Guitarist NIXED SINGER's Cover Song In Favor of his Original…Became Band's Only #1-Professor of Rock

Poll: Who is your pick for the most charismatic frontman in rock history?

Dave jumping doing the splits. The epitome of youth and feeling indestructible. I miss it so much.

"I'll wait" is a wholly underrated song off of 1984 which further demonstrated Eddie's talent on the keys.

The sublime joy on Eddie's face after both solos speaks volumes.

I credit Van Halen for taking hard rock from a state that was overly serious, and making it fun. It was refreshing to see a band that wasn’t brooding, frowning, dark or angry on stage. EVH picking some of the most challenging guitar lines with that big old grin on his face like it was effortless was a big change to the more serious vibe of the waning 70’s (which was so effectively spoofed in Spinal Tap).

I’m still amazed at how awesome the music was back then. So many bands grew in leaps and bounds. I feel so fortunate to have been there to witness it all unfold on MTV.

Eddie was a musical genius, and we were lucky to have him. Amazing talent!

Van Halen was my first favorite band and will always be rotating around in my top 5. A piece of me died with Eddie in 2020. Absolute genius and musical pioneer.

Something to note. The first single from the album Women and Children First was the keyboard-driven "And the Cradle Will Rock". Eddie Van Halen's keyboard song was done with a Wurlitzer 200A through a Marshall amp and using an MXR flanger.

I fell in love with VanHalen in 1978, at 7 years old, but 1984 was a whole other level. MTV really helped, too. When they actually played music videos, this was on several times a day. What a fun trip down memory lane, professor.

VH made their mark because Eddie was persistent. The fight with the Clash was a distraction, but it never stopped Dave from being...well, Dave. The entire album was a huge turning point in rock history. I'm grateful you shared this and so many other Van Halen memories.

Having written jump a few years before it appeared on 1984, just goes to show the hindsight and ideology of a true musician we saw in EVH. Absolute icon and the same can be said for Alex as well. Music was their ENTIRE life so it would be a natural process to know a hit, way before it became a hit. Ed wrote, "Right Now" in 1983 and look at the monster that song became. I think of a musician like Elton John and couldn't imagine the hits he wrote that were years before they ever made it to tape. Musician are just a different breed of people. I can say this, we were ALL fortunate to live in a time on planet earth's history that coexisted with Edward Van Halen. Modern Mozart without question. A mad scientist, an inventor, and a seeker of tones that totally changed the face of music. Great video today, Professor.

Eddie was not just a musical genius, he was the rock music genius of his generation. Blessed with innate unequaled music theory, innovative lightening fast guitar technique, and great showmanship, no one else came near him.

I remember hearing Jump for the first time. I was. Sophomore in High School and had just joined my own first band. We were all blown away. We were fans of Styx so keyboards didn't make us blink. We simply heard the a new sound from a favorite band and we couldn't get enough of it. Non-artists will always bemoan the progression of an idol's artistic endeavors.

The "1984 Tour" by Van Halen was the first concert I attended as a teenager. The arena went wild when the stage was dark and the keyboard for "Jump" began, the crowd went wild even before the spotlight hit Eddie. That moment is burned into my memory all these decades later.

It is never about any one instrument. It's always about the music. Knowing this is why one of the greatest guitar players of all time can still hook you in even with a keyboard riff .

Jump is the best example of a perfectly crafted song. Everything on it is just another level: the synth line, the melody, the structure, the lyrics, the solos, the sound design... it is an 11 out of 10 in each category.

Eddie was the man no matter what instrument he was playing. The whole album is a classic. Not a bad song to be found.

Jump is a paradox-it’s completely soothing AND pumps you up at the same time. A phenomenal and inspired song for the ages 🎹🎸

My all time favorite song. Song saved my life in a lot of ways. My parents were going through a divorce and I heard this song, and I immediately felt good. The video made me happy. This song introduced me to the greatest band of all time. I could not believe how Dave was jumping around like a mad man. Even more impressive was just how Eddie Van Halen could move his fingers on both the guitar and keyboard, how did he do that? Just an amazing song. Some of the old school Van Halen folks don’t love it, change is hard. This song made me go back and discover the prior catalog and was I in for a treat. I cannot say enough about my favorite song of all time.