In the latest episode of his “The Roth Show” podcast, which was released earlier this week, David Lee Roth said that his working relationship with Eddie Van Halen was “better than any love affair” he ever had.
Roth said: “My dear departed Ed. Boy, I miss him. I had a ball with Ed. Walt Disney once said, ‘You know what? My love affair with Mickey Mouse was better than any love affair with a woman I ever had.’ I’ve gotta tell ya: playing with Ed, writing songs with Ed, presenting those songs with Ed was better than any love affair I ever had. And some of those songs, I think, might last forever — or until the last syllable of time, like Shakespeare said. They became anthems. Where are they playing ‘Jump’ right now?”
Roth reminisced about the fact that, even though Eddie was renowned for his brilliant guitar solos, on “Jump” he opted to play a synthesizer which caused an uproar among some fans.
“I remember when he played it on the keyboard downstairs. I said, ‘No,'” David laughed. “Well, we reflect the times, and the times at that time was guitars, guitars, guitars; and ‘Jump’ was one of those hybrids.”
Van Halen made history in 1984 with their chart-topping single “Jump”. According to Billboard, it debuted at No. 47 on the Hot 100 before rapidly rising to Number One six weeks later and reigning for an impressive five straight weeks! This quick surge was uncommon for its time but demonstrated how beloved this track truly was.
Eddie Van Halen died on October 6 at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. Guitarist died from complications due to cancer.