for the Van Halen Stories Podcast. In the interview, Fleur recalls being asked to work with Van Halen in 1978, just after the band released their first album. In this exclusive new interview, she uncovers her … [Read more...]
Van Halen’s “Jump” Exceeds One Billion Streams on Spotify
Van Halen’s "Jump" joins Spotify’s exclusive 'Billions Club' as it becomes the band’s first song to hit ONE BILLION streams on the platform! Alex Van Halen was excited to share the news on social media, exclaiming, "Thanks to all the fans for listening!" A pretty incredible feat, as only around 100 rock songs have reached that milestone, and less than 40 rock songs are … [Read more...]
1980’s Home Video: Paul & His Sister Perform ‘JUMP’ by Van Halen
This is the video you didn't know you needed to watch today. It's 1985, and Paul and his little sister are going to perform a new song from Van Halen. '40 years ago, my sister and I made this 1980s music video for "Jump" by Van Halen. It was April 3, 1985." These cute kids capture the essence of Van Halen! And remind us of how life was growing up in the '80s. We … [Read more...]
From 1984: Steve Vai’s Handwritten Transcription of Van Halen’s ‘Eruption’
Rock journalist Jas Obrecht is sharing a very cool unseen document with the world - his complete scan of Steve Vai’s original seven-page handwritten transcription of Van Halen’s "Eruption," done in 1984. From Jas Obrecht's Talking Guitar: While I was a staff editor at Guitar Player, we decided to feature Eddie Van Halen on the cover of the July 1984 issue. Since I’d … [Read more...]
Watch Van Halen’s Cameo Appearances in Frank Sinatra’s ‘L.A. Is My Lady’ Video
Back in 1984, MTV had reached over twenty-five million homes and had become a big wheel in the engine of the ever-spinning Van Halen promotional machine. Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth even made a cameo appearance in the video for Frank Sinatra's "L.A. Is My Lady," from the singer's final studio album of the 1980s. While riding in a limo, Dave popped a videotape of vintage … [Read more...]
When Van Halen ‘Jumped’ Head First Into The Synth Era With ‘1984’
By the year 1984, the synth era of rock music had reached its peak. Bands would at the very least incorporate the instrument to complement a song or two. More often than not, it paid off with commercial success. When it came to Van Halen's 1984 album, it was clear with the singles "Jump" and "I'll Wait" that Edward Van Halen was looking to do much more than add a touch of … [Read more...]
Alex Van Halen Collection Unveiled: Drumheads, Drumsticks, and Backstage Passes Now Available
If you missed out on Alex Van Halen's auction held earlier this year, don't worry - here's your chance to score a cool piece of Van Halen history from his private collection! Van Halen Store is proud to offer some of Reverand Al's personal Drumheads, Drumsticks [note that all Drumsticks have already sold out. Sorry!], and Backstage Passes. Most of these collectibles are now … [Read more...]
David Lee Roth Gets Up For New Cover Of ‘Jump’
There's a new cover of Van Halen's "Jump" and this version's got David Lee Roth up. About a month ago, solo artist Alex Melton recorded an "Acoustic Alt-Pop Indie Rock Cover" of Van Halen's number one single from 1984. Today, Roth showed his approval by uploading a video featuring Melton's version, which you can see above. In it is archival footage of Roth and his late … [Read more...]