Official top 50 Van Halen songs thread!! (Countdown has begun!!)

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

37 (t) When It’s Love
Appeared on 9 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 4 (WilliamMunny)

Good song, but one I got tired of quickly by the end of 1988 as MTV played the daylights out of the video.  The chorus is a bit too sappy for me, but the synth intro and outros are both nice.  Unranked for me.


37 (t) Little Dreamer
Appeared on 10 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (Dream Team)

I was a bit dismayed to see this one not do a lot better, but such is life.  It was my number 7.  That intro alone is just  .

When It's Love - This song suffers the most on OU812 with that awful constant clicking in the background. It is persistent throughout the whole song. It could have been a decent song if not for that, but it missed my top 50 because of it and came in at #85

Little Dreamer - This one landed at #84 and had I looked over my list a little more carefully after running through the ranking engine it probably would have ended up higher. It's a good song. Oh well.

[HOF]

I have When It’s Love at number 5. Surprised someone ranked it higher (though WilliamMunny and I tend to have similar tastes I think)! It’s a great ballad, and I’ve never gotten tired of it. The clicking sound was always an oddity, but I still think it’s actually a keyboard. Some sort of echo effect I think. It follows the same rhythm as the keyboards (even when the other keyboard isn’t playing). Whatever it is, I always liked it. I also for whatever reason really love the “nah nah nah nah nah nah” backing part. Weird how something without words can affect you, but it does.

Little Dreamer seems unremarkable to me and didn’t rank, but I know people love the debut.

[The Realm]

37 (t) When It’s Love
Appeared on 9 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 4 (WilliamMunny)

37 (t) Little Dreamer
Appeared on 10 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (Dream Team)

When It's Love - ranked 50 for me. A really nice song but probably hasn't aged that well for me. On the clicking sound - to me that sound is definitely keyboard related? Has never bothered me but I can see how it could for others.

Little Dreamer - now we are talking. I ranked this at 20 but this is a very cool song. This album as a whole just has so much life to me even today.

[WilliamMunny]

Two very different songs are today's tunes.

37 (t) When It’s Love
Appeared on 9 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 4 (WilliamMunny)

Good song, but one I got tired of quickly by the end of 1988 as MTV played the daylights out of the video.  The chorus is a bit too sappy for me, but the synth intro and outros are both nice.  Unranked for me.


37 (t) Little Dreamer
Appeared on 10 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 2 (Dream Team)

I was a bit dismayed to see this one not do a lot better, but such is life.  It was my number 7.  That intro alone is just  .

RE: When It's Love - This is a good example of what made VHagar different than VHalen. Sammy and Dave were just so different, and in my opinion, that's what made VH 2.0 work. This is, in my opinion, a perfect song.

Sincere (sappy? I dunno, I don't really care) in a way that DLR just couldn't do. And let's be honest, if DLR had done a song like this, we probably would've thought less of him.

I'm one of the few who honestly prefers both eras equally. I'll take 'When It's Love' and 'Hot for Teacher' back to back any day of the week. For me, it all works, it all makes sense, and in my opinion, that's a testament to Eddie's genius.

[Cool Chris]

I also for whatever reason really love the “nah nah nah nah nah nah” backing part.

There was a short period where that was probably one of my favorite musical sections by any band.

[HOF]

I'm one of the few who honestly prefers both eras equally. I'll take 'When It's Love' and 'Hot for Teacher' back to back any day of the week. For me, it all works, it all makes sense, and in my opinion, that's a testament to Eddie's genius.

Yep. Sammy opened up a side of EVH that DLR couldn’t/wouldn’t. It would have been a shame if the band never evolved beyond Hot for Teacher, as fun as that side of the band was.

I also for whatever reason really love the “nah nah nah nah nah nah” backing part.

There was a short period where that was probably one of my favorite musical sections by any band.

Yeah, it just resonates somehow. Maybe it’s borrowing a bit of cachet from Hey Jude, but it hits right in the feels.

[devieira73]

I really have so many fond memories of hearing When It's Love (#33) A LOT in the radio at the time. Always loved the song and, yes, the "na-na-na outro" is beautiful!
Although I think VH1 is a very impressive debut, Little Dreamer isn't in my list.

[wolfking]

I had When It's Love at number 5.  Guilty pleasure.  Love the whole middle section, Sammy kills it and Eddie's solo is lovely.

Little Dreamer was at 39.  Decent song.

[KevShmev]

Two more today!

36 Best of Both Worlds
Appeared on 7 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 2 (WardySI)

This was unranked for me, but I have always liked the Live Without a Net version a lot thanks to MTV playing it a ton in '87.  I always thought the studio version was a bit limp compared to that live version, but good tune regardless.


35 Top of the World
Appeared on 10 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (HOF)

Another good song that went unranked for me.  That lead guitar line can sometimes grate on my nerves, so it can be a song I do not always want to hear as a result.  Vocal melodies are catchy as heck though.

[bl5150]

Neither of these made my Top 50...................Best Of Both Worlds just missed out.  Top Of The World was closer to #100........I liked it a bit when it came out and it probably got more curiosity from me at the time due to being a VH trivia nut and knowing the riff for this came from the outro from Jump.  But over time it didn't age well for me.

[TAC]

Neither song ranked for me. I'd take Top Of The World over Best Of Both Worlds though.

[wolfking]

Neither song ranked for me either.  Im shocked truthfully at one have 4 top ten appearances and the other 2!

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

36 Best of Both Worlds
Appeared on 7 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 2 (WardySI)

This was unranked for me, but I have always liked the Live Without a Net version a lot thanks to MTV playing it a ton in '87.  I always thought the studio version was a bit limp compared to that live version, but good tune regardless.


35 Top of the World
Appeared on 10 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (HOF)

Another good song that went unranked for me.  That lead guitar line can sometimes grate on my nerves, so it can be a song I do not always want to hear as a result.  Vocal melodies are catchy as heck though.

Best of Both Worlds - I assumed I would have the top spot on this song, but apparently there are other that like it just as much, if not more than I do. I had it at #10. I love the lead guitar parts here and enjoy Sammy's vocals.

Top of the World - I had this at #27. Another great song and good closer to For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.

[HOF]

Best of Both Worlds is fine but gets a little bit tiresome to me. I think it was in the first iteration of my list but got dropped while I was moving things around.

Top of the World is just a great, upbeat rocker. It’s probably one of my earliest memories of VH, as I recall hearing it on the radio when it came out. So it’s definitely among a handful of songs that made sense for my top 5. I don’t know how that main riff can be annoying to you, Kev. To me, it’s one of the catchiest things Eddie ever came up with. Just a super-catchy song. The pre-chorus is gold, and the instrumental section is also really cool the way it builds. Really great closer too.

[The Realm]

36 Best of Both Worlds
Appeared on 7 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 4
Highest Ranking: 2 (WardySI)

35 Top of the World
Appeared on 10 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 4 (HOF)

Two really great Sammy songs here, I am a big fan of both.

Best of Both Worlds - my rank 14. I get the feeling with this song having 4 top 10 finishes but only appearing on 7 lists and my own ranking just outside top 10 that this countdown could get influenced strongly by those who love the 5150 album and those who don't? Anyway, time will tell on that one but I am big fan of 5150 as a whole and just always loved this track.

Top of the World - my rank 37, so pretty close overall. This is just a fun rocking tune, always enjoyed this one. The bridge into the solo is cool and love the solo breakdown section before it takes off.

[WardySI]

Hmmm if I'm honest I expected a little more love for Best Of Both Worlds but maybe just me then LOL and Top Of The World (#35) was a late bloomer fer me actually didn't go much on Poundcake and the album initially and it took some time but yes, cool song!

[Deadeye21]

There’s a lot of good songs ending up way too low.

[devieira73]

About Top of the World (#50), I agree with all the good things said here. I guess I didn't rank it higher because it sounds like it's a bit too commercial on purpose. Best of Both Worlds I didn't rank, although it's a good song. Overall, I just like better the keyboard driven songs from 5150.

[Stadler]

So I had:

40. Feelin' at #108
39. You Really Got Me at #28.  Just a legendary song.
38. When It's Love at #57.  Very good song, not a great song.
37. Little Dreamer at #41
36. Best Of Both Worlds at #100.  Not a favorite of mine.  Overplayed, too.
35. Top Of The World at #70

From Diver Down (a favorite of mine), I had:
10. Little Guitars
25. (Oh) Pretty Woman. (I love the original and I thought Eddie just got the swagger of that tune perfectly)
33. The Full Bug
46. Little Guitars (Intro)

[pg1067]

It's been quite a while, but I recall Best of Both Worlds as one of the weaker songs on 5150.  Really like Top of the World, though.

[DragonAttack]

40 Feelin’ (#23)  good song, damn good album closer

39 You Really Got Me (#6)  With the preceding song, one of the best ‘two fers’ by any band (not hard to guess what I placed at #5).  Tens of millions youtube views, with one of their most memorable beginning riff,  but that is a curse on DTF   Surprised no one ranked it higher.

37 (t) When It’s Love (#15)  again, I have fond memories of this album. 

37 (t) Little Dreamer (#34)

36 Best of Both Worlds (#31)

[KevShmev]

Because tomorrow's two tied at number 30, I will do three today!

34 D.O.A.
Appeared on 11 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 12 (TAC)

Ah yes, more epic EVH riffage.    I had this at 39, and it probably could have been a little higher.


33 The Dream Is Over
Appeared on 9 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 2 (HOF)

This one just missed the cut for me, which broke my heart a little, but just too many good songs overall.  It always felt like this was the red-headed stepchild of the F.U.C.K. mainstream radio hits, but I thought this was far better than Top of the World or Runaround.


32 Top Jimmy
Appeared on 11 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (hefdaddy42)

I was a little mystified as the support this one got, as it comes off to me as the clear "weak link" of 1984.  Still a solid tune, but it feels like every other song is a lot better.

[bl5150]

The Dream Is Over missed out for me but is one of my Top 3-4 songs off FUCK and could easily have made my Top 50 if I had fine tuned it a bit longer.

I had DOA at 46.............not a huge fave but definitely enjoy it.  I remember as a kid joining in on the "jury look at me say........outta luck" 

I had Top Jimmy at #28.  Cool unique song with great rhythm change ups , solo , intro etc.....

[HOF]

D.O.A. wasn’t ranked, but that’s a fun chorus. Lots of 70s/80s acts had songs called Dead or Alive, but VH anticipated the trend and distinguished theirs ahead of time.

The Dream Is Over is obviously a favorite of mine at 2. That opening packs a big punch. I love both Eddie’s tone and Alex’s drum sound on this track. The verses are really raw and crunchy, but then the chorus is this big, bright relief with the backing vocals lifting it somewhere else. Then just a monster solo by Eddie. I guess maybe it’s the gritty sequel to Dreams. A really great performance by Eddie, Alex, and Sammy, and one that’s never gotten stale for me.

Top Jimmy was at 37 for me. One of my favorite Roth album cuts. Love the cleaner lead tone from Eddie. Clever lyrics. Another one that Alex shines on. Just a fun tune. Also doesn’t sound too different than a couple tracks on III that everyone hates. ;-)

[The Realm]

34 D.O.A.
Appeared on 11 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 12 (TAC)

33 The Dream Is Over
Appeared on 9 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 2 (HOF)

32 Top Jimmy
Appeared on 11 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (hefdaddy42)

D.O.A - my rank 26. Awesome, just love the feel and vibe of this track, really cool stuff. The solo is great, love the whammy bar action.

The Dream is Over - unranked by me but this is a great song, just couldn't fit it in but I probably also didn't try my hardest to get it in there either. I can easily see why it ranked where it did.

Top Jimmy - my rank 28. Eddie's rhythm playing rules on this song and then then the solo comes in and blows your head off...

[devieira73]

THAT riff in D.O.A. (#18) Maybe my all time fave riff from Eddie
I like a lot The Dream Is Over and Top Jimmy, both from 2 very consistent albums IMO, but they didn't make my list.

[TAC]

34 D.O.A.
Appeared on 11 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 12 (TAC)


33 The Dream Is Over
Appeared on 9 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 2 (HOF)


32 Top Jimmy
Appeared on 11 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (hefdaddy42)

I had DOA at #12 obviously. This was actually my first favorite Van Halen song when I was younger. I played the shit out of VHII. Such a heavy AF riff.

I had The Dream Is Over Is Not ranked. More Van Hagar gobblygook.

I had Top Jimmy at #19. Love Eddie on this. He's just toying with us. And Props to Hef, I would've never guessed. And Props to Michael Anthony on those backing vocals throughout.

I was a little mystified as the support this one got, as it comes off to me as the clear "weak link" of 1984. 

The clear weak link to 1984 is Jump. I mean Panama. Err...it's a tie.

[King Puppies and the Acid Guppies]

34 D.O.A.
Appeared on 11 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 0
Highest Ranking: 12 (TAC)

Ah yes, more epic EVH riffage.    I had this at 39, and it probably could have been a little higher.


33 The Dream Is Over
Appeared on 9 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 2
Highest Ranking: 2 (HOF)

This one just missed the cut for me, which broke my heart a little, but just too many good songs overall.  It always felt like this was the red-headed stepchild of the F.U.C.K. mainstream radio hits, but I thought this was far better than Top of the World or Runaround.


32 Top Jimmy
Appeared on 11 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 9 (hefdaddy42)

I was a little mystified as the support this one got, as it comes off to me as the clear "weak link" of 1984.  Still a solid tune, but it feels like every other song is a lot better.

D.O.A. - This finished at #26 for me. Like others have said, the riffs here are fantastic! One of the best from VHII.

The Dream Is Over - This just missed the list at #55. It's a good song and I'm not sure what Tim is talking about......gobblygook.....

Top Jimmy - To be honest I would have been surprised if this didn't make the list. I had it at #34. Eddie's guitar playing is phenomenal on this.

[KevShmev]

I thought that it was fitting that today's two featured songs tied for their spot:

30 (t) I’ll Wait
Appeared on 10 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 7 (WilliamMunny)

I just missed being the high on this one, as I had it at 8.  This song is so awesome. Killer synths, great melodies, badass solo, and some killer drum fills that always make me want to air drum. 


30 (t) Jump
Appeared on 11 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (HOF)

This one can be tough to rank, as I have heard it so many times, but it is still a damn good song, one I put at 25.  I get that others are sick of it, and I am sure the "we just wanna rock" VH fans in late '83 had conniptions when they heard this synth-driven single, but a good song is a good song.

[devieira73]

Jump (#25) is a classic, not only in rock, but in the pop world too, everybody knows it (and loves it). Despite its big commercial appeal, the guitar/keyboard solo is also amazing. I'll Wait is very cool, with a very interesting atmosphere in the keyboards.

[bl5150]

Jump (#25) is a classic,everybody knows it (and loves it).

That's your cue Tim

I had I'll Wait at #45 and Jump at #26


In the end I don't like one all that much more than the other which shows how close this all was for me.  What gets Jump over the line for me is the instrumental section.........guitars, drums, keys - the lot. As a young kid who idolised EVH I used to proudly go around telling people "that's the same guy doing the guitar and keyboard solos"     The drums rule as do the pickslides/chords etc...behind the keyboard solo.  I always loved it and that solo section makes any thoughts of the song being a tad soft/pop fade into the background for me.

[WilliamMunny]

I thought that it was fitting that today's two featured songs tied for their spot:

30 (t) I’ll Wait
Appeared on 10 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 3
Highest Ranking: 7 (WilliamMunny)

I just missed being the high on this one, as I had it at 8.  This song is so awesome. Killer synths, great melodies, badass solo, and some killer drum fills that always make me want to air drum. 


30 (t) Jump
Appeared on 11 of 17  entrees
Top 10 finishes: 1
Highest Ranking: 7 (HOF)

This one can be tough to rank, as I have heard it so many times, but it is still a damn good song, one I put at 25.  I get that others are sick of it, and I am sure the "we just wanna rock" VH fans in late '83 had conniptions when they heard this synth-driven single, but a good song is a good song.

RE: "I'll Wait"—I (obviously) love this song, and this stands as a shining example of how Eddie + Dave + Keys could work, and did work.

I'm happy we got 5150 and Eat Em and Smile, but in an alternate universe where DLR doesn't leave the band, I'd love to hear the 'next' album, and feel like this song was a sign of things to come.

[Stadler]

34. D.O.A. - I had at #38  A rewrite of "Summertime Blues", but a good one.
33. The Dream Is Over - I had at #26 (What a chorus; the kind that sticks in your head for days.  This is the Sammy I love.)
32. Top Jimmy - I had at #101.  WOW; this is embarrassing, since I agree with all the comments on Ed's playing.
31. I'll Wait - I had at #81
30. Jump - I had at #32   I don't know why this gets so much shit; it's just a fun Van Halen song.That's what they do. 

[HOF]

I’ll Wait was at 39 for me. It’s one where you just kind of ignore the lyrics and enjoy the cool, synthy atmosphere. Randomly I just learned yesterday that it was co-written by Michael McDonald. Does anyone else think of this as a sped up All Of My Love by Led Zeppelin?

Jump was my number 7. It’s one of the great pop/rock tunes of the 80s and ever really. Again one of the first VH songs I remember hearing growing up. It’s a trademark VH tune. Not satisfied being a guitar legend, Eddie went and made himself a keyboard hero as well. I love that he was willing to branch off into that territory with his music. I’m glad he finally told Dave to stuff it and got this one recorded.

[TAC]

34. D.O.A. - I had at #38  A rewrite of "Summertime Blues"

Next thing you’re going to tell me is that The Number Of The Beast is a rewrite of When The Saints Go Marching In.