Songoftheday 8/2/13 - You've got me captured I'm under your spell I guess I'll never learn...

Van Halen - "I'll Wait"
from the album 1984 (1984)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 10

Today's Song of the Day is by the California hard rock band Van Halen, who catapulted themselves to pop stardom with help from Eddie's keyboard with the #1 single "Jump". For the followup they released another synth-heavy track, "I'll Wait", probably one of the most serious-sounding records they recorded at the time. Originally collaborated on by Eddie and Doobie Brother Michael McDonald, "I'll Wait" was originally rebuffed by singer David Lee Roth (probably because it seemed so unlike them), but thankfully Eddie won out in the end. Surprisingly, this song never came with a video, considering rock acts' reliance on MTV at the time.

"I'll Wait" made the top-20 on the pop chart, and got as high as #2 on the rock radio format. I suspect it would've done better with a video clip, but hey. It did solidify the band's reputation as not just a party band, which would figure more heavily after Roth's departure after this album.

Up tomorrow: Another "fun girl" gets serious as well. Over and over.