What Is Van Halen's Greatest Song?

[Seshmeister]

We must have done this before but hey he has 3.22 million subscribers and is a fan so it's a thing.

For me it's 'I'm the One'.

I think.

Today anyway


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McqLcRW_wKc

[Terry]

That's a toughie.

My personal favorites are Sinner's Swing!, Romeo Delight, Unchained and Hear About It Later.

Out of those 4, Unchained I'd imagine would be the best known among casual fans.

None of those 4 are as well-known as Jump.

But then I suppose 'greatest' doesn't necessarily mean the biggest song commercially.

[silverfish]

I watched this the other night. Enjoyed watching him discuss various VH tracks.
His pick comes in at 34:00 if you don't wanna watch the entire thing to see the payoff.
Listening to it as a Greatest Track and not your favorite and, yeah, maybe he's right.
Killer intro (narrows it down, right?) and as soon as you hear it the visual will pop into
your head. Least it did for me.

[FORD]

Unchained was always my #1 favorite, but honestly, you can't go wrong with anything on the first 4 records.

[Nitro Express]

I like everything in the classic catalog. Even the shit songs on Diver Down. Dave shit beats Sammy shit anytime.

[ZahZoo]

Mean Street tops it for me... the overall composition just covers so many facets and the vibe, story telling and tension drive it throughout.

[Nickdfresh]

That's a toughie.

My personal favorites are Sinner's Swing!, Romeo Delight, Unchained and Hear About It Later.

...

Nailed it!

[Nickdfresh]

Mean Street tops it for me... the overall composition just covers so many facets and the vibe, story telling and tension drive it throughout.

Best intro in rock....
https://media.tenor.com/YX2wDo9H6J0AAAAM/phil-hartman-ed-mc-mahon-snl.gif

[Seshmeister]

Best intro in rock....

Or any other genre. :)

[Nickdfresh]

Or any other genre. :)

Yes. I guess I was trying to get at that it crushes anything done by Zeppelin, Who, Sabbith, AC/DC, etc. Most other music is irrelevant...

[Seshmeister]

Looking at the comments on YouTube the most common choice, in that demographic at least, seems to be Mean Street.

[So this is love]

That's a toughie.

My personal favorites are Sinner's Swing!, Romeo Delight, Unchained and Hear About It Later.

Out of those 4, Unchained I'd imagine would be the best known among casual fans.

None of those 4 are as well-known as Jump.

But then I suppose 'greatest' doesn't necessarily mean the biggest song commercially.

Wow, You set the bar high my friend, well done, I don't disagree but I will think about it...

[So this is love]

lol at Nitro #5 sorry

[So this is love]

Damn! I'm the one, On fire, Mean Street, Sinners swing, Hear about it later, DOA, Secrets, etc. they are all gems....of fck I cannot fucking do it I fucking love them all...VH FOREVER..... FUCK YOU FOR ASKING!!!

[Seshmeister]

Slightly surprised about the love for Sinners Swing. It's great obv but not in my Top 5 on Fair Warning.

[Vinnie Velvet]

I am going to have to go with Unchained.

It embodies everything CVH was about. The opening riff, the chorus, the lyrics (hit the ground running), the attitude, the swagger, the humor.

Its quintessential Van Halen. It hits you fast and hard and before you know it, the song is done. THAT was Van Halen.

[MasonL]

My favorite VH song is Unchained. But the best song might have to be I'm The One because it has literally everything VH brings in one sub-4 minute song. Incredible riff, swing, walking bass line, sense of humor to the lyrics, Dave howling away, blazing solos, the barbershop break, and that ending.

[VHscraps]

Off the top of my head ...

'I'm the One' - listen to the guitar track only version, one take all the way through, and the rhythm playing especially, which is out of this world. It really swings. That's the stuff no one can copy, cos its a visceral thing that comes right out of his body, his physical relationship with that lump of wood and strings and the sound it all makes. The leads are also amazing.

'Romeo Delight' - unbelievable energy from the whole band. Kick ass bass from MA as well.

'Drop Dead Legs' - it swings.

[Rikk]

UNCHAINED

Honorable mentions go to LIGHT UP THE SKY, COULD THIS ME MAGIC?, LITTLE GUITARS, DROP DEAD LEGS (or PANAMA or even JUMP), ME WISE MAGIC (goosebumps every time), OUTTA SPACE, BEATS WORKIN'...