On this day February 25 1984 Jump by Van Halen reached number one on the US charts and stayed at the top from February 25 to March 30. This marked Van Halen’s first and only number one hit in America and it became one of the defining rock anthems of the 1980s. The song also reached number one in Canada and Italy making it an international hit.
Jump was the lead single from Van Halen’s sixth studio album 1984. With its memorable keyboard riff performed by Eddie Van Halen the song represented a shift from the band’s previous guitar driven sound. Frontman David Lee Roth’s energetic vocals and the song’s catchy chorus made it an instant classic. It helped 1984 become one of the band’s most successful albums reaching number two on the Billboard 200 and eventually selling over 10 million copies.
During the recording there was initial skepticism from some band members about using keyboards but Jump proved to be a groundbreaking hit that broadened Van Halen’s audience. Its iconic music video featuring Roth’s signature high kicks and the band’s dynamic performance was in heavy rotation on MTV further boosting its popularity.
80s insight: Eddie Van Halen originally wrote the keyboard riff for Jump in 1981 but it was initially rejected by other band members who preferred their harder rock sound.
Jump was the lead single from Van Halen’s sixth studio album 1984. With its memorable keyboard riff performed by Eddie Van Halen the song represented a shift from the band’s previous guitar driven sound. Frontman David Lee Roth’s energetic vocals and the song’s catchy chorus made it an instant classic. It helped 1984 become one of the band’s most successful albums reaching number two on the Billboard 200 and eventually selling over 10 million copies.
During the recording there was initial skepticism from some band members about using keyboards but Jump proved to be a groundbreaking hit that broadened Van Halen’s audience. Its iconic music video featuring Roth’s signature high kicks and the band’s dynamic performance was in heavy rotation on MTV further boosting its popularity.
80s insight: Eddie Van Halen originally wrote the keyboard riff for Jump in 1981 but it was initially rejected by other band members who preferred their harder rock sound.
