- Writers: Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, and David Lee Roth
- Producer: Ted Templeman
- Recorded: Summer 1983 at 5150 in Hollywood, California
- Released: December 31st, 1983
- Players:
David Lee Roth — vocals
Eddie Van Halen — guitar, synthesizer, vocals
Michael Anthony — bass, vocals
Alex Van Halen — drums - Album: 1984 (Warner Bros., 1983)
- Also On:
Live: Right Here, Right Now (Warner Bros., 1983)
Best Of Volume I (Warner Bros., 1996) - “Jump” was Van Halen‘s first (and only) Number One hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
- With its prominent synthesizer hook, the song surprised many of Van Halen’s faithful fans, who were accustomed to Eddie Van Halen‘s powerful guitar showcases.
- However, Van Halen had learned to play piano before he picked up guitar, and had always maintained an interest in keyboards.
- Of the keyboard part, Van Halen said, “I just knew what sound I wanted to noodle with — not necessarily for ‘Jump,’ but just to noodle with. Whenever I sit down, I know what kind of sound I’m looking for.”
- For the song, Van Halen also recorded a guitar solo, which he said wasn’t originally planned — “The solo on ‘Jump’ was spontaneous. I don’t know if it was a first take. I just figured I’d cut the solo out (in concert) because it’s such a short little thing, or play it on keyboard, which I did.”
- Van Halen has acknowledged that the seeds for “Jump” were sown by a Casio synthesizer lick used on the song “Sunday Afternoon In The Park” from 1981’s Fair Warning album.
- The keyboard on “Jump” was an OBX-A, which the manufacturer discontinued shortly after the song was recorded.
- Of synthesizers, Van Halen once told Guitar World magazine, “I don’t know crap about ’em, really. I can play keyboards, and I twist the knobs until I get the sound that I like.”
- The video for “Jump” was a bare-bones affair featuring the group lip-syncing to the track. It only cost $6,000 and was recorded on home video equipment.
- Nevertheless, the clip won the Best Stage Performance Award at the first MTV Video Music Awards on September 18th, 1984.
- The 1984 album peaked at Number Two on the Billboard 200 and at Number 15 in the U.K. It’s sold well over 10 million copies.
- 1984 was the group’s first album to be recorded at Eddie Van Halen’s 5150 home studio.
- Some U.K. record sellers banned 1984 because of its cover, which depicted an infant smoking a cigarette.
FAST FORWARD:
- Singer David Lee Roth left the band in 1984 and was replaced by Sammy Hagar, who parted ways with Van Halen in 1996 and was replaced by Extreme frontman Gary Cherone. Cherone left the band in November 1999.
- Roth and the group had a brief “reunion” in 1996 that resulted in two tracks — “Can’t Get This Stuff No More” and “Me Wise Magic” — which were released on their greatest-hits album Best Of, Volume 1.
- In the past few years, Eddie Van Halen has undergone treatment for cancer and hip-replacement surgery.
- Roth and Hagar united for a successful tour in 2002
- Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March — former bass player Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar were the only ones to appear and accept the induction. Eddie Van Halen entered rehab around the same time.