Jump was the first hit by the American hard rock band Van Halen to top the charts in several countries at once. She also exacerbated the friction in the team, which arose on the basis of creative differences and differences in views on the commercialization of rock music.
As a result, vocalist David Lee Roth left his colleagues and pursued a solo career.
The story of the creation of the song Jump – Van Halen
It all started with the fact that in 1981 Eddie Van Halen composed the keyboard part. There is an opinion that he borrowed it from the group Hall & Oates. Listen to Daryl Hall:
Van Halen told me that he copied the synth part from Kiss on My List and then used it in Jump. I don’t see this as a problem at all.
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Eddie suggested the tune to the other members of the band, but his colleagues rejected it. Most of all, she did not like David Lee Roth. It seemed to him that the synthesizer could not come to the fore in hard rock.
In 1983, Eddie, with the participation of producer Ted Templeman, recorded music in his studio:
… the first thing I created here was Jump, but they didn’t like it. I said: “If you want – take it, if you want – no.” I was starting to get sick of their performances, which was considered commercial …
Rolling Stone 1995
Meaning of Van Halen’s song Jump
After listening to the recording, David agreed with the producer that she deserved a place on the new album, and undertook to write the lyrics. Subsequently, Lee Roth spoke of various sources of inspiration. Most often, he mentioned a TV news story about a man threatening to jump off a skyscraper. David thought that one of the bored onlookers might shout out: “Come on, jump!”
Of course, the author does not push listeners to suicide. Here is how David explained the meaning of the song Jump:
I composed it and in the end it was recorded, albeit in a more positive way. Listening to the record, it can easily be interpreted in the spirit of: “Let’s get down to business!”
Subsequently, the track began to be perceived as a call to take a decisive step, not to miss a favorable opportunity in life.
In some interviews, Lee Roth claimed that the hero of the song refers to a stripper. David also dedicated Jump to actor and martial artist Benny Urquidez.
Release and achievements
The song was recorded in the studio of Eddie Van Halen. She was included in the album “1984”, and in December 1983 was released as a single. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Mainstream Rock charts, and rose high on the charts in other countries.
The track is included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and several popular top songs rankings.
Video of Jump – Van Halen
Van Halen’s low-budget Jump video seems primitive now, but in the early 1980s it created a sensation and spawned numerous imitations. During filming, the musicians played the song several times on stage so that they could be filmed from different angles.
The video was nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards and was awarded in the Best Stage Performance Video category.
Also check out Jump’s music video from the Van Halen live performance, featuring the song by Sammy Hagar.
Interesting Facts
- On the back of the single Jump was the song House of Pain. In 1991 House of Pain released a hit track called Jump Around.
- An instrumental version of the pension was played during the break at BBC Schools.
- The composition is played at home matches of several famous football clubs, including Olympique de Marseille, Brondby IF and ACMilan.
- On the eve of the London 2012 Olympic Games, Jump was voted by the PRS for Music audience as the most popular song in the world of sports.
- After the 9/11 attacks, Jump was put on a list of songs that should not be played on music radio stations.
Jump Lyrics by Van Halen
I get up and nothin’ gets me down
You got it tough, I’ve seen the toughest around
And I know, baby, just how you feel
You got to roll with the punches to get what’s real
Ah, can’t you see me standin’ here
I got my back against the record machine
I ain’t the worst that you’ve seen
Ah, can’t you see what I mean?
Ah, might as well jump
Might as well jump
Go ahead an’ jump
Go ahead and jump
Ow oh, hey you
Who said that?
Baby, how have you been?
You say you don’t know
You won’t know until you begin
So can’t ya see me standing here
I got my back against the record machine
I ain’t the worst that you’ve seen
Ah, can’t you see what I mean?
Ah, might as well jump
Go ahead and jump
Might as well jump
Go ahead and jump
Jump
Might as well jump
Go ahead and jump
Get it in, jump
Go ahead and jump
Lyrics Jump by Van Halen Alternate
I get up and nothing upsets me
It’s hard for you, but I’ve been in the worst troubles
And I know how you feel baby
You have to take the hits in real life
Can’t you see I’m standing here
Back against the jukebox?
I’m not the worst you’ve ever met
Do you understand what I mean?
Why don’t you jump
Why don’t you jump
Come on jump
Come on jump
Oh hey you!
Who said that?
Baby, how are you?
You say you don’t know
You won’t know until you start
So can’t you see I’m standing here
I leaned my back on the jukebox?
I’m not the worst you’ve ever met
Do you understand what I mean?
Why don’t you jump
Come on jump
Why don’t you jump
Come on jump
jump
Why don’t you jump
Come on jump
Do it jump
Come on jump
Song quote
I never said it was a “suicide song”. I explained that it was written about a suicide attempt.
David Lee Roth
