No, this isn't the best Van Halen song, but on the first day of spring with the windows rolled down, or coming home from a great first date with a girl you hope to marry, on those days, it's the BEST Van Halen song. The cowbell signalling the inevitability of that gorgeous riff... when that song came on the radio it was like a gift from the DJ gods
Fun Fact: David’s laugh in the first verse was because there was a girl in the studio with them. She walked out before they started recording, but then came back in right after they had, and promptly pulled off her top to flash the band. This take was the best one they recorded and hence, the laugh stayed.
Fun fact. When And the Cradle..hit the air waves, there was a little confusion about the title. Have you seen Juniors Grave? Another was, have you seen junior Graves?... Finally, one of us scraped up the dough to buy the album and the confusion ended. We didn't have much technology. Check..Pong. so how did such great music come with hardly any help from technology? A relative of mine was an engineer at the Legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studios where He worked with Bob Seger,Joe Cocker, Steve, Winwood Bob Dylan Lynyrd Skynyrd, Paul Simon and so many more. Long..hard work was the key back then.
Imagine a four year period where Van Halen, Journey, The Cars, and The Police are all in their prime. That's what high school was like for me. As far as other songs you might want to check out "Ice Cream Man", "Beautiful Girls", and you definitely have to do "Jamie's Cryin'". You should probably check out their covers of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" and Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman" too. Then of course there's a bunch of good stuff they did with Sammy but that's more what I consider college Van Halen for me.
You must be the exact same age as me. All of high school and college fit in the 80’s (81-89) and have that exact same experience of these bands in their prime!
You want to hit "And the Cradle Will Rock", "Best of Both Worlds", and "Little Guitars", not sure if you want the "very 80s production" "I'll Wait" off their album "1984"
I actually like Sammy Hagar solo work, I owned 2 of his albums. But I wouldn't put Van Hagar up with Van Halen songs. Possible exception for "Black and Blue ".
I like how everyone is expecting Eddie to go into some Kick ass guitar solo, and then doesn't. He just let's the song speak for itself in this one. Very cool Eddie!
This song just feels good! “Light up the Sky” on this album truly kicks from Ed's opening riff! Still my favorite Van Halen album. They have sooooooo much more to offer… DOA Beautiful Girls Woman in love - the prettiest intro Ed's ever done Spanish Fly Somebody get me a Doctor Bottoms Up! Outta Love Again Everybody wants Some!! Drop dead Legs The Seventh Seal Amsterdam Aftershock - Awesome guitar tone Baluchitherium - instrumental Poundcake Judgement Day Runaround The Dream is Over Cathedral - Instrumental Intruder/Oh Pretty Woman Mean Street Unchained So this is Love? Black and Blue Get up Why can’t this be love 5150 …and on and on…
A lot of head bangers don't like "Dance" since it is basically pop rock. But to me it illustrates Eddie's flexibility. I always love his complex chord voiceings that are so unusual in hard rock, especially in that era. Dude was way ahead of his time.
“The Cradle will Rock” is a must listen. I don’t recall if they have done any songs with Sammy as lead but “Right Now” and “Love walks In” are both great songs.
You guys nailed it with this one. A total "bop"; not the most difficult/complex thing they play, but you like it, your mom likes it, it's their radio-friendly kicker.
Perfectly crafted power pop tune. This is the "single" to be released and played on AM and FM radio back in the day. Its a fun tune that is more complicated than what is on the surface.
I think it's its simplicity that makes it a jewel of a song. Not everyone can write a pop hook. Kind of like Happy Birthday, simple but has lasted years and years.
Little Guitars, Drop Dead legs, Beautiful Girls all with David Lee Roth singing. Summer Nights, black & Blue with Sammy Hagar singing. The band has two completely different sounds with each singer both are great. I saw them live with both singers, I tend to like the music better with David Lee Roth, but a much better live show with Sammy Hagar
@@wesleysaams448 Alex just makes it into my top 10 . Dave’s showmanship doesn’t show on record but his charisma comes through. As far as voice goes definitely not in my top 10. Again just my opinion and not meant to anger or offend. Also have to realize I got my first album in 1966 so I have a large pool of talent to choose from
I read that David Lee Roth titled this "Dance Lolita Dance," but Eddie Van Halen said absolutely not, and convinced him to change it to "Dance the Night Away."
I discovered Andy & Alex on the day Eddie Van Halen died! I was looking up some of Van Halen's better songs and I searched for "Mean Street" and their reaction came up.
It always gets completely pushed aside, but those Beach Boys-esque harmonies are supplied by two people. Eddie is just as prominent as Michael Anthony on those backup harmonies. Also, Eddie played the majority of the bass parts on the albums.
It’s always wild when you guys talk about songs like this about “not knowing what to expect” just from the song title. Songs like these and others from Van Halen in the pre-Sammy Hagar days had such a HUGE impact on those of us who were your age in the 70s and 80s - it’s great to see you find out how great these songs were and still are.
It's cool but basically being EVH on a different guitar. It's not like he learned any classical technique for it, like a Steve Howe or Jimmy Page would. It's an electric player playing on an acoustic.
@@David-iv6je Sounds like you are knocking EVH. Eddie as a young boy learned classical piano, he and Alex both did, and they won competitions. Then EVH wanted to play drums, but Alex was better. So he took up guitar and the rest is history as he became one of the most innovative guitarists ever. And Alex is right up there with his drumming. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tXM62CQmwDY.html
@@cherylstevens9914 I can see you might think that, but in another spot for this video I praised EVH for his voicing in songs like "Dance," which some head bangers don't like because it is pop rock. But fact is that EVH was great not because of his speed and tapping, but of his great chord voicings and rhythms. A perfect example of this is in "Running with the Devil." The intro,verse and chorus sections run over a monotonous baseline, but EVH makes the whole song with fascinating chord progressions up and down the neck for both. Really unusual for a hard rock band, with high musical IQ. And then rather than a solo he uses a repeated melodic line that works much better than a shred. Dude was an intellectual electric guitar player as well as his virtuosity. No, I'm just saying the rock musicians sometimes play the same stuff on an acoustic and say "I do acoustic." I think Spanish Fly is one of those. This contrasts with electric guitarists who actual do acoustic music on acoustic guitars, like Page, Gilmour, the Beatles, etc. Another example of an electric guitarist who couldn't do acoustic is Hendrix. There's a video of him messing with a 12-string and he is totally lost. He does Hendrix-y things on it and it sounds terrible.
Totally agree with you guys on this one. In the universe that is Van Halen, Dance the Night Away is a solid "A". "Take Your Whiskey Home" is a track you definitely should check out next.
There’s some shifting time signatures in this one. Alex is underrated because his brother gets the total spotlight and a drummer is the overlooked musician in most cases.
Van Halen II is my personal favorite among their albums and I love most everything they have done. Somebody Get Me a Doctor, DOA, You’re No Good and Beautiful Girls are some other killer tracks off of this album.
Diver Down had some pretty nice songs: Little Guitars (with the intro) and (Oh) Pretty Woman (with or without Intruder as an intro, your choice) are the two biggest songs on it. Cathedral/Secrets is a great deep cut off Diver Down. You will find good songs on every VH album.
@@taylortyler1867 Yeah, I always prefer it with Intruder, it's such a cool piece of music (it sounds like it belongs in a noir or spy movie!) but I wasn't sure how others felt.
I wish people would stop recommending Van Halen radio hits. Y'all need to check out Top Jimmy or House Of Pain from the 1984 album. Pure sauce, nothing but.
05:05 Eddie was tapping octave harmonics there, during that breakdown, Andy. Just arena-based instincts with that guy and Ted Templeman, recording them with HUGE verb in a relatively small room at Sunset Sound (played in that room countless times in the '00s), continuing to pave the way for Arena Rock (for better or worse.) This was the song, though, that drew me into VH, after hearing it blasted from older kids with Hot-Rodded Novas and Camaros in parking lots, and a friend's dad put it on their basement jukebox, and I bought the 8-track. "Light Up The Sky" and "Beautiful Girls" are also highlights from VH II.
You can throw a dart at any Van Halen song and it will be great! I’d also like to note that I have a nephew named Halen, because why not name your kid after one of the greatest bands ever! 🤘🏼
@@kimberelydavis379 Truth is, I was never a big fan of Van Halen either. Yes I grant you he can play guitar. But there was only one tune I liked it was JUMP. Good video. But at the very same time the Pointer Sisters also put out a song called Jump which I liked even more. It was especially good with a strobe light. While dancing etc. But I wouldn't name my daughter Pointer. She might be ridiculed in school. Kids can be so cruel and I'm never going back to My Old School. See what I did there. I'll call her Steely instead. Or Danielle
@@jacksonmorganfroghin4815 Well, I love Steely Dan and I would name my kid Steely, I think it’s cool. My daughter’s middle name is after my favorite Fleetwood Mac song and she named after my favorite character on Lost. I don’t really worry what people think. Interesting names are so cool, especially if they have a great story behind them. I had to go by Kim D my whole life because there were so many Kims’. Boring.
If you have not enjoyed the mastery of the album Women and Children First, then you haven't really heard Van Halen at their finest. Everybody Wants Some and The Cradle Will Rock 🔥🔥🔥
This is the song that started "The 80's" for me. Such a breath of fresh air after Foreigner, Pat Benatar, Journey, etc. It's the guitar rift, so sparkling, the whole song so happy.
I'm so totally digging the way you guys' production style is evolving and getting more and more tight and sassy with each new element you add. Very solid, A&A!! Light years away from Andy solo sitting in his bedroom... LOL! ;) ;) ;)
@@blanewilliams5960 I don't know for certain why I do it, but I have watched and rewatched and re-re-watched a lot of A&A. Especially on Patreon, where I think I've watched The Song Remains the Same about a half a dozen times, and everything else there, too.
Brings me back to high school; Van Halen on the 8-Track, rolling up in my ride with the windows down and the amp pushed to the max, neighbors flipping me off, the school security guard giving me thumbs up...Ahhh, that was the best.....better than a bong hit!
Great year '79 was....this song still sounds fresh on the stereo. The whole album...., Van Halen 2, plays we'll start to finish. And my fav part of this song is the lyric: "Don't skip romance 'cause you're old enough to dance.....the night away..." .
The 70s were just freaking LOADED with Legendary greatness in ALL Genres, just as the 60s before us. Zeppelin was doing most of their work in the 70s. The Super 70s finally began to disappear. as the 70s drew near the end in the early 80s. As the 70s left, so did originality. 😔 originality made a brief return in the 90s but death destroyed Grunge. Some great bands hung in there like The Black crows and Collective soul from the South. Nothing lasts forever... Damn it.
To think this song came out in 1979! I had just graduated high school and was enjoying my last summer of freedom. Though I was never a big fan of Van Halen, this song has always resonated with me because of that. It was on every car radio that summer!
This is the most radio friendly tune on the 2nd album, but still has great guitar because it is VH. Their 2-4 albums would all make wonderful full Patreon tracks (you did #1, and it was good).
PLEASE, PLEASE, Do "when push comes to shove" next! Definitely one of Van Halen's most underrated songs. And it matches what i get of your music tastes PERFECTLY.
This is a song that low key sneaks up on you with repeated listens and you go from, "this song is a bop" to "ok I legit can't get enough of this song!"
The DLR era had a musical detour to their usual fun rock feel in their Fair Warning album. The artistry took another deep dive into the tonal focus of EVH's magic that brought out a sound in every song that said "y'all thought what we've been playing is incredible, but just let me take u to another level that will really blow ur mind" Start with: Hear About it Later Mean Streets Dirty Movies
The 2nd Van Halen Album is incredible w bops and jams galore but Eddie further solidifies his brilliance on Woman and Children First ( Everybody Wants Some) and Fair Warning (Mean Street) the later being widely known as a guitarist fave. Thanks for getting back to The Mighty Van Halen!
One of my top few favorite Van Halen songs... never fails to put a smile on my face when I listen to it. To me it's like spring/summer nights hanging out with friends and/or your girl, maybe out by a fire with the boombox playing with some cold ones.
Van Halen was one of the few hard rock bands in that era you could actually dance to. They appealed to everyone. Male & Female. Another reason that set them apart.
Somebody Get Me A Doctor or Outta Love Again would have been nice. Don't get me wrong, this is a great recording and one of Van Halen's many great juxtapositions.
Ice cream man is a great tune that shows the range from easy start with a nice acoustic to full on banger by the end. I am probably the only person who will suggest this one,so that in itself should make you want to hear it.lol
Dancing appears to be a lost art form. Don't be afraid when you see dancing in the title of a song. It's most likely a fun song, and who cares? Let's normalize that dancing is a good thing again. Also, of course Van Halen has more good songs.
What else do they have? Literally everything. I prefer the DLR years myself. Take Your Whiskey Home, And The Cradle Will Rock, and for something totally out of left field listen to When Push Comes To Shove
Their first four albums were their best. I didn't buy any VH albums after Fair Warning. 1984 did have some really good songs. Diamond Dave is/was such a trip. Fantastic live. Saw them on their 1980 World Invasion tour, row 4 on the floor but right up against the crush barrier the whole show. Great stuff. RIP EVH
From this album I’d recommend Beautiful Girls as another bop that has an infectious hook and highlights Michael Anthony’s vocals as a cornerstone of VH’s sound. Also check out You’re No Good (believe it or not a Linda Ronstadt cover). A bit brooding to begin, but a cool song where the energy ebbs and flows throughout. Some great EVH licks, signature Michael Anthony pounding bass, and again, a nice showcase for the background vocals.
Guys, have you reacted to Jump yet? If not, that might be a good one to do next. It's arguably Van Halen's most popular song and as a personal note, it was in heavy rotation on my college's Student Union jukebox.
An A is a great rating for a song that's still playing on Classic Rock stations today. All bands should have a dance tune to keep their audience engaged. Great review guys.
Van Halen's first 6 albums just swim in the sauce. Other bangers to check out include Beautiful Girls, ...And The Cradle Will Rock, Everybody Wants Some, Unchained, Hear About It Later, Intruder/Pretty Woman.
"Dance/Disco" songs by rock artists that are great tunes include (but not limited to): "Dance The Night Away" by Van Halen, "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" by Rod Stewart, "Miss You" by The Rolling Stones, "I Was Made For Loving You" by KISS, "Heart of Glass" by Blondie, "Shine A Little Love" and "Don't Bring Me Down" by ELO, "Don't Say Goodnight" by Wings, "Gemini Dream" by The Moody Blues, "Too Much Time On My Hands" by Styx, "Freeze Frame" by The J. Geils Band, "Goodbye Stranger" by Supertramp, "Games People Play" by The Alan Parsons Project, "Run Like Hell" by Pink Floyd, "Highway To Hell" by AC/DC, and "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen.
I think the album could have sounded better with a more stripped down Ted Templeton production. May as well go from happy, boppy, to the question So This Is Love? live since you've already covered a lot of VH bangers, and this song is part of VH's great live videos.
I would love to see you guys react to the classic live videos shot in Oakland in 1981. They only taped three songs, 'Unchained', 'Hear About It Later', and 'So This Is Love'. All are absolutely killer and display what was one of the greatest live rock shows ever. These videos will give you goose bumps and display just how incredible this band was both musically and aesthetically.
Huge influence on David Lee Roth. The Godfather of Soul (& Founding father of Funk) James Brown! 1) Cold Sweat(67) 2) Mother Popcorn (69) 3) Superbad(70) 4) Get up I feel Like being a Sex Machine(70) How is it possible A&A haven't touched this?!
@@bonniebaltz5717 Understandable though none you mentioned are funk which is what he invented and what I was going after. No disrespect to the classics you mentioned.
You have opened up the Van Halen rabbit hole! So many choices. Beautiful Girls, Jamie's Cryin, Mean Street, and And the Cradle Will Rock, for starters.
'And the Cradle Will Rock', 'Unchained', 'Runnin with the Devil', 'Drop Dead Legs'....man take a dart and throw it, VanHalen's discography can't go wrong.
I was thinking you'd both say "A" as well. I agree. This was the lead off single for the second album.. they were reaching for the gold ring at that point, and the debut had created a huge buzz, and this was the crossover -Mission accomplished. This opened the doors to more radio play, and a wider audience. The breakdown is cool in that EVH is playing tapped octave harmonics of the main riff.
This song came out the year I graduated but I only remember it a couple years later when I would dance to this song to help me get thru some tough times.
Van Halen had 2 Eras, 1st Era is David Lee Rothm 2nd Era is Sammy Haggar. From the 1st Era, Their Debut Album Van Halen "Jamies Cryin'", the 2nd Era, Their Abum OU812 "When It's Love".
Fun tune. Nothing deep, nothing big, simple amd to the point. Perfect song for a group who's been drinking at the camp site. Always gets the ladies dancing
