Have you seen Junior's grades?! ILM Artist Poll #75 - VAN HALEN (Results thread)

Back to "On Fire," when I first bought the debut, it was on cassette and the song was at the end of side 1, but it apparently was always meant to be the closer. So when I hear it after "Ice Cream Man" now, it still sounds weird.

Disappointed it only came it at 20, because on any given day it could be my favorite VH song of all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOpSS46VezQ

19. SOMEBODY GET ME A DOCTOR
(Van Halen II; 1979) 186 points | 9 votes

Another TOO LOW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lynStsoEMc8

18. BEAUTIFUL GIRLS
(Van Halen II; 1979) 207 points | 12 votes

^^ Both of those would have been VERY strong contenders for a #1 on my ballot.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3Yr_PGbtRrY

I knew what that was before I clicked it, and I still clicked it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEsckJ56Bng

17. I'M THE ONE
(Van Halen; 1978) 214 points | 9 votes

^^^^^^^ yessss

kinda the ultimate vh song imo

Is there any VH that doesn't feature even just a little bit of boogie?

I was just curious and did some googling, and it's remarkable how little footage there is of them in the early days, and that even what little exists already has them at playing to thousands c. 1978.

Maybe one day I'll figure what people like so much about this one—it's always a fan fave in VH discussions—but it hasn't happened yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_-ytH0JMZg

16. LITTLE GUITARS
(Diver Down; 1982) 227 points | 9 votes | 1 first place vote

uh iirc it's

CATCH AS CATCH
CATCH AS CATCH
CAAAAN

like, what a cool part of a cool song

people think tiny things are cute, even guitars

It's joyous and light of spirit. I guess the "intro" is not considered part of this, although Roth wrote his lyrics thinking of flamenco and Mexicans based on that

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ti1BWGgdGL8

15. ERUPTION
(Van Halen; 1978) 302 points | 12 votes | 1 first place vote

—

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X6e7uctAww

14. YOU REALLY GOT ME
(Van Halen; 1978) 318 points | 15 votes

oh my god

should have also polled all of michael anthony's \m/ faces

Little Guitars was my #1, I just think it's a crazy mix of jazzy bullshit in the beginning, latin whatever, a great catch-phrase backed by a break beat, and some pizzicato wanking

my son's favorite song for the past couple weeks has been the original "You Really Got Me," he'll listen to it 2 or 3 times in a row and totally rock out. i'm gonna drop the VH version on him next time he asks to hear it and see what happens.

lol cool test

"Wait, dad...whaaaaaa???"

the original back to the future prom moment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DstMopCz5cA

13. ATOMIC PUNK
(Van Halen; 1978) 329 points | 14 votes | 1 first place vote

and aren't we all victims of the science age in the end

Think I might change my Twitter bio to "I can't remember when I was your age."

i like to imagine DLR changing into a really badass road warrior style getup when this came up on the setlist in the 70s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M4_Ommfvv0

12. HOT FOR TEACHER
(1984; 1984) 373 points | 16 votes

x-post It was generally their closer at their 1979 shows

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOjm4I7LRgY

11. JAMIE'S CRYIN'
(Van Halen; 1978) 373 points | 16 votes | 1 first place vote

I've just about now, 27 years later, gotten to where I can listen to Jamie's Cryin' without thinking about Wild Thing.

ahaha ok my no. 1 won't make it :(

Eruption my #1 because VAN HALEN!

• Did Nos. 15 & 14 really happen like that?

• I'll tell you what wasn't on my ballot - stuff like Ice Cream Man. Not a big fan of those shaloobidoobydoo jaunts. Didn't vote for Happy Trails either.

• I've always taken up for Van Hagar even though I'm firmly in the DLR camp. (But not the DLR "camp" I mention above.) Went through 5150 and OU812 as I was making my ballot, heard those "Stop lookin' out, start lookin' in, be your own best friend" lyrics and realized that I really can't take up for them as much anymore.

Pretty happy with the way this is rolling out though!

First time hearing Little Guitars, this is cool! Kind of like Van Halen doing Rush

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHXbi1bC9T4

10. AND THE CRADLE WILL ROCK...
(Women and Children First; 1980) 377 points | 17 votes | 1 first place vote

rock on

i couldn't make room for Ice Cream Man but had to slip Happy Trails in at the end. i've always got time for a little of Dave's jazz scat, but a little does go a long way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5Gk79FazKs

9. MEAN STREET
(Fair Warning; 1981) 391 points | 17 votes

TOO FUCKIN' LOW!

so fuckin good

maybe too early to call but it's looking like my only picks that didn't make it here are Happy Trails, One Foot Out the Door & You're No Good

the last one wasn't super-obvious for me. i'm not particularly in love with Ronstadt's version (Dee Dee Warwick OTOH...), but the atmospherics and DLR's vocals tipped it.

I'm no fan of the VH rhythm section, but to their credit with a very few exceptions they work with EVH like a true power trio. That is, when he is soloing there are rarely other guitars at work. Just the three instruments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llfjDUB66Z4

8. DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY
(Van Halen II; 1979) 404 points | 17 votes

meh

pfft i love "dance the night away" what a hook

Okay song, unsure why it's this high.

Amazing hook. It would've been my #1 or #2.

ugh alfred did you not vote

is that why "why can't this be love" is so low

sublime chorus