The Greatest Guitar Player in the World!?!
Van Halen’s story begins not in arenas or record studios, but at backyard parties and sweaty Southern California clubs. In the early 1970s, the band built their reputation as a high-energy party covers band, playing songs by artists like The Kinks, Cream, and Led Zeppelin. These shows weren’t about precision or restraint — they were loud, chaotic, and fun. That environment shaped Van Halen’s DNA: crowd-first energy, fearless musicianship, and a sense that rock music should feel dangerous and joyful at the same time.
That attitude exploded onto record in 1978 with Van Halen, one of the most important debut albums in rock history. Their cover of You Really Got Me, was a deliberate statement of intent: familiar enough to grab attention, but supercharged with Eddie Van Halen’s massive guitar tone and David Lee Roth’s unhinged charisma. Roth wasn’t a traditional singer — he was a ringleader. His vocals, ad-libs, and swagger turned every song into a performance, bridging hard rock with vaudeville-style showmanship.
Then came Eruption. Clocking in at under two minutes, it wasn’t even a song in the traditional sense, but it changed guitar playing forever. Eddie’s use of two-handed tapping, wide interval leaps, and fluid legato phrasing sounded alien in 1978. Guitarists everywhere stopped what they were doing and tried to figure out how it was even possible. Importantly, Eruption flowed straight into You Really Got Me, making it clear that Eddie’s virtuosity served the song — not the other way around.
The band followed up with Van Halen II (1979), packed with punchy, playful tracks like Dance the Night Away, which showed they could write radio-friendly hits without losing edge. Over the next few years, albums like Women and Children First and Fair Warning leaned darker and heavier, while still delivering standout tracks such as And the Cradle Will Rock… — notable for Eddie’s use of synthesizers, hinting at the band’s next evolution.
That evolution arrived in full with 1984. Tunes like Jump, driven by a huge synth riff, pushed Van Halen into pop superstardom without abandoning their rock core. Panama and Hot for Teacher balanced technical brilliance with outrageous fun, the latter opening with Alex Van Halen’s thunderous drum intro and featuring one of Eddie’s most iconic solos. At this peak, tensions between Roth and the band came to a head, and in 1985, David Lee Roth departed.
Van Hagar era and beyond
Enter Sammy Hagar. With 5150 (1986), Van Halen reintroduced themselves with a new singer and a different emotional tone. Hagar’s voice was stronger and more melodic, and the songwriting shifted toward introspection and big choruses. Hits like Why Can’t This Be Love, Dreams, and later Right Now brought a more mature, arena-friendly sound, while Eddie continued to evolve as a player, focusing more on feel, harmony, and texture than pure flash. The “Van Hagar” era produced massive commercial success and introduced the band to an entirely new generation of fans.
Despite later lineup changes and periods of instability, Eddie Van Halen remained the constant — a guitarist whose feel, tone, and imagination influenced virtually everyone who followed. His death in 2020 marked the end of an era. Tributes poured in from across the musical world, all acknowledging the same truth: Eddie didn’t just play the guitar differently — he changed what people thought the instrument could do.
Today, the Van Halen legacy continues through his son, Wolfgang Van Halen — named after Eddie’s famous Frankenstrat guitar. As the bassist in Van Halen’s later years and now the frontman of Mammoth WVH, Wolfgang carries forward the spirit of innovation and authenticity that defined his father’s career. Van Halen’s history isn’t just a run of hit songs — it’s the story of how raw party energy, fearless creativity, and one revolutionary guitarist reshaped rock music forever.
Van Halen Tunes | Related Pages
You Really Got Me | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play You Really Got Me by The Kinks + Van Halen using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recordings.
| G5 F5 G5 N.C F5 | G5 F5 G5 N.C F5 |
Girl, you really got me goin’…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: You Really Got Me (Van Halen) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Van Halen on the web
