When It's Love

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"When It's Love"
Van Halen - When It's LoveUS.jpg
Single by Van Halen
from the album OU812
B-side"Cabo Wabo"
ReleasedJune 1988
Recorded
GenreGlam metal[1]
Length5:38
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Van Halen singles chronology
"Black and Blue"
(1988) 		"When It's Love"
(1988) 		"Finish What Ya Started"
(1988)

"When It's Love" is a power ballad[2] by the American heavy metal band Van Halen. It was released as a single from their album OU812. It was the most popular song from that album, hitting #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[3] The song has been a live performance staple since it was released in 1988. The song was also included in the set list for the band's ill-fated 1998 tour with Gary Cherone. Eddie Van Halen has stated that this particular guitar solo is a nod to Eric Clapton.[4]

Reception[]

It was featured on a VH1 special, The Greatest: 25 Greatest Power Ballads, where it was ranked as the 24th greatest power ballad of all time. Chuck Klosterman of Vulture.com ranked it the 74th-best Van Halen song, calling it "a textbook modernization of the blues and the chorus does not really answer its own question."[5]

Charts[]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (1988) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[6] 28
Irish Singles Chart[7] 23
US Billboard Mainstream Rock[8] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[9] 5

Year-end charts[]

Chart (1988) Position
Australia (ARIA)[10] 23
United States (Billboard)[11][12] 82

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Greg Kot (September 3, 1991). "It's the Guitarist Who Still Makes Van Halen Rock". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  2. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "OU812 - Van Halen". AllMusic.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th ed, Billboard Publications, Inc. 1996. ISBN 0-8230-7632-6
  4. ^ June 19, Gary GraffPublished; 2021. "How Van Halen's 'When It's Love' Sparked 'OU812'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2021-07-01.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Klosterman, Chuck (October 6, 2020). "All 131 Van Halen Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best A look back at the band's formidable legacy". Vulture.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
  6. ^ "UK Top 40 Chart Archive, British Singles & Album Charts". everyHit.com. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  7. ^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". www.irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  8. ^ "Van Halen - Mainstream rock". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  9. ^ "Van Halen - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  10. ^ "Van Halen – When It's Love". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  11. ^ "1988 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. 100 (52): Y-20. December 24, 1988.
  12. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1988". Retrieved October 3, 2016.

Further reading[]

  • Van Halen Guitar Anthology. Van Nuys, California: Alfred. 2006. pp. 200–5. ISBN 9780897246729. OCLC 605214049.
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