Van Halen’s ‘1984’ at 40
The seminal record represents an end of an era for the band, and the start of something new for this writer.
Good morning!
Today, we’re taking a look at Van Halen’s ‘1984,’ released on January 9th, 1984
“Do you like the song Jump?”
The new kid in class was staring across our cluster of desks, waiting for my answer. I’m not sure why he thought that would be a good opener. I still don’t. But I did like the song, and it got us talking for a few minutes before our school day started.
‘Jump’ was, of course, one of the hits on Van Halen’s 1984 album. An album that turned 40 yesterday. The band’s 6th record would also turn out to be David Lee Roth’s last, giving rise to one of the longest parlor games in the music world: Van Halen or Van Hagar? Nobody throwing Gary Cherone’s name in the mix is ever taken seriously.
Perhaps more than anything, this record represents the apex of the Eddie Van Halen vs. David Lee Roth power struggle. We know now how that war ended, but at the time, I’m not sure how many people recognized it as an actual…
