Panama

His notes, licks, and solos careened from his pinstriped six-string with the accuracy of Clint Eastwood's .44 Magnum.

From the emotive keyboard play on Jump to the bombastic riff on Panama to the face-melting fill on Hoffer Teacher, Eddie Van Halen was separating himself from his contemporaries not just with his technical proficiency as a guitarist, but his world-renowned creativity as a musician.

No frontman has ever postured, preened, or peacocked with more swagger than David Lee Roth.

As Van Halen's voice, Diamond Dave's scatting routine and distinctive lyrical delivery masterfully balanced that tightrope between warmth and danger.

I found Eddie Van Halen's riveting guitar riffs, David Lee Roth's oozing charisma, Alex Van Halen's pounding drums, and Michael Anthony's angelic harmonies absolutely intoxicating.

I remember fully catching the Van Halen bug in eighth grade.

On my new iPod Touch, I was constantly firing up the music videos of Panama, Hot for Teacher, You Really Got Me, and Run with the Devil.

I hungered for the band's musical tenacity, yes, but also their inviting persona.

But that year, 1984, it was a big year on your list.

Bruce Springsteen is there with Born in the USA, The Specials with Nelson Mandela, and then there's a song called Panama by Van Halen, which I thought was a song about drag racing, but there's a story behind this one.

There's a reason it's on the list.

Yes, well, it is definitely a song about drag racing.

It's a drag racing car called Panama.

And you'll even hear in the song, if you listen, Eddie Van Halen's revving his Lamborghini in one of the parts of it.

But it was how this one was used.

This was one of the ones that if we had to get to 40, it would have probably dropped off.

[laughs]

Give me Pan- I think it's Panama.

Don't you think Van Hal-

Panama was big

...

Van Halen, Panama.

Dude, that might've been it.

Panama.

He had that swag.

I saw when they did Panama on the Ellen DeGeneres show.

And it's the Ellen DeGeneres show and he's like flirting with the girls in the crowd like the women, the older women in the crowd.

And he's just like he's like like looking at his like like blowing kisses at him and shit.

But I like this one because it's just so fucking tacky.

And just hearing the story about it, too, on the book that we read.

But yeah, Panama.

Panama's my favorite Van Halen song.

Like...

Play your 90 seconds of eruption and then go back to playing Panama, please.

Right.

Panama.

Panama is a Van Halen song, right? Panama.

So I think I had no idea what the heck they were singing about when I was a kid.

I still have no idea what they're singing about Panama.

The place.