Songoftheday 9/17/13 - Jump back what's that sound? Here she comes full blast'n top down Hot shoe burnin' down the avenue model citizen, zero discipline...

Van Halen - "Panama"
from the album 1984 (1984)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 10

Today's song of the day is by the heavy metal group Van Halen, who had their big mainstream pop day in the sun when they released their album 1984. With Eddie playing synthesizers heavy in the mix, the first two singles, the #1 "Jump" and it's throbbing partner "I'll Wait", the foursome found a welcome home on pop radio. For the third release from the record, though, the band went back to basics with a hard-rockin' no keyboard in sight winner with a killer guitar riff, "Panama". Credited to the band as writers and produced by Ted Templeman, "Panama" was good enough to consider becoming the national anthem of that nation, in my opinion...

"Panama" became the third top-20 hit from 1984 in August of that same year, as well as shooting to #2 on the rock radio list. It did the same in Canada, but failed to make the top-40 even in both England and Australia. It would also be the last time lead singer David Lee Roth would appear on the Van Halen top-40 single (well, as yet, you never know with these guys). After this album, Dave would go solo, with the band recruiting solo artist Sammy Hagar to fill his shoes.

The attractive part of this is seeing how much fun the Van Halen concert life is. The not attractive part is seeing what fashion choices all those late-80s glam-metal bands drew from.

(Click below to see the rest of the post)


...here's the band on tour before Dave quit in 1984...

...and more recently with Roth and the two Van Halen brothers reuniting for an acoustic session (I still miss Michael Anthony with them)...

and finally, a wild and hilarious take from comedian/sonic genius Reggie Watts...

Up tomorrow: He's like country glue. Twenty-eight years before Tuskegee. Outrageous.