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“Jump” Artist: Van Halen One of the most famous synthesizer “riffs” in the history of rock and roll begins this classic 1984 hit by Van Halen. While Van Halen was known as a heavy Music / Lyrics by Van Halen metal band, this song is a quintessential pop hit in terms of its structure, its un- Label: Warner Brothers, forgettable “hook,” the power of the rhythm section, the rockin’ guitar solo, and the joyous and infectious refrain. Synthesizers, invented in the 1950s but only from the LP 1984(1984) widely employed in rock from the 1970s, had become associated with some of the most pretentious excesses of art-rockers, as well as the often sterile and sometimes antiseptic dance beats of 1980s New Wave and disco. Eddie Van Halen was the first musician since Pete Townsend (who had virtually reinvented the rock synthesizer with his definitive parts on Who’s Next?) to understand that synths could rock, that—plugged into a Marshall amp and turned up to 10—they could deliver just as much visceral power as a Les Paul guitar.

Musical Style Notes Eddie Van Halen’s signature virtuoso guitar style featured a technique known as two-handed tapping, exploiting the heavily amplified electric guitar’s sensitivity and response. Guitarists for decades had employed the techniques called “hammer-ons” and “pull-offs,” in which the fretting-hand’s fingers would tap down on the strings, or pull them side- ways, thus providing two or more notes for each pick stroke. Eddie was the first metal guitarist to massively exploit the possibility of both hands tapping down on the fingerboard. This in turn allowed Eddie—a trained pianist who had grown up playing Bach and Mozart—to play very fast, two-part, widely spaced, cascading, “classical-style” solos at screeching volume. In his speed, imagination, ability to construct totally memorable guitar riffs, fantastic command of guitar tones, and telepathic communication with drummer/brother Alex, Eddie was unquestionably the most influential hard-rock guitarist of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Listening Guide 28 Guide Listening “Jump” opens, like so many great pop hits, with a first iteration of the fantastic “hook,” a simple, synth-driven chord progression that recurs as a refrain throughout the tune. Though the band was widely criticized for having “gone soft” because the “A” section features synth instead of “heavy” guitar, the simple, repetitive, major-key straightforward synth chords provide a wonderful contrast to the “B” section and to the minor-key guitar solo. In the “B” section, you can also hear the bass playing a syncopated rhythm. A syncopation happens when one plays “between” the main beats or when two instruments play in different rhythmic units against each other. Here, for example, the bass temporarily counts in 6, and the rest of the group in 4. The bass then transitions at the end of the line to get back “in sync” with everyone else. Here is that relationship written out in a chart:

count in 4 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 Can’t you see me stand- ing here I Got my back a gainst the rec- ord ma- chine bass notes: / / / ///// count in 6 123456123456(1234)1

The players in this version of Van Halen were Eddie Van Halen, guitar, keyboards, Oberheim OB-XA synthesizer, and background vocals; Alex Van Halen, drums; Michael Anthony, bass and background vocals; and David Lee Roth, lead vocal.

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Musical “Road Map” TIMINGS COMMENTS LYRICS

0:00–0:14 Introduction: “fat” sounding synth bass note, over which we hear the repeated chord progression that consititutes the famous “Jump” riff. This is punctuated with drum kicks and a scream by singer David Lee Roth.

0:14–0:28 Rhythm track is layered in over synthesizer riff.

0:28–0:59 Verse 1, part “A” I get up— and nothing gets me down . . . Two sections, 8 bars each And I know— baby just how you feel . . .

0:59–1:15 “B” section; new melody and lyrics Can’t you see me standing here . . . Listen to syncopation in bass at beginning (see above). I ain’t the worst that you’ve seen . . .

1:15–1:30 Chorus Might as well jump . . . (JUMP!) Might as well jump . . .

1:30– Verse 2 Ah, oh! Hey you! — who said that?

(only 8 bars—half as long as Verse 1) Baby, how you been?... 28 Guide Listening

1:45 B section returns. Can’t you see me standing here…

2:01 Chorus Ah, might as well jump (JUMP!) Go ahead and jump!

Roth yells “JUMP!”—which cues guitar solo. JUMP!

2:17 Eddie Van Halen’s guitar solo

2:31 Solo focus switches to synthesizer (also played by EVH)

3:05 Reprise of synth introduction riff

3:19 Chorus (repeats until fade) Might as well jump (JUMP!) Go ahead and jump! JUMP!

3:35 Chorus repeats, fade to end.

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