Van Halen’s First Big Hit Lin 1983 Led to the Departure of One of the Band’s Original Members

In 1983, Van Halen had their first massive hit with “Jump”. On 1984, their sixth studio album, “Jump” was written by Michael Anthony, David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen, and Edward Van Halen. 

A five-week No. 1 hit, “Jump” says, “Oh, can’t you see me standing here / I’ve got my back against the record machine / I ain’t the worst that you’ve seen / Oh, can’t you see what I mean? / Might as well jump, jump / Might as well jump / Go ahead, jump, jump / Go ahead and jump.”

Ironically, although the song became a big success, it also meant the end of Roth’s time in the rock band, at least for several years.

It’s Eddie Van Halen who plays the synthesizer in “Jump”, something Roth didn’t like. At the time, Van Halen had not used a synthesizer, and Roth disapproved of it. Undeterred, Eddie Van Halen recorded the part in his home studio.

Also interesting, Eddie Van Halen was known for playing guitar, not keys. It’s likely what helped propel “Jump” to the top of the charts.

How the Video for “Jump” Also Led David Lee Roth To Leave Van Halen

The video they shot for “Jump” also led to Roth leaving the band. Still a relatively new phenomenon at the time, Roth wanted to include footage of himself in the video. He was filmed doing things like riding a motorcycle and getting arrested while wearing only a towel. A novel idea, producer Robert Lombard ultimately left it out.

Lombard reportedly took out the footage of Roth before presenting it to Eddie Van Halen and Alex Van Halen, bypassing Roth. The two approved the video, albeit without any of the extra Roth scenes.

“I knew that if they kept it as a straight-on performance video, they would have a number one single,” Lombard explains. “So I took the rough cut to Eddie’s house up in Coldwater Canyon and played it for him and his brother Alex. I said, ‘Guys, I’m taking a stand here. If you put in this crazy footage … the video isn’t gonna have the impact it should have.’ Eddie and Alex said, ‘We agree with you, 100 percent. We’re not gonna release this video unless it’s done this way.’”

Lombard was ultimately fired, but the damage was done, and Roth exited Van Halen.

“The band as you know it is over,” Eddie Van Halen said in August of 1985. In 1986, Sammy Hagar became the lead singer for the band.

Photo by Luciano Viti/Getty Images

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