Why Can't This Be Love

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"Why Can't This Be Love"
Van Halen - Why Can't This Be Love.jpg
Single by Van Halen
from the album 5150
B-side"Get Up"
Released26 February 1986 (US)
  • 17 March 1986 (UK) [1]
Recorded1985
Genre
Length3:47 / 5:00 (extended version)
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Mick Jones
  • Donn Landee
  • Eddie Van Halen
  • Michael Anthony
  • Sammy Hagar
  • Alex Van Halen
Van Halen singles chronology
"Hot for Teacher"
(1984) 		"Why Can't This Be Love"
(1986) 		"Dreams"
(1986)

"Why Can't This Be Love" is a song by the American rock band Van Halen for their seventh studio album, 5150 (1986). The song was released as the lead single from 5150 through Warner Bros. Records. It was the group's first single with lead vocalist Sammy Hagar, who replaced founding member David Lee Roth. It was released on both 7" and 12" single formats, the 12" single featuring an extended version of the song.

It was a hit single for the band, rising to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and helping 5150 reach the number one slot on the albums chart, a first for the band. It was also a top 10 hit in the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany and a top 20 single in Canada, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Background[]

The song is driven by bouncy lead keyboard work from Eddie Van Halen performed on an Oberheim OB-8.[6] Chuck Klosterman of Vulture.com ranked it the worst Van Halen song, saying that the band's decision to release the song as the first single of the Sammy Hagar era was "the worst decision the band ever made," but said it was not his least favorite Van Halen song to listen to.[7]

Live performances and in popular culture[]

During the 5150 and OU812 tours, Eddie Van Halen played the keyboard parts (using either a Kurzweil K250 or Yamaha KX88 connected by MIDI to an OB-8 backstage) while Hagar played the guitar parts and the solo. Since the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge tour, Van Halen has taken over the guitar parts and the keyboards are played backstage. Starting during the 1995 Balance tour, Michael Anthony and Eddie Van Halen would sing the second verse of the song during live performances. They would continue to do this on both the 1998 and 2004 tours.

The song is often a source of humor since it contains the tautological lyrics Only time will tell if we stand the test of time. In 2008, The Daily Telegraph named this the eighth worst lyric of all time.[8]

Personnel[]

Charts[]

Weekly sales chart performance for "Why Can't This Be Love"
Chart (1986) Peak
Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 8
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[10] 13
Ireland (IRMA)[11] 8
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[12] 32
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] 15
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 11
UK Singles (OCC)[15] 8
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 3
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[17] 1
West Germany (Official German Charts)[18] 8
Annual sales chart performance for "Why Can't This Be Love"
Year-end chart (1986) Rank
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[19] 69

References[]

  1. ^ "VH singles".
  2. ^ Wilkening, Matthew (October 17, 2020). "Underrated Van Halen: The Most Overlooked Song From Each Album". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  3. ^ "Best Van Halen '5150' Song – Readers' Poll". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  4. ^ Kot, Greg (September 3, 1991). "It's the Guitarist Who Still Makes Van Halen Rock". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  5. ^ "Did Van Halen Bite Off Too Much With 'OU812'?". Ultimate Classic Rock. May 24, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  6. ^ OB-8 patch "Rock Unison"
  7. ^ 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 12, 2020.
  8. ^ Neate, Rupert (July 9, 2008). "Worst lyric of all time: I'm serious as cancer, when I say rhythm is a dancer". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 319. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0664." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  11. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Why Can't This Be Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  12. ^ "Charts.nz – Van Halen – Why Can't This Be Love". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  13. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Van Halen – Why Can't This Be Love" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  14. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Van Halen – Why Can't This Be Love". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  15. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  16. ^ "Van Halen Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  17. ^ "Van Halen Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Van Halen – Why Can't This Be Love". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  19. ^ Nielsen Business Media, Inc (December 27, 1986). "1986 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. 98 (52): Y-21.

External links[]

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