1984

Van Halen's sixth album (Warner Bros. 23985 [33:18]) released on 01/09/84. It reached #2 on U.S. charts (entering U.S. charts on 01/28/84, and reaching #2 on 03/17/84) and #15 on U.K. charts (entering U.K. charts on 02/04/84). 10 million copies have been sold in the U.S. It was certified gold and platinum on 03/12/84, quadruple platinum on 10/24/84, platinum five times over on 01/23/85, platinum six times over on 07/01/87, seven times platinum on 07/11/94, platinum nine times over on 08/08/96, and platinum ten times over on 02/08/99. It was certified diamond on 03/16/99. The album was remastered and rereleased on 09/19/00. Errors were reported with this latest release. Some booklets had pages that were stapled upside down.

1984 was the first album recorded at the 5150 Studio, where every Van Halen album since 1984 has been recorded.

All of the lyrics on this album, with the exception of those for I'll Wait were written in the back of Dave's 1951 Mercury lowrider. As the music was recorded, Dave would send a tape to roadie Larry Hostler. Larry would show up at Dave's house after lunch and the pair would drive through the Hollywood Hills, up the coast highway, and throughout the San Fernando Valley with the songs blaring. As Dave would come up with lyrics, he would show them to Larry and get his opinion.

1984 was voted the #1 album of the eighties by Guitar World magazine's editors.

The album was banned from some U.K. stores because the artwork depicted a baby smoking. The cover image was created by Margo Nahas and the baby smoking (the cigarettes are candy cigarettes) is her best friend's son, Carter Helm. According to Nahas, in an interview with the now defunct website Inside Heavy, the band initially requested a cover featuring four chrome women. She declined, but offered her portfolio of images for review and the band chose the baby smoking image. The pod-looking things that appear on the inner sleeve photo are Par Cans, part of a tour lighting rig taken Gary Moderling. On the 1984 tour, the entire lighting rig was chrome and the crew operating the lights wore chrome-colored jumpsuits to blend in.

Eddie initially wrote around 16 songs for this record, and at one point the other band members got upset with him because he wouldn't stop writing.

Michael didn't use a pick on any of the bass lines.

Tracks:

• 1984 (see below)
• Jump
• Panama
• Top Jimmy
• Drop Dead Legs
• Hot for Teacher
• I'll Wait
• Girl Gone Bad
• House of Pain

Singles/Promos:

Serial #: W9384T
Label: WEA
Tracks: Jump, Runnin' with the Devil, House of Pain
Country: UK
Release Date: 1983
Format: 12" vinyl

Serial #: PRO-A-2105
Label: WB
Tracks: Jump, Jump (promo)
Country: USA
Release Date: 1983
Format: 12" vinyl

Serial #: 7-29384
Label: WB
Tracks: A: Jump, B: House of Pain
Highest Chart Position: 1 (USA), 7 (UK)
Country: USA
Release Date: 01/14/84
Format: 7" vinyl

Serial #: P-1817
Label: WEA
Tracks: A: Jump, B: House of Pain
Country: Japan
Release Date: 1984
Format: 7" vinyl

Serial #: 16-256
Label: EMI-Odeon
Tracks: A: Jump, B: House of Pain
Country: Brazil
Release Date: 1984
Format: 7" vinyl

Serial #: 96-078
Label: EMI-Odeon
Tracks: Jump, I'll Wait, Panama, House of Pain
Country: Brazil
Release Date: 1984
Format: 7" vinyl

Serial #: 2-489
Label: Back Trax
Tracks: A: Jump, B: I'll Wait (edit)
Country: USA
Release Date: ?
Format: CD

Serial #: GWB 0489
Label: WB
Tracks: A: Jump, B: I'll Wait
Country: USA
Release Date: ?
Format: 7" vinyl

Serial #: 929 273-7
Label: WEA
Tracks: A: Panama, B: Girl Gone Bad
Country: Germany
Release Date: 1984
Format: 7" vinyl

Serial #: W9273T
Label: WEA
Tracks: Panama, Dance the Night Away, Girl Gone Bad
Country: UK
Release Date: 1984
Format: 12" vinyl

Serial #: PRO-A-2126
Label: WB
Tracks: I'll Wait (edit), Drop Dead Legs (promo)
Country: USA
Release Date: 1984
Format: 12" vinyl

Serial #: P-1851
Label: WEA
Tracks: I'll Wait, Girl Gone Bad
Country: Japan
Release Date: 1984
Format: 7" vinyl

Serial #: BCA 2784S
Label: WB
Tracks: I'll Wait (edit), I'll Wait (edit) (promo)
Country: USA
Release Date: 1984
Format: 7" vinyl

Serial #: 7-29307
Label: WB
Tracks: A: I'll Wait, B: Girl Gone Bad
Highest Chart Position: 13 (USA)
Country: USA
Release Date: 04/14/84
Format: 7" vinyl

Serial #: 7-29250
Label: WB
Tracks: A: Panama, B: Drop Dead Legs
Highest Chart Position: 13 (USA), 61 (UK)
Country: USA
Release Date: 06/23/84
Format: 7" vinyl

Serial #: 7-29199
Label: WB
Tracks: Hot for Teacher (edit), Hot for Teacher (promo)
Highest Chart Position: 56 (USA)
Country: USA
Release Date: 10/27/84
Format: 7" vinyl

Serial #: W9199T
Label: WEA
Tracks: Hot for Teacher, Hear about It Later, Little Dreamer
Country: UK
Release Date: 1984
Format: 12" vinyl

Serial #: PRO-A-2162
Label: WB
Tracks: A: Panama, B: Panama
Country: USA
Release Date: 1984
Format: 12" vinyl

Serial #: W9213T
Label: WEA
Tracks: I'll Wait, Drop Dead Legs, And The Cradle Will Rock, (Oh) Pretty Woman
Country: UK
Release Date: 1984
Format: 12" vinyl

Serial #: PRO-A-2177
Label: WB
Tracks: Hot for Teacher, Hot for Teacher (edit)
Country: USA
Release Date: 1984
Format: 12" vinyl

Serial #: 29199-7
Label: WB
Tracks: A: Hot for Teacher, B: Little Dreamer
Country: USA
Release Date: 1984
Format: 7" vinyl (with poster)

Serial #: GWB 0523
Label: WB
Tracks: Panama, Hot for Teacher
Country: USA
Release Date: 1984
Format: 7" vinyl

1984 was also the first song on the 1984 album. The instrumental was recorded on an Oberheim synthesizer and was originally 45 minutes long. It was one of the many long instrumental recordings in Eddie's "vault," which also included a lengthy opus that later became Strung Out.

This was the first song ever recorded in the 5150 Studio. According to Eddie, he was playing around with the song and Donn Landee secretly recorded the session.