In 1986, a certain hair band was reeling from a massive shakeup.
Following the messy departure of frontman David Lee Roth and the massive success of their sixth studio album, 1984, Van Halen had a lot to prove in what would become their new era.
Kicking back hard with “Why Can’t This Be Love,” the band debuted their new sound and lead singer, Sammy Hagar, and saw their lead single off their seventh studio album, 5150, go straight to the top.
Peaking at No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Cashbox Top 100, the smash hit cracked top-10’s all over the world, including in the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and Canada. Still, despite enduring widespread love for the tune, it gave a certain classic rock authority a “funny feeling.”
In Ultimate Classic Rock’s latest rankings list, titled “Classic Rock’s 20 Worst Lyrics,” Van Halen’s “Why Can’t This Be Love” is dropped … at the top. The specific lyric the outlet calls out is, “Only time will tell if we stand the test of time.” They follow it up with the quip, “This might have been better written … with more time.”
Rounding out the top three are Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" ("Just a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit") and Yes' "Roundabout" ("Mountains come out of the sky – and they stand there").
A buoyant electro-rock jam akin to 1984’s biggest hits, “Jump” and “I’ll Wait,” "Why Can't This Be Love" marked a significant new era for the group – one that would elevate the keyboard and vocals, turn down the guitar and harder rock, and penetrate the airwaves with heartfelt and more sentimental lyrics.
A group effort, the song had Eddie Van Halen laying the track on an Oberheim OB-8 keyboard, with Hagar following his melody with vocals. “You don't mind if I follow your keyboard melody do you?” Hagar asks, per Song Facts. “"No, not at all,” Eddie replies. In the end, the hit song about unrequited love that isn’t necessarily reciprocated was born.
In 1996, Hagar left the band, but returned for the Best of Both Worlds Tour in 2004. He joined bassist Michael Anthony in 2007 to perform “Why Can’t This Be Love” to celebrate the band’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 2023, Hagar even joined The Killers onstage for a rendition of the hit, per SPIN.
During a visit to The Howard Stern Show in April 2023, Hagar again played the song. “This was the first Van Hagar song you ever heard,” he says, prepping to play. “It went straight to No. 1. The album was our first No. 1 alubm.”
Reflecting on the first time Van Halen played the song live for record producer Mo Ostin and his entourage, Hagar says, “They walked in the studio and we played this song for them, live, and [Mo] put his finger up and he said, ‘I smell money.’”
The song definitely earned the boys some dough. And no matter if one list didn’t care for the lyrics, there are plentyothers that herald Van Halen’ssofter side a triumph that will never lose its edge.
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