In case you haven't noticed, it's pretty hot out there right now...especially if you happen to be in one of the many locations across the globe experiencing record-breaking heat waves. So what's the best way to cope with these sweltering summer days?
Whether you're braving the outdoors or staying inside, you'll need the perfect playlist to beat the heat...and it should probably include Van Halen's 1978 classic, "On Fire."
The last track on Van Halen's self-titled debut album, "On Fire" was ranked the #1 "Top Heat Wave Song" by Ultimate Classic Rock's Matthew Wilkening. As Wilkening put it, Eddie Van Halen "does his best to match the sun for energy output on this absolutely scorching guitar expedition from the band's 1978 debut. David Lee Roth's got his back and a fool-proof plan for heat wave enjoyment: 'Turn your radios on / I'll appear right there / Yes I will / Turn me up real loud / Now I'm hanging ten now baby...'"
What makes "On Fire" all the more impressive is knowing that Van Halen apparently made up his guitar solo on the spot.
According to Van Halen News Desk, when the band was recording "On Fire," the legendary guitarist didn't know what to play when it was time for his solo. As the story goes, everybody just shouted at him to "play like John McLaughlin" (the jazz fusion pioneer). Whether he was trying to play like McLaughlin or not, the resulting solo (played on Van Halen's Ibanez Destroyer “Shark") is undeniably Eddie.
While "On Fire" was never released as a single, the band used the song as a show-opener on their 1978 world tour and it remains a fan favorite to this day.
Interestingly enough, another of Van Halen's guitar solos was rumored to be so hot that it really did set a speaker on fire...but that's not exactly what happened.
Paul Natkin / Getty Images
As Music Radar reported, while a longstanding myth claimed Van Halen's solo on Michael Jackson's "Beat It" started a blaze in the studio — a story backed up in by producer Quincy Jones in his memoir — recording engineer Matt Forger says it was more of a smoke show than an inferno.
“It was glowing red and it emitted a tremendous amount of smoke," Forger said, adding, "So, it's not like it's a giant flame, like a jet engine flame is going to come out. Instead, it's going to smolder like an ember and create a horrendous atrocious smell, that real acidic electronic burning smell. The thing was lighting up like a toaster."
The moral of the story? Van Halen is hot stuff. After all, the opening track on Van Halen — which Rolling Stone ranked at #292 on their list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" — is "Runnin' With the Devil." (No wonder the guys had to call in the "Ice Cream Man.")
Related: Why Rock Legend Eddie Van Halen Was Paid 'Zero Dollars' for Iconic Solo on Michael Jackson Hit
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