Panama

According to Dave the lyrics to this song, from the 1984 album, were written after a day at the drag races in Fontana, CA, where he'd seen a car named the Panama Express. The lyrics are about a car referred to as a woman.

The "whooshing" sounds during the song's interlude were created by Eddie's early 1970s black Lamborghini Countach S-5000 (the car has since been sold). The sports car was backed up to the studio, and microphones were attached to the exhaust pipes. The band then recorded the sound of the engine revving.

In concert, Sammy sang slightly different lyrics to Panama than Dave did.

The video for this song was directed by Pete Angelus and produced by Jerry Kramer. The live portions of this video were filmed over a three-day period at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, PA, while the band was in the middle of the 1984 Tour. The pickups and inserts were filmed during the second and third days of the same time frame.

Michael Anthony's infamous Jack Daniels bass had just been delivered, and this was the first time it had ever been used or seen. It featured a body carved by Wayne Charvel and a paint job by Chuck Wild Studios. Zeta pickups were used that were mounted in the saddles of the bridge. During filming, the bass was dinged twice by careless gaffers as Anthony was being swung back and forth, suspended from the stage rigging.

The song also appears on the Best of Volume 1 album.

This song makes an appearance on the compilation album Slammin' Sports Jams Vol. 4 (Simitar, 2000).

Pat Boone covered this song on his 1997 release In a Metal Mood - No More Mr. Nice Guy (Hip-O Records HIPD-40025). The entire album consisted of hard rock and heavy metal songs covered in a Las Vegas, jazz-type style.

The band Grade covered this song on their EP Truimph & Tragedy (Victory 103, 1999).

Panama was also the name of a Toronto-based Van Halen tribute band.