Eddie Van Halen, the legendary rock guitarist and co-founder of rock band Van Halen, passed away yesterday, Oct. 6, 2020 after a long battle with cancer.
As the main songwriter and lead guitarist, Eddie largely led the way for Van Halen to become one of the best-selling groups of all time, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, and one of the most well-respected rock bands of all time. Let’s look back at just a few of the songs that contributed to such success. Here are the 10 biggest hits of Van Halen’s career, according to the Billboard Hot 100.
10. "Dreams" (5150, 1986)
Peaked: #22 in 1986
Like Van Halen's earlier hit "Jump," this song features a keyboard intro. Although the track wasn't quite as massive as "Jump," its optimistic and inspirational tone helped it gain quite a bit of traction on the charts.
9. "Love Walks In" (5150, 1986)
Peaked: #22 in 1986
Written by Sammy Hagar, who was the lead vocalist from 1985–1996, "Love Walks In" was the third single from 5150.
8. "Dance the Night Away" (Van Halen II, 1979)
Peaked: #15 in 1979
When creating Van Halen II, this was the only brand new track that they wrote and recorded, as the rest of the songs had already existed as demos or live recordings.
7. "I'll Wait" (1984, 1984)
Peaked: #13 in 1984
The second single from 1984, David Lee Roth and producer Ted Templeman actually wanted to remove this song from the album, but Eddie Van Halen and engineer Donn Landee pushed for its inclusion.
6. "Panama" (1984, 1984)
Peaked: #13 in 1984
Written by David Lee Roth, lead singer from 1974–1985, this track was the band's third single from 1984.
5. "Finish What Ya Started" (OU812, 1988)
Peaked: #13 in 1988
Despite the fact that the album was seemingly complete, "Finish What Ya Started" got added to OU812 after Eddie and Sammy Hagar spontaneously started and finished the song in one night.
4. "(Oh) Pretty Woman" (Diver Down, 1982)
Peaked: #12 in 1982
A cover of the Roy Orbison song, this version brought further success to the song almost 20 years after its original release.
3. "When It's Love" (OU812, 1988)
Peaked: #5 in 1988
"When It's Love," a power ballad composed by Eddie and Alex Van Halen and written by Sammy Hagar, ended up being the most popular song from OU812.
2. "Why Can't This Be Love" (5150, 1986)
Peaked: #3 in 1986
This song was the group's first single with lead vocalist Sammy Hagar after David Lee Roth's departure.
1. "Jump" (1984, 1984)
Peaked: #1 in 1984
Van Halen's most successful song, "Jump" stands today as a staple in pop culture with its ongoing status as a sports anthem that can be heard in stadiums and arenas around the world.
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Article Image: Van Halen photographed in May 2008. (GHOSTRIDER2112 [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Wikimedia Commons.)
