1984

1984 (written as MCMLXXXIV on the front cover) is the sixth album by American hard rock band Van Halen. One of the band’s more popular albums (in terms of both record sales and chart performance), 1984 is the final album (to date) featuring singer David Lee Roth, who later left the band in the spring of the following year due to escalating tensions between him and guitarist Eddie Van Halen, as well as Roth’s desire to pursue a solo career.

1984 peaked at #2 on the Billboard Magazine album charts (#1 at the time was Thriller, which featured an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo on “Beat It,” which Roth had criticized) and contained future hits “Jump”, “Panama”, “I’ll Wait”, and “Hot for Teacher”. “Jump” reached #1 on the magazine’s singles chart. 1984 is the second of two Van Halen albums to have sold 10 million copies in the United States.

Eddie Van Halen, well-known for his guitar prowess but also a classically-trained pianist, used 1984 as an opportunity to take the band into different territory. Eddie Van Halen’s keyboard playing is more prominent on 1984 than on any prior Van Halen album, particularly on the songs “Jump,” “I’ll Wait” and instrumental album-opener “1984.”

Additionally, 1984 was the first Van Halen album to be recorded at Eddie Van Halen’s home studio, 5150. The studio lent its name to Van Halen’s next album, the first with former Montrose vocalist/guitarist and solo artist Sammy Hagar.