Eddie Van Halen was the most influential guitarist of our generation.
Of course, flashy, fleet-fingered guitarists were a dime a dozen in the late â70s and â80s. Eddie was better than all of them, but he was more than that. A songwriter, a keyboardist, a studio wizard, Âź of Van Halenâs four-part harmony team and a band leader that was able to guide VH through losing the most distinctive frontman of the â80s and led them to four chart-topping albums with Sammy Hagar.
Here, we take on the tough task of ranking their top 30 songs. (It was really, really tough to cut any of the songs on the first six albums from this list.)
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30. âDirty Moviesâ – âFair Warningâ (1981)
ShareOne thing that doesnât get discussed enough about Van Halen is how funky they could be. This song, about a prom-queen-turned-porn-star, features one of Van Halenâs deepest grooves, courtesy of Michael Anthony and Alex Van Halen, but itâs Eddieâs evocative leads and riffing (along with Dave being Dave) that really makes the song work.
29. âHappy Trailsâ – âDiver Downâ (1982)
ShareA song by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans that Van Halen covered as a one minute long acapella jam for their most uneven album, this might not have ranked as one of their best songs before October 6, 2020. But if you were putting together your own Van Halen mix today, this would be a great final track, and it definitely sounds different now that Eddie is gone. It also showed that not only were the band members great instrumentalists, they were great vocalists as well.
28. âIce Cream Manâ – âVan Halenâ (1978)
ShareLike all other hard rock bands from the â60s and â70s, Van Halen was influenced by all forms of blues. But Van Halen had more fun with it than most, as evidenced here. Dave would play the acoustic guitar at the beginning of the song, starting it out solo, but the band kicked in and Eddie came in hot with one of his greatest solos. The end where Dave and Eddie are dueling with their instruments, is just a blast.
27. âRight Nowâ – âFor Unlawful Carnal Knowledgeâ (1991)
ShareItâs difficult for a hard rock band to grow up and Van Halen were one of the few who were able to pull it off gracefully. Letâs be honest -- they wouldnât have been able to do it without Sammy Hagar. But the band evolved as songwriters and players. This socially conscious song was built on an amazing Eddie Van Halen piano riff, but it also included one of his many incredible solos.
26. âIntruder/(Oh) Pretty Womanâ – âDiver Downâ (1982)
ShareVan Halen were, of course, a great songwriting team, as this list attests to. But they were also amazing song interpreters. They kicked off their career with a supercharged version of the Kinksâ âYou Really Got Me,â but their unexpected take on Roy Orbisonâs â(Oh) Pretty Womanâ is nearly as iconic.
25. âFinish What Ya Startedâ – OU812 (1988)
ShareWhen the Eddie Van Halen/Sammy Hagar team worked, it *really* worked. The two of them worked this song out on two guitars in the wee hours of the morning and it sounds like it. This song sounds unlike anything else VH ever did; Eddieâs playing, even without distortion, is fantastic.
24. âLittle Dreamerâ – âVan Halenâ (1978)
ShareDavid Lee Roth reminds us that he can sing on this song, and his lyrics are a bit more empathetic than usual: âAnd then they went and they voted you/Least likely to succeed/I had to tell them baby you were armed with/All you'd need.â As flashy as Eddie could be, he knew how to let the song breathe; his playing during the verses dances around Rothâs narration. Of course, he also gets his time to shine on his wailing solo.
23. âBest Of Both Worldsâ – â5150â (1986)
Shareâ5150,â Van Halenâs first album with Sammy Hagar, made a strong case that the bandâs second iteration would be as strong as the first, and this song was a big reason why. Eddie played a monster riff during the chorus, and his playing glided through the verses. And itâs one of Sammyâs best VH performances.
22. âFeel Your Love Tonightâ – âVan Halenâ (1978)
ShareAn ode to teenage horniness; as always, Eddie, Alex and Michaelâs playing was great but the real star is the interplay of their backing vocals with Daveâs leads. As with âHappy Trails,â it makes a good case that Van Halen could have been a great doo-wop group in a different era.
21. âSummer Nightsâ – â5150â (1986)
ShareWith the addition of Sammy Hagar, it was clear that Van Halen could do a lot more, stylistically, and they werenât going to stick with just party jams. But they werenât going to ditch them, either, as they pointed out with âSummer Nights.â And obviously, Eddie still had riffs for days.
20. âAtomic Punkâ – âVan Halenâ (1978)
ShareâI am the ruler of these nether worlds/The underground/On every wall and place my fearsome name is hear/Just look around, whoa yeee-ah!â It sounds like something Black Sabbath might have cooked up. The opening interplay between Eddieâs guitar scratching (reminiscent of âVoodoo Chileâ by his idol Jimi Hendrix) and Alexâs cymbals is hair raising. Which Eddie Van Halen solo is the best one? Tough to say, but this one kind of defines âface-melting.â
19. âDreamsâ – â5150â (1986)
ShareAnother example of a Hagar-era classic that just wouldnât have been possible with Van Halenâs original lineup. Here, itâs Sammyâs vocals that take center stage, but Eddieâs keyboards drive the song. Of course, Eddie steps away from the keys for a bit to blow our minds with a solo.
18. âSo This Is Love?â – âFair Warningâ (1981)
ShareGive the bass player some! This is one of Michael Anthonyâs funkiest performances; it almost sounds like something a jazz or blues band could have done in a prohibition-era speakeasy, and you could certainly imagine Roth performing in those snarky vocals in a dark, seedy joint. Itâs Eddieâs guitar and Alexâs drums that bring it to the â80s; of course, it still sounds amazing today, and it always will.
17. âJamieâs Cryinââ – âVan Halenâ (1978)
ShareRoth showed empathy for the lead character in âLittle Dreamer,â and he also did it on âJamieâs Cryinâ.â âNow Jamie's been in love before/And she knows what love is for/It should mean, a little, a little more/Than one-night stands.â Of course, many of his songs actually were about one-night stands, but here he shows some feeling for the person on the other end of a tryst.
16. âDance The Night Awayâ – âVan Halen IIâ (1979)
ShareOne thing that set Van Halen apart from their rivals was their ability to write a perfect pop song, and a danceable one at that. Hereâs another great example of Eddie Van Halen getting out of the way of the song.
15. âPanamaâ – â1984â (1984)
ShareAfter hearing the lead single from â1984,â âJump,â fans might have worried that Van Halen was ditching hard rock. No such luck: this ode to fast cars was a guitar-driven masterpiece.
14. âIâm The Oneâ – âVan Halenâ (1978)
ShareMore than forty years later, this song is still mindblowing; at parts, itâs nearly as fast as speed metal, at other parts it sounds like cabaret. And they slip into doo-wop/acapella mode for good measure, just to show you that they can do it. One of the most underrated songs in the VH catalog.
13. âSomebody Get Me A Doctorâ – âVan Halen IIâ (1979)
ShareThe âwoo-woo!â at 1:24, going into Eddieâs solo is perfect, as is Eddie guitar fill at 2:09. You can hear how much fun theyâre having here and itâs infectious.
12. âHot For Teacherâ – â1984â (1984)
ShareAlex Van Halen is the star here; his drumming on this song is as iconic and instantly recognizable as any of Eddieâs guitar work. Of course, Eddieâs guitar here is stellar. Even though it was their last album with David Lee Roth (for a few decades), they were firing on all cylinders And not only on the song but on the video, which was their last with Roth and certainly their best.
11. âEverybody Wants Some!!â – âWomen And Children Firstâ (1980)
ShareNow, sure...we just gushed about Alex Van Halenâs drumming in the previous entry, but weâd be remiss if we didnât do the same on âEverybody Wants Some!!â While not as frenetic as âHot For Teacher,â the lengthy drum intro on âEverybody Wants Some!!â is just as infectious, as is its chorus.
10. âLittle Guitars (Intro)/Little Guitarsâ – âDiver Downâ (1982)
ShareâDiver Downâ is generally thought of as the most uneven of the first six Van Halen albums, but most other bands would kill for an album that good. âLittle Guitarsâ is the best original on the album; Eddieâs acoustic intro is even more intense than âSpanish Flyâ (from âVan Halen IIâ) and âLittle Guitarsâ itself is one of the bandâs most joyful songs. Eddieâs riff almost seems to be bouncing around during the song.
9. â1984/Jumpâ – â1984â (1984)
ShareVan Halenâs lone number one hit is, of course, the synth-heavy âJump,â because irony is just funny like that sometimes.
8. âOn Fireâ – âVan Halenâ (1978)
ShareClosing out Van Halenâs self-titled debut, âOn Fireâ sends listeners out on a hard rock high note (literally) with DLR and Michael Anthonyâs wails of âIâm on fire!â Itâs the type of closer that immediately just makes you want to start an album from track one again and go for another ride.
7. âUnchainedâ – âFair Warningâ (1981)
ShareTake a look at this! Some songs are just tailor-made to be performed in massive arenas, and âUnchainedâ is one of them. From the chugging opening riff to the group vocal on the chorus, âwhat a rockerâ this song is!
6. âYou Really Got Meâ – âVan Halenâ (1978)
ShareVan Halen had a way with covers and really had a knack for putting their own spin on classics, especially a rock standard like âYou Really Got Me.â Itâs undoubtedly VHâs best cover and can easily stand up to the original by the Kinks. Of course, it didnât hurt to have a lead in like âEruptionâ either.
5. âMean Streetâ – âFair Warningâ (1981)
ShareServing as the opening track on Van Halenâs fourth studio album, âMean Streetâ is a unique standout not just on the LP but in the bandâs entire catalog. Dave, Eddie, Michael and Alex all shine on this track, and itâs a shared spotlight thatâs hard to ignore.
4. âAinât Talkinâ âBout Loveâ – âVan Halenâ (1978)
ShareThe final single from Van Halenâs stellar debut album, âAinât Talkinâ âBout Loveâ remains a mainstay of rock radio over four decades after its initial release. Itâs easy to understand why with its brash chorus and ridiculously memorable lines like âYou know you're semi-good lookin'/And on the streets again.â Oh, and that opening riff is just killer.
3. âAnd The Cradle Will RockâŚâ – âWomen And Children Firstâ (1980)
ShareâHave you seen Junior's grades?â More than just a little tongue in cheek lyrically, âAnd the Cradle Will RockâŚâ famously gave fans the first taste of Eddie Van Halen dabbling with keyboards, without taking away from his guitar. That sure had some decent returns down the line!
2. âEruptionâ – âVan Halenâ (1978)
ShareIn 1:42 and only the second track into Van Halenâs debut album, Eddie Van Halen cemented his status as a guitar god, and there was no turning back. âEruptionâ is so ingrained in rock culture now itâs almost difficult to think of a time without it. Itâs the solo that inspired countless people to pick up a guitar; it also caused thousands of six-stringers to sit dumbfounded, trying to figure out how EVH played the damn thing in the first place. Perhaps, itâs both.
1. âRunninâ With The Devilâ – âVan Halenâ (1978)
ShareOut the gate, Van Halen just werenât messing around. They were young, hungry and with a mission statement like âRunninâ With The Devil,â they told you who they were right away. When youâre âlivin' at a pace that kills,â there isnât time for pleasantries. In a debate on the best opening track from a debut album ever, âRunninâ With The Devilâ is always part of the conversation, and it may well be the greatest. In the case of this list, we think itâs Van Halenâs best song ever. Simply put, this song is perfect, even when you isolate DLRâs vocals.
