The Heart of Rock and Soul by Dave Marsh

28 JUMP, Van Halen Produced by Ted Templeman; written by Edward Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, and David Lee Roth Warner Bros. 29384 1984 Billboard: #1 (5 weeks)

Edward Van Halen has expanded heavy metal's vocabulary so much that his band's partisans claim the group no longer plays metal at all, even though its persistent vulgarity argues otherwise. But "Jump" really did take them someplace else. The song's riff, stated on synthesizer and accentuated with guitar licks, is a direct descendant of the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again," but with a sweeter, more cogently stated melody. This is heavy metal in excelsis. What takes "Jump" over the top is its scenario. Singer David Lee Roth portrays his usual swaggering stud, leaning up against a jukebox in a barroom. Soon he spies a girl he wants. But, for once, he's visited by selfdoubt. In the tension between guitar and synthesizer, raspy vocal and sad chords can be felt all the anxiety and desire that grips any kid -- anybody -- caught in such a scene. The tension reaches a climax with the false ending just after Van Halen's brash guitar solo. For a minute, it seems that maybe Roth's barroom bravado has failed. For a heartbeat, it's all over - everything. Which makes the sudden eruption of those decisive, exultant shouts of "Jump!" all the more rewarding. In the heyday of the fey, Van Halen reply: "Sweet dreams are made of this, motherfucker."

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