The popular rock band Van Halen was originally formed in the year 1972 in the Pasadena, California area.
Band members who have been a part of Van Halen include lead vocalist David Lee Roth, guitarist and keyboard Eddie Van Halen, guitarist Sammy Hagar, drummer Alex Van Halen, lead vocalist Gary Cherone, and bass guitarist Mark Stone.
Over the course of their career, Van Halen became extremely popular. Here are 20 of the best, and most popular, Van Halen songs ever released.
Best Van Halen Songs
“Eruption”
The song “Eruption” was written and released by Van Halen in the year 1978. This song is known for its difficult to play guitar solo. “Eruption” was written by Eddie Van Halen fairly early on in his career, when he was only 22 years of age.
The song was included on the self titled full length album ‘Van Halen.’ The song has also famously been covered by rock artists including Pearl Jam and Dennis Caplinger.
“Romeo Delight”
Rock hit “Romeo Delight” was originally written and released by Van Halen in the year 1980, but it was also released as a remastered track in the year 2005 via Rhino/Warner Records.
“Romeo Delight” is the fourth track on the full length Van Halen record ‘Women and Children First.’ This song is all about letting loose and having a good time partying (like many of Van Halen’s songs).
“Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love”
David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, and Eddie Van Halen worked together to write the hit Van Halen song “Ain’t Talkin Bout Love.’
It was released in the year 1978 as a part of the full length self titled record ‘Van Halen.’ It served as the third single for the hit album. The track has also been covered by artists like Iron Horse and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.
“On Fire”
The closing track on the self titled record ‘Van Halen’ is a song titled “On Fire.” “On Fire” is a heavy metal song about loud, fiery, rock and roll music.
It was originally released in the year 1978. Now, the most frequently played version of “On Fire” comes from the official 2015 remastered release. The rock band Stryper released their own cover of “On Fire” in the year 2011.
“Hot for the Teacher”
Some teachers are just too striking and smart too ignore. The song “Hot for the Teacher” is all about crushing on a school instructor and wanting to become more than just the teacher’s pet.
“Hot for the Teacher” was released in the year 1984 as a part of the aptly titled Van Halen record ‘1984.’ The music video was extremely popular and featured the actors Beto Lovato (as Alex), Brian Hitchcock (as Eddie), Bill Bookmeyer (as Dave), and Yano Anaya (as Michael).
“Little Guitars”
“Little Guitars” was released as a part of the 1982 Van Halen record “Diver Down.”
Other popular songs from the album ‘Diver Down’ include “Where Have All the Good Times Gone” and “Dancing in the Street.” Like many Van Halen songs, it has seductive lyrics aimed towards a beautiful woman.
“Panama”
Rumor has it that he Van Halen song “Panama” was written and released in response to reporters who said that Van Halen only preformed songs about fast cars and sexy women.
You can even hear Eddie Van Halen rev the engine of his hot rod during the song. “Panama” was the third single from the record ‘1984.’
“Runnin With the Devil”
“Runninn With the Devil” was the second single released from the 1978 record ‘Van Halen.’ The B side to this single is “Eruption.”
The songwriting for this song is attributed to Edward Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, and David Lee Roth.
“Dance the Night Away”
“Dance the Night Away” was released in 1979 as a part of the record ‘Van Halen II.’ The songwriting for this song is attributed to David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, and Michael Anthony. “Dance the Night Away” has also been covered by popular artists like Santana, Mountain Heart, and Kevin DuBrow.
“Unchained”
The fourth song on the 1981 Van Halen record ‘Fair Warning’ is titled “Unchained.” Van Halen’s producer Ted Templeman’s made a small contribution to the track by saying “Come on Dave, give me a break.”
This was his only vocal contribution to the band. “Unchained” is in Drop D♭ tuning with suspended fourth chords interspersed.
“You Really Got Me”
Van Halen (Van Halen) The Van Halen brothers have always been accepted as legends, but it wasn’t until the release of this song in 1978 that they became superstars.
This song showed that the band could make more than just guitar rock, and as a result they became very diverse musicians. It is one of the best because of its extremely catchy chorus.
“Beautiful Girls”
Van Halen (1984) The final hit single from their biggest and best album, “Beautiful Girls” is one of their most well-known songs.
It has a great combination of the band’s newer legendary sound combined with Eddie Van Halen’s signature guitar riffs. It is one of the best because of its touching lyrics.
“Tattoo”
Van Halen II (1979) This is the first song on the album, and in it we first hear the presence of Roth, David Lee Roth.
It’s already a good song, but after Hagar joined the band and they started producing bigger choruses with more guitar work, this became their signature song. It is one of the best because of the guitar work in the chorus.
“Everybody Wants Some!!”
Yourself or Somebody Like You (1988) This is a very unusual Van Halen song, but it is also one of their most catchy.
“Everybody Wants Some!!” has a very upbeat tempo, and it has a great guitar solo from Eddie Van Halen to boot. It is one of the best because of its unique style and its catchy sound.
“Somebody Get Me A Doctor”
Van Halen II (1979) “Somebody Get Me a Doctor” is a Van Halen staple and one of their best songs.
It’s very recognizable and is the first song you hear when you listen to their first album “Van Halen.” Eddie Van Halen’s guitar solo is legendary and ranks among some of the greatest guitar solos in history.
“Dancing in the Street”
1984 (1984) This is the first song on their biggest selling album, “1984,” and it still goes down as one of their best.
With its fun intro and catchy chorus, this song is one of the most fun songs Van Halen has ever made.
“Ice Cream Man”
Van Halen I (1975) “Ice Cream Man” was released on Van Halen’s first album and it set the template for all of their other songs. It’s a song about an ice cream man who is really a drug dealer.
Van Halen was experimenting with leading their audience so that they could be expressive through music. This experiment worked, and “Ice Cream Man” is one of the most popular songs they ever released.
“Jump”
Van Halen (1978) Van Halen had already done some strange things during the course of their first album, but this song in particular was different. Eddie Van Halen wrote this song as a nod to one of his favorite bands, Queen.
This song is also the first big hit for the band and was actually released before “Eruption.” It is one of the best because of its unique and memorable sound.
“Atomic punk”
Van Halen (1978) This song has a great guitar solo, a grumbling bass line, and great lyrics. It’s one of Van Halen’s most popular songs and is definitely one of their best.
This song is also the only one on the list that Hagar doesn’t sing on, which makes it all the more interesting to listen to.
“In a Simple Rhyme”
Van Halen (1984) This is the most famous song of all of Van Halen’s songs. “It’s a simple rhyme” features some of the best guitar work that Van Halen has ever done.
It’s a very addictive song with a unique and upbeat tempo. It is one of the best because of its unforgettable lyrics.
Born and raised in Austin, David is a dedicated writer and avid fragrance lover. When he's not trying out perfumes, he enjoys traveling and exploring new restaurants.