Van Halen 1984 Song-By-Song Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Zoot Marimba, Feb 4, 2018.

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  1. yarbles

    yarbles Too sick to pray

    I'd take Little Guitars over I'll Wait, but that's it.
     
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  2. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    I'll take it over 1984/Jump at least
     
  3. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    Agree.
     
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  4. The Slug Man

    The Slug Man Forum Resident

    Location:
    North Carolina
    This would be an awesome album...I'll call it 1983.

    "1983"/Jump
    Panama
    Little Guitars
    Hang Em High
    Top Jimmy
    Drop Dead Legs
    Intruder/Pretty Woman
    The Full Bug
    Secrets
    Hot For Teacher
     
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  5. yarbles

    yarbles Too sick to pray

    If they had put Hang Em High on 1984 and I'll Wait on DD, 1984 would be perfect, and there would be almost zero reason for DD to exist.
     
  6. Oliver

    Oliver Bourbon Infused

    That's certainly fair enough, I'm just not that big a fan of 1984 (album)-especially compared to all their previous albums.
     
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  7. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group Thread Starter

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Panama:

    We come to what was third in both album tracks and singles for this album, Panama, which came about when Dave was doing an interview where the interviewer accused Dave of only writing songs about sex,drugs, and fast cars, and after the interview, Dave went "HHEEEEYYY! I haven't written a song about cars yet!" Ultimately, it was a combination of this and a stripper that Dave knew from Arizona that inspired the lyrics, while Eddie came up with the riff and basic musical structure as an homage to AC/DC.
    Eddie kicks off the song with a killer riff and Alex doing his own version of Phil Rudd, laying down this thick, heavy pocket. Of course, rarely can you hear bass on this song, I certainly can't, no matter how much I turn it up. No matter, this is still such a way to open the album. Dave swings in at :42, having the time of his life, and he just owns this song. Eddie rips it up on the fretboard at 2:04, it's an awesome solo, and I FINALLY hear some bass, and it slinks into this low key groove, and Dave does such a cool spoken word part that really takes this song to another level.
    I love this song, awesome rocking tune, great groove, great swagger and charisma, it's a classic for good reason.
     
  8. Oliver

    Oliver Bourbon Infused

    I'm probably going to be in the minority on this one but I was never a huge fan of Panama. Perhaps to me it's overplayed? That could be part of it. It's hard to put my finger on it, I think I just find it kind of generic sounding, kinda cheesy (and not in the almost always successful VH kind of way). Maybe I'll just leave it at that.

    I do appreciate the nice write up by @Musicman1998 , it makes me WANT to really like it, I just think it's ok.
     
  9. YardByrd

    YardByrd rock n roll citizen in a hip hop world

    Location:
    Europe
    I can't be bothered to cue up Jump, but isn't there a problem with the drum triggers in the first 30 seconds (give or take) where the tonality changes? Memory seems to nag at me about this...
     
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  10. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
    You are not alone. I don't like "Panama" that much, either. I'm not sure what it is, but it seems kind of weak. The riff is good, but the song itself is just underwhelming to me. I'd never include it in a VH comp if I was making one.
     
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  11. Black Thumb

    Black Thumb Yah Mo B There

    Location:
    Reno, NV
    The intro to "Panama" is chock full of tasty EVH moments - that "SPROING" thing, those harmonic things he does before it slams into the main body of the song.

    The song is a real stomper, for sure. Just wish I could remember how I felt about it before I'd heard it a billion times. I haven't grown nearly as tired of it as I have "Jump", though.
     
  12. Tree of Life

    Tree of Life Hysteria

    Location:
    Captiva Island, FL
    1984 My Third favorite Mighty Van Halen album of all time

    In college when I first heard Halen was coming out with a new album, and we all knew it was coming via MTV so I was a first day buyer

    JUMP

    The video on MTV really helped this tune and the band for that matter to become a behemoth world wide.

    JUMP is a very tongue in cheek tune that with the help of the video spurred it to become a Number #1 hit

    I really dig the tune and think it was the perfect choice for a lead single and the lead tune for 1984


     
  13. TexasBuck

    TexasBuck Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    Panama is one of my VH favorites. It's overplayed for sure but I've never really gotten tired of it. I usually prefer VH's angry/edgy side (AKA: Debut/Women and Children First/Fair Warning) but Panama resonates with me anyway. Love the energy, love the riffs. It's right in Dave's wheelhouse. The solo is awesome and we get a cool tempo change with one of Dave's best talking parts. The band rocks it out at the end. It's signature VH. There's just a lot to love here. Easily a top 10 VH song for me, maybe top 5.
     
  14. SizzleVonSizzleton

    SizzleVonSizzleton The Last Yeti

    You and I may need some counselling because I feel like we're growing apart!!:(

    :D:D
     
  15. Ryan Lux

    Ryan Lux Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, ON, CA
    Amen, when you hear Eddie talk about writing the songs, he never ever mentions the lyrics and melody.
     
  16. bare trees

    bare trees Senior Member

    The Album: I heard the singles when they were released but I didn't hear the whole album until 1987. By that point I had heard the debut and 1984 didn't quite stack up. I still listen to it from time to time but it doesn't get as much play as the first two albums.

    1984: I like it. It works well as an introduction.

    Jump: The is a polarizing song and constant airplay has killed it for me. That being said, "Jump" is a song that sounded like a hit from the first listen. I can see why many longtime fans hated it but I had only heard "Pretty Woman" and "Dancing In The Streets" up to that point. Looking back, I'm surprised that the label let the single out with the odd time guitar solo section in tact.

    Panama: A great "crank it up and roll down the windows" single that hit just as summer was kicking in. The opening tribal drum part, the riffs, the breakdown, and the catchy chorus made this a memorable single for me.
     
  17. Jeff Kent

    Jeff Kent Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mt. Kisco, NY
  18. Black Thumb

    Black Thumb Yah Mo B There

    Location:
    Reno, NV
    Dave's rap in "Panama" seems to me like a prequel to the one in "Everybody Wants Some!!".
     
  19. Tree of Life

    Tree of Life Hysteria

    Location:
    Captiva Island, FL
    PANAMA

    MF A one...IMO, one of Van Halens Top 5 tunes of all time

    Infectious, fun and full of high octane, this IS Van Halen.

    The lyrics are some of Dave's finest with....

    "Don't You Know She's Coming Home With Me, You'll Lose Her In The Turn....go ahead sing it, you know you want to...."Panama"

    "Got An On Ramp Coming Through My Bedroom"...yep, sure did, like a revolving door

    "Yeah, we're runnin' a little bit hot tonight
    I can barely see the road from the heat comin' off of it
    Ah, you reach down, between my legs
    Ease the seat back"...................................................We ALL KNOW what's happening in Diamond Dave's Mind don't we? I Know I do

    "Piston's Popping, Ain't No Stopping Now".......Something was popping and "Piston's" is the perfect word for it


    PANAMA.... The quintessential Roll Your Windows Down, Blast it at 99 and enjoy the ride tune!
     
  20. Mike Reynolds

    Mike Reynolds Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    Dave and Al yer pal cruising in and around the streets of Pasadena in Dave's 51 Merc., shooting b-roll for the Panama video -- and getting stopped by Pasadena's finest. I hope they threw all their empties overboard. :D

    Their budget for the day? One blank VHS videocassette tape and a 12-pack of Schlitz malt talls.

     
  21. BluesOvertookMe

    BluesOvertookMe Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX, USA
    After Jump and I'll Wait were the first two singles, Panama was the first sign of those that hadn't bought the album yet (or checked out the B-sides on the 45s) that there was some ROCK songs on this album. I remember hearing relief from some people in high school, and I was like "dude, buy the album there IS some good rock on there".

    I love the opening riff, and I dig when Alex goes heavy to the cymbals about :14 in. (I initially wasn't sure what @Musicman1998 meant by an AC/DC homage until I realized the riff is similar to If You Want Blood. I prefer Panama's riff, but yeah there are similarities.) yes, Dave delivers the swagger again. The guitar solo is good and full of energy, but I wouldn't rate it as one of Edward's best - it has a lot of what some people critique him for, which is often unfair. But then we drop into the slow, smokey part, where Dave does the spoken word and Eddie's playing is nice and slinky. I love that!

    For me this song about two things, in order - Eddie's riff and, the slow smokey part.

    It's an 8.8 out of 10 for me.

    I love that Pat Boone's version takes the "I reach down between my legs ...(pause for effect)... ease the seat back" to "I think I'll reach down here, ease the seat back, fasten my seat belt, cause I think we're in for a RIDE".

     
  22. BluesOvertookMe

    BluesOvertookMe Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX, USA
    Forgot to rate Jump: 7.3 out of 10.
     
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  23. curbach

    curbach Some guy on the internet

    Location:
    The ATX
    “Panama” is solid and faith-restoring after the wtf of “Jump”. I like it, but it doesn’t feel special in the same way Van Halen’s best songs do. The best part is Diamond Dave’s rap in the break.
     
  24. GodShifter

    GodShifter Forum Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX, USA
  25. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    "Panama" is a track I frequently skip over. Back in '84, I thought is a dynamic song with a great hook, but over time it has gotten stale, partially due to the fact that is one of the most over-played songs on radio. I still understand its general appeal, but I do not think it has aged particularly well.
     
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