The furious synth-rock hymn "Jump"
was released in December 1983 as the lead single of the
band's sixth studio album MCMLXXXIV (1984). It differs from
earlier Van Halen songs in that it's driven by a keyboard
riff. The synth line was written circa 1981 by Eddie Van
Halen, but it was rejected by the other band members. In
1983, producer Ted Templeman asked Roth to listen to the
unused song idea and he listened repeatedly to the tune. To
come up with a lyric for it, he remembered seeing a TV news
report about a suicidal jumper. Roth thought that one of the
onlookers at such an event would inevitably yell "go ahead
and jump". But instead of describing a potential suicide,
the lyrics were written as an ontological invitation to
action, life and love. David Lee Roth dedicated the song to
martial artist Benny 'The Jet' Urquidez, of whom he was a
student. "Jump" reached the top position in the United
States and Canada. |