Valentine’s Day — make that Van Halentine’s Day— is here, and to celebrate we’ve rounded up the most lovey dovey Van Halen songs for ya.
What’s that? You don’t like that idea? You don’t like to focus on love songs? We’d like to point out that Van Halen’s dozen studio albums are absolutely loaded with all kinds of love songs. It seems that both David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar understand that romance is just as important as rocking out. They might have had different approaches to it lyrically, but they both have it on their mind. So coming up with our definitive list of the top Van Halen love songs was really a no-brainer.
Note that this list is our LOVE song list. You won’t find any songs about how hot your teacher is, or how your love is rotten-to-the-core. Those songs are part of entirely different lists! (Our lists of Van Halen songs about lust, and songs about love-gone-bad are coming soon, by the way).
So, without further ado, we present the top Van Halen songs about LOVE in order of release. We’ve got 14 songs (for February 14th), seven penned by David, and seven by Sammy.
You Really Got Me
This Kinks cover on steroids might be a bit more about being obsessed than in love, but we’ll say it qualifies.
Girl, you really got me now
You got me so I don’t know what I’m doin’
You got me so I don’t know where I’m goin’, yeah
You got me so I can’t sleep at night
Could This Be Magic
“Out upon the islands on a cool summer night…” “Lonely ships upon the water…Sail away with someone’s daughter…” Hell, this song is so fun, we wish we could somehow transport ourselves INTO this song and live there for the rest of our lives!
Could this be magic,
or could this be love?
Could this turn tragic?
You know that magic often does.
In A Simple Rhyme
This is one of the first Van Halen songs ever written, and arguably still one of the best. The music is incredible, and the lyrics are too good to just quote a sampling of them. You can read them all in Dave’s own handwriting here.
So This Is Love?
Even after a thousand listens, this rollicking upbeat boogie is so infectious that it somehow makes you feel the excitement of a brand new love. Even if this song didn’t have any lyrics, you’d probably get that feeling from the music.
All other girls, they’d be put to shame
Over the edge and here I’ll stay
Got me on pins and needles
And she knows she’s mine and ain’t lettin’ go
Little Guitars
A beautiful poem about falling in love with a señorita.
Senorita I’m in trouble again and I can’t get free
(Senorita) You’re exactly what the doctor ordered, come on talk to me
Anybody in their right mind could see, it’s you and me
When I see you, all your little guitars sing to me
Secrets
This cool, breezy little slice of heaven from Diver Down is both a musical and lyrical masterpiece, conjuring up surreal imagery about a girl that Roth once knew – or did she only exist in his imagination?
She comes like the secret wind
Shes as strong as the mountains,walks tall as a tree.
She been there before,she’ll never give in,
She’ll be gone tomorrow like the silent breeze.
I’ll Wait
One of Van Halen’s biggest hits from the mid ’80s is about being in love — or obsessed — with someone you’ve only seen in a magazine.
You’ve got me captured; I’m under your spell
I guess I’ll never learn
I have your picture; yes I know it well
Another page is turned
Are you for real? It’s so hard to tell
From just a magazine
Yeah, you just smile and the picture sells
Look what that does to me
Why Can’t This Be Love
This song is about starting to fall for someone. It contains the poetic felony, “Only time will tell if we stand the test of time.” But it’s a fun song, and was a big hit!
Oh here it comes
That funny feeling again winding me up inside
Every time we touch
Hey I don’t know
Oh, tell me where to begin cause I never ever
Felt so much
And I can’t recall any love at all
Baby this blows ’em all away
It’s got what it takes
So tell me why can’t this be love?
Love Walks In
We interviewed Sammy Hagar three times during the Balance tour, and in one of those interviews, he told us that this song actually deals with extra-terrestrials. Specifically with “walk-ins.” An alien “walk-in” is supposedly where an alien switches souls with a human being who has agreed to leave their physical body. Usually a “walk-in” is an advanced alien soul whose purpose is to help the human race advance to a higher spiritual age. Certainly not your typical love song!
When It’s Love
The title says it all.
You look at every face in a crowd
Some shine and some keep you guessin’
Waiting for someone to come into focus
Teach you your final love lesson
How do I know when it’s love
I can’t tell you but it lasts forever
How does it feel when it’s love
It’s just something you feel together
Feels So Good
Almost titled “Message in a Bottle,” this warm, happy track from OU812 celebrates how love can rescue you, set you free, and feel so good.
Can’t Stop Lovin’ You
A lot of people don’t know it, but this song is not what you’d think. Sammy wrote when going through a nasty divorce from his wife Betsy. It’s a one-sided love song, from her point of view.
Not Enough
This is it, softies — the most lovey dovey Van Halen song ever!
To love somebody naturally
To love somebody faithfully
To love somebody equally
…and on, and on.
Take Me Back (Déjà Vu)
Dreamy acoustic song about a love that was found and then lost on “Some desert island off Morocco.” Contains some nice slide guitar by Eddie.
That’s it! Did we miss any? What do you think about the different lyrical approaches Dave and Sammy had to this subject?
Our lists of Van Halen Anti-Love Songs, and Van Halen Lust Songs are coming soon.