  Van Halen has spanned 3 decades
with their form of rock and heavy metal
music, always making news and selling
millions - even with a changing roster of
lead singers. When Van Halen formed the band
consisted of Eddie Van Halen on guitar,
keyboards, and vocals, Alex Van Halen on
drums and percussion, Michael Anthony on bass
and vocals, and David Lee Roth on lead
vocals. The conception of Van Halen began in
Holland with the conception of the Van Halen
brothers (the brothers grew up in
California), and in the mid-70s the brothers
formed a band named Mammoth with Anthony and
Roth. In the late 70s, the band renamed
themselves Van Halen, were flown to New York
to record a demo produced by Gene Simmons of Kiss,
and were signed by Warner Bros. Records.
 February 10: Van
Halen was released with the favorites
"Runnin' With The Devil,"
"Jamie's Cryin'," and the cover,
"You Really Got Me." The LP went on
to sell over 10 million copies in the U.S.
Van
Halen was certified gold.
Van
Halen was certified platinum.
 Van
Halen II was released with the hit
"Dance The Night Away" and began
their first headlining tour in the summer.
Van
Halen II was certified gold.
Van
Halen II was certified platinum.
 # 214
Singles Artist of the Year
 Van Halen released Women
& Children First.
Women
& Children First was certified
platinum.
 Fair
Warning was released.
Eddie Van Halen received a lot
of press when he married actress Valerie
Bertinelli.
Fair
Warning was certified gold.
 Fair
Warning was certified platinum.
 # 72
Singles Artist of the Year
 Van Halen hit the Top 40 with
their cover of "(Oh) Pretty Woman."
Van Halen released Diver
Down.
Van Halen hit the Top 10 with "(Oh) Pretty Woman."
 Diver
Down was certified platinum.
Van Halen hit the Top 40 with
"Dancing In The Street."
 # 11
Singles Artist of the Year
 1984 was released and Van
Halen topped the pop charts with "Jump."
Van Halen hit the Top 40 with
"Jump."
1984 was certified
platinum.
Van Halen hit the Top 10 and #1 for 2 weeks with "Jump."
 Van Halen hit the Top 40 with
"I'll
Wait"
Van Halen hit the Top 10 with "I'll
Wait"
Van Halen hit the Top 40 with
"Panama"
 The video for "Jump" won a MTV Video Music
Award for Best Stage Performance Video and was nominated for Best Group Video and Best Overall Performance.
1984 was certified 4x
platinum, Van
Halen was certified 5x platinum, Van
Halen II was certified 3x
platinum, Women
& Children First was certified 2x
platinum, and Diver
Down was certified 2x platinum.
1984 was certified 5x
platinum.
Van Halen were nominated for an American Music
Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group.
 Roth hit the Top 40 with "California Girls."
from the LP Crazy
From The Heat
ARC chart run: 31 - 25 - 12 - 10 - 7 - 4 - 3 - 8 - 23 - 35 - 40 - off
available for download at iTunes and Amazon.mp3
Year-End Chart
Position: # 78
 Eddie Van Halen was nominated
for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental
Performance ("Doubt City").
David Lee Roth officially quit
the band (or was officially fired) after
releasing his solo EP, Crazy
From The Heat. Problems over replacing a
charismatic lead singer were conquered by Van
Halen when Sammy Hagar
joined the band in June.
 April 20: Roth hit the ARC Weekly Top 40 with "Just A Gigolo / I Ain't
Got Nobody."
from the LP Crazy
From The Heat
Year-End Chart
Position: # 125
available for download at iTunes and Amazon.mp3
 Van
Halen: # 16
Singles Artist of the Year ~ David
Lee Roth: # 99
Singles Artist of the Year
 March 24: The new lineup of Van
Halen released 5150. The band was back in
the Top 10 with "Why Can't This Be
Love."
5150 was certified 2x
platinum.
Van Halen hit the Top 40 with
"Dreams."
5150 was certified 3x
platinum.
Van Halen were nominated for 2 American Music
Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group and Favorite Pop/Rock Album (5150).
1984 was certified 6x
platinum.
 Van
Halen: # 27
Singles Artist of the Year ~ David
Lee Roth: # 71
Singles Artist of the Year
 OU812 was released with the
hits "Finish What Ya Started" and
"When It's Love."
OU812 was certified 2x
platinum.
During the summer, Van Halen
headlined the Monsters of Rock tour.
Van Halen topped the Billboard 1988
Year-End Chart Toppers with the Top Album
Rock Track ("Finish What Ya
Started").
 # 154
Singles Artist of the Year
 5150 was certified 4x
platinum and OU812 was certified 3x
platinum.
Van Halen were
nominated for 3 American Music
Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group, Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
Artist,
and Favorite Heavy
Metal/Hard Rock Album (OU812).
Diver
Down was certified 3x platinum and Van
Halen was certified 6x platinum.
Van Halen hit the Top 40 with
"Feels So Good."
The video for "Finish What
Ya Started" was nominated for s MTV Video Music
Award for Best Direction.
Van
Halen II was certified 4x platinum.
 # 131
Singles Artist of the Year
 Van Halen released For
Unlawful Carnal Knowledge which contained the
award-winning video hit "Right Now."
For
Unlawful Carnal Knowledge was certified
platinum.
Van Halen hit the Top 40 with
"Top Of The World."
For
Unlawful Carnal Knowledge was certified 2x
platinum.
 # 152
Singles Artist of the Year
Van Halen won an American Music
Awards for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
Album
(For
Unlawful Carnal Knowledge) and was nominated for
Favorite Heavy
Metal/Hard Rock Artist.
Van Halen won a Grammy
Award for Best Hard Rock Performance (For
Unlawful Carnal Knowledge).
Van Halen hit the Top 40 with
"Right Now."
The video for "Right Now" won 3 MTV Video Music
Awards for Video of the Year, Best Direction (Mark Fenske), and Best Editing (Mitchell Sinoway),
and was nominated for Best Group Video, Best Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Video, Breakthrough Video, and Viewer's Choice.
 Van Halen released the live LP, Van
Halen Live: Right Here, Right Now.
Van Halen topped the Billboard
Album Rock Tracks chart for a week with
"Won't Get Fooled Again."
Van
Halen Live: Right Here, Right Now was certified
platinum.
Van
Halen Live: Right Here, Right Now was certified 2x
platinum and Van
Halen was certified 7x
platinum.
Rolling
Stone: "The 100 Top Music Videos" included "Right Now" at # 6
and
"Hot For Teacher" at # 26.
1984 was certified 7x
platinum and Van
Halen was certified 8x platinum.
5150 was certified 5x
platinum, Fair
Warning was certified 2x platinum, Women
& Children First was certified 3x
platinum, and For
Unlawful Carnal Knowledge was certified
3x platinum.
 # 49
Singles Artist of the Year
 Balance was released and
rumors about band conflicts began as well as
Eddie Van Halen's treatment for alcoholism
(which began in 1990).
Van Halen topped the Billboard
Album Rock Tracks chart for 3 weeks with
"Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)."
Balance topped the Billboard
Pop Albums chart for a week.
Van Halen were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a
Duo or Group ("Jump").
Van Halen hit the Top 40 with
"Can't
Stop Loving You."
Balance was certified 2x
platinum.
Van Halen hit the Top 10 with "Can't
Stop Loving You."
 Van Halen were nominated for an American Music
Award for Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard
Rock Artist.
Van Halen were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance ("The Seventh
Seal").
Hagar quit the band after
reportedly being fired, as the group could be
heard on the soundtrack for Twister with "Humans
Being."
Van Halen topped the Billboard
Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for 2 weeks with
"Humans Being."
1984 was certified 9x
platinum and Van
Halen was certified 10x platinum.
 A hit collection, The
Best Of Van Halen, Vol. 1, was released and
appeared to mark the return of David Lee Roth
- but it was short-lived, and Roth was out of
the band once again followed by publicized
bickering by Roth and band members.
Van Halen topped the Billboard
Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for 6 weeks with
"Me Wise Magic."
October 4: The band replaced David Lee Roth with Gary
Cherone of Extreme as
lead singer.
The
Best Of Van Halen, Vol. 1 topped the
Billboard Top 200 Albums chart for a week.
Rock
'N Roll Hall Of Fame's 500
Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll includes "Jump" and
"Runnin' With The Devil."
Eddie and Alex were nominated
for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental
Performance ("Respect The Wind").
 Van Halen released a brand new
LP, Van
Halen III, with a brand new lead singer,
Gary Cherone (formerly of Extreme).
Cherone was the 3rd lead singer for the band
following David Lee Roth,
who was with Van Halen for over a decade, and
Sammy Hagar who also spent
over a decade as lead singer until he quit
(although Hagar contends he was fired) in
'96. Cherone told the Los Angeles Times:
"It seems like every 10 years they kick
out the singer... so I've got 8 or 9 more
years to misbehave before I have to worry
about being on my best behavior. There will
always be a percentage of people who will
hate me because I'm not those other guys, and
then there will be a percentage who will hate
me because I'm too much like those other
guys..." Van Halen topped the Billboard
Mainstream Rock Tracks chart with
"Without You" for 6 weeks.
 Ranked # 48 on VH1: Greatest
Artists of Rock & Roll (and
# 31 on Rock On The Net's
Poll).
The
Best Of Van Halen, Vol. 1 was certified 2x
platinum and Diver
Down was certified 4x platinum.
Van Halen cancelled a concert in
Germany after a piece of plaster fell on
drummer Alex Van Halen's arm during a
pre-show warm-up session. The drummer was
only "bruised" by the incident and
did not affect further dates. Alex Van
Halen's arm injury earlier this month has
resulted in Van Halen canceling their
remaining European performance dates.
Van
Halen III was certified gold.
1984 was certified 10x
platinum.
November 5: Van Halen lost its
3rd lead singer as Gary Cherone announced
that he had left the band. Eddie Van Halen
said in a statement: "Gary is a brother
and he and I will continue to have a personal
and musical relationship." Eddie Van
Halen also underwent hip surgery in November.
MTV: 100
Greatest Videos Ever Made includes
"Jump" at # 33 and "Right Now" at # 61.
VH1: 100
Greatest Rock Songs includes "Jump" at # 95.
Reports that Eddie Van Halen had
cancer of the tongue were denied by a Houston
hospital. It was later confirmed that Eddie
visited a Texas hospital to possibly
part-take in an outpatient cancer study.
Van Halen came in at # 7 on VH1: 100
Greatest Artists of Hard Rock."
Rolling Stone
& MTV: 100 Greatest Pop Songs includes "Jump" at # 47.
 Anthony said the next Van Halen
LP will be "...more oriented toward the
early Van Halen-type sound." Rumors
continue to swirl if David Lee Roth will be
returning to the band again. In April, Roth
stated via his website: "About a year
ago, myself and the great Van Halen band
played together once or twice and it sounded
amazing.... That was last July and since then
I haven't been up to the studio, we haven't
really been in touch, and we haven't made any
music, but I am holding forth, I'm in the
shape of my life and I got the high note. I'm
ready to go." Van Halen responded via
their website: "We're aware of all the
rumors, and rumors are just that. We are
continuing to work in the studio creating
music for our next record. For any updates,
come here to our website first. We'll stay in
touch."
Eddie Van Halen confirmed that
he has been battling cancer.
VH1: 100
Greatest Videos includes:
# 24
- "Jump"
and # 51
- "Hot For
Teacher."
Eddie Van Halen talked about his
cancer: "'The way I look at it is like
this, I've run too many red lights and gotten
away with it for a long time, but it kinda
caught up with me. I believe that God doesn't
lay this on you unless you're supposed to
learn something."
After 23 years,
Van Halen and Warner Bros. Records parted
ways.
Eddie Van Halen announced on the
band's webiste that he had gotten "a
clean bill of health - from head to toe (from
cancer)."
Former Van Halen lead singers, Sammy
Hagar and David Lee Roth,
began touring together.
David Lee Roth
ranked # 100 on VH1: 100
Sexiest Artists.
David Lee Roth
filed a lawsuit against current Van Halen
members and Warner Bros. Records claiming he
didn't receive royalties for previous
material he was involved with.
VH1: 100 Best
Songs of the Past 25 Years includes "Jump" at # 11.
Rolling Stone:
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: # 415:
Van
Halen.
 5150 was certified
6x platinum, Van
Halen II was certified 5x platinum, OU812 was certified 4x
platinum, The
Best Of Van Halen, Vol. 1 was certified 3x
platinum, and Balance was certified 3x
platinum.
Van Halen announced they will
be touring in the summer and Sammy
Hagar will be back on board as lead
singer. They also released another
compilation CD, The
Best Of Both Worlds.
The
Best Of Both Worlds was certified
platinum.
# 66 on the Top Pop Artists
of the Past 25 Years chart.
Eddie announced that his son
Wolfgang would replace Michael Anthony as the
band's bass player.
VH1: 100
Greatest Songs of the 80's included "Jump" at # 15.
Eddie Van Halen entered rehab.
Van Halen were inducted into the
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Van Halen kicked off a tour with
David Lee Roth back in the group.
Van Halen put their tour on hold
while Eddie underwent medical tests for
concerns not made public.
Entertainment Weekly:
100 Best Albums of the Last 25 Years included 1984 at # 72.
 The reunited Van Halen with
Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Eddie's son
Wolfgang Van Halen on bass, and David Lee
Roth, released A
Different Kind Of Truth.
Van Halen topped the Billboard
Rock Albums chart and Hard Rock Albums chart
with A
Different Kind Of Truth.
October 6: Eddie Van Halen
died at the age of 65.
 October 17: In the wake of
Eddie Van Halen's death, Van Halen topped
the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart with
Van Halen.
Amazon.mp3 |
Van Halen
 Released: February 10, 1978
US: 10x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 19
Tracks: "Runnin'
With The Devil" -
"Eruption" - "You Really
Got Me" - "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout
Love" - "I'm The One" -
"Jamie's Cryin'" - "Atomic
Punk" - "Feel Your Love
Tonight" - "Little
Dreamer" - "Ice Cream Man"
- "On Fire" |
Amazon.mp3 |
Van Halen II
Released: March, 1979
US: 5x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 6
Tracks: "You're No
Good" - "Dance The Night
Away" - "Somebody Get Me A
Doctor" - "Bottoms Up" -
"Outta Love Again" -
"Light Up The Sky" -
"Spanish Fly" -
"D.O.A." - "Women In
Love" - "Beautiful Girls" |
Amazon.mp3 |
Women & Children
First
Released: March, 1980
US: 3x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 6
Tracks: "And The
Cradle Will Rock..." -
"Everybody Wants Some" -
"Fools" - "Romeo
Delight" - "Tora! Tora!" -
"Loss Of Control" - "Take
Your Whiskey Home" - "Could
This Be Magic?" - "In A Simple
Rhyme" |
Amazon.mp3 |
Fair Warning
Released: April, 1981
US: 2x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 5
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Mean
Street" - "Dirty Movies" -
"Sinner's Swing" - "Hear
About It Late" -
"Unchained" - "Push Comes
To Shove" - "So This Is
Love?" - "Sunday Afternoon In
The Park" - "One Foot Out The
Door" |
Amazon.mp3 |
Diver Down
Released: April, 1982
US: 4x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 3
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Where Have
All The Good Times Gone?" -
"Hang 'Em High" -
"Cathedral" -
"Secrets" -
"Intruder" - "(Oh) Pretty Woman" - "Dancing In The
Street" - "Little
Guitars" - "Big Bad Bill"
- "Full Bug" - "Happy
Trails" |
iTunes
Amazon.mp3 |
1984
Released: January, 1984
US: 10x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 2
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "1984"
- "Jump" - "Panama" - "Top
Jimmy" - "Drop Dead Legs"
- "Hot For Teacher" - "I'll Wait" - "Girl
Gone Bad" - "House Of
Pain" |
Amazon.mp3 |
5150
Released: March 24, 1986
US: 6x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 1 (for 3 weeks)
Tracks: "Good
Enough" - "Why Can't This Be
Love?" - "Get Up" - "Dreams" -
"Summer Nights" - "Best Of
Both Worlds" - "Love Walks
In" - "5150" -
"Inside" |
Amazon.mp3 |
OU812
Released: May, 1988
US: 4x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 1 (for 4weeks)
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks: "Mine All
Mine" - "When It's Love" -
"A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)" -
"Cabo Wabo" - "Source Of
Infection" - "Feels So Good" -
"Finish What Ya Started" -
"Black And Blue" - "Sucker
In A 3 Piece" - "Apolitical
Blues" |
Amazon.mp3 |
For Unlawful Carnal
Knowledge
Released: June, 1991
US: 3x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 1 (for 3 weeks)
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks:
"Poundcake" - "Judgement
Day" - "Spanked" -
"Runaround" - "Pleasure
Dome" - "In 'N' Out" -
"Man On A Mission" -
"Dream Is Over" - "Right Now" -
"316" - "Top Of The World" |
Amazon.mp3 |
Van Halen Live: Right
Here, Right Now
Released: February, 1993
US: 2x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 5
Live Tracks:
"Poundcake" - "Judgement
Day" - "When It's Love" -
"Spanked" - "Ain't Talkin'
'Bout Love" - "In 'N' Out"
- "Dreams" - "Man
On A Mission" - "Ultra
Bass" - "Pleasure Dome / Drum
Solo" - "Panama" - "Love
Walks In" - "Runaround" -
"Right Now" - "One
Way To Rock" - "Why Can't This
Be Love?" - "Give To Live"
- "Finish What Ya Started" -
"Best Of Both Worlds" -
"316" - "You Really Got Me
/ Cabo Wabo" - "Won't Get
Fooled Again" - "Jump" - "Top Of The World" |
Amazon.mp3 |
Balance
Released: January, 1995
US: 3x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 1 (for 1 week)
Tracks: "Seventh
Seal" - "Can't Stop Loving You" -
"Don't Tell Me (What Love Can
Do)" - "Amsterdam" -
"Big Fat Money" - "Strung
Out" - "Not Enough" -
"Aftershock" - "Doin'
Time" - "Baluchitherium" -
"Take Me Back (Deja Vu)" -
"Feelin'" |
Amazon.mp3 |
The Best Of Van Halen,
Vol. 1
Released: October, 1996
US: 3x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 1 (for 1 week)
Tracks:
"Eruption" - "Ain't
Talkin' 'Bout Love" - "Runnin'
With The Devil" - "Dance The
Night Away"- "And The Cradle
Will Rock..." -
"Unchained" - "Jump" - "Panama" - "Why
Can't This Be Love?" - "Dreams" - "When
It's Love" - "Poundcake" -
"Right Now" - "Can't Stop Loving You" -
"Humans Being" - "Can't
Get This Stuff No More"- "Me
Wise Magic" |
Amazon.mp3 |
Van Halen III
Released: March, 1998
US: Gold
Billboard
peak:
# 4
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks:
"Neworld" - "Without
You" - "One I Want" -
"From Afar" - "Dirty Water
Dog" - "Once" - "Fire
In The Hole" - "Josephina"
- "Year To The Day" -
"Primary" - "Ballot Or The
Bullet" - "How Many Say I"
|
Amazon.mp3 |
The Best Of Both Worlds
Released: July, 2004
US: Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 3
Rolling Stone:
Tracks:
"Eruption" - "You Really
Got Me" - "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout
Love" - "Jamie's Cryin'" -
"Runnin' With The Devil" -
"Beautiful Girls" - "Dance
The Night Away" - "And The
Cradle Will Rock..." -
"Everybody Wants Some" -
"Unchained" - "Dancing In The
Street" - "(Oh) Pretty Woman" - "Hot
For Teacher" - "Jump" - "Panama" - "I'll
Wait" - "Why Can't This Be
Love" - "Dreams" - "Best
Of Both Worlds" - "Love Walks
In" - "When It's Love" -
"Finish What Ya Started" -
"Feels So Good" -
"Black And Blue" -
"Poundcake" -
"Runaround" - "Right Now" - "Top Of The World" - "Can't Stop Loving You" - "Not
Enough" - "It's About
Time" - "Learning To See"
- "Up For Breakfast" -
"Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"
(live) - "Jump" (live) -
"Panama" (live) |
Amazon.mp3 |
A Different Kind Of
Truth
Released: February, 2012
Tracks:
"Tattoo" - "She's The
Woman" - "You And Your
Blues" - "China Town" -
"Blood And Fire" -
"Bullethead" - "As
Is" -
"Honeybabysweetiedoll" -
"The Trouble With Never" -
"Outta Space" - "Stay
Frosty" - "Big River" -
"Beats Workin'" |
| |
Tokyo Dome In Concert
Released: March 31, 2015 |
|
The Collection II
Released: October 6, 2023
Tracks: "Good
Enough" - "Why Can't This Be
Love" - "Get Up" -
"Dreams" - "Summer
Nights" - "Best Of Both
Worlds" - "Love Walks In"
- "5150" - "Inside" -
"Mine All Mine" - "When
It's Love" - "A.F.U. (Naturally
Wired)" - "Cabo Wabo" -
"Source Of Infection" -
"Feels So Good" - "Finish
What Ya Started" - "Black And
Blue" - "Sucker In A 3
Piece" - "Poundcake" -
"Judgement Day" -
"Spanked" -
"Runaround" - "Pleasure
Dome" - "In 'N' Out" -
"Man On A Mission" - "The
Dream Is Over" - "RIght
Now" - "316" - "Top
Of The World" - "The Seventh
Seal" - "Can't Stop Lovin'
You" - "Don't Tell Me (What
Love Can Do)" -
"Amsterdam" - "Big Fat
Money" - "Doin' Time" -
"Aftershock" - "Strung
Out" - "Not Enough" -
"Take Me Back (Deja Vu) " -
"Feelin'" - "A Apolitical
Blues" - "Baluchitherium"
- "Crossing Over" - 'Respect
The Wind" - "Humans Being"
- "It's About Time" - "Up
For Breakfast" - "Learning To
See" |
| Note: Song title and
position links lead you to the song's Top
40 chart run (from the ARC Weekly Top
40)
and LP links take you to Amazon.com for that LP (often
including track listings and sound
samples). |
|
|
