No rule says an artist must love every song they release. Many artists can play their handful of hits to anyone who will listen. There’s a good chance that there will be one song in the set that some band members can’t wait to be done with once the concert is over. Van Halen may have had spellbinding riffs. But even Eddie Van Halen admitted that one song wasn’t as profound as most people thought.
Eddie and Alex Van Halen wanted to form a band with more energy and attitude than the bands they were listening to when they first formed the band. Molded in the style of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, the brothers struck gold when they discovered David Lee Roth. He was an Indiana transplant looking to make a name for himself in the local scene.
The group would go on to become one of the most celebrated acts on the Sunset Strip. It was with Eddie reigniting the rock world with his trademark tapping licks. Eddie reimagined the idea of a lead guitarist throughout his time with the band. He believed that one of their songs followed current trends.
Van Halen was breaking down musical barriers in Los Angeles. Another significant movement was taking place halfway around the world. Storming out of England, bands like Sex Pistols and The Clash were on the verge of defining punk rock. They were writing songs that were straightforward and didn’t emphasize the kind of solid musicianship that Eddie had built his career on.
The band didn’t let the new movement influence their music. Their debut album would pay homage to the genre in more ways than one. Despite having some of the most frenetic guitar playing ever heard on a mainstream rock album. The band would deliver songs with a punk edge, such as ‘Atomic Punk‘. It featured Eddie raking his hand across the strings to create a gnashing sound.
‘Ain’t Talkin Bout Love’ was one of the punk-influenced songs on the album. The song started as an experiment in minimalism. With Eddie playing one lick and a comparatively more straightforward guitar solo than anything else he had ever laid down on record.
When Eddie reflected on the song’s creation, he admitted that it began to feel a little sophomoric to him, saying, “‘Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love‘ was originally supposed to be a punk rock parody. It seemed like a stupid thing to us, just two chords. It didn’t turn out to sound punk, but that was the intention.”
Even if Eddie did not see the appeal in punk rock’s sounds, the legacy he left behind applies to any aspiring punk rocker who came before or after him. Punk was never concerned with playing as many notes as Eddie did, but his idea of playing every note like it might be your last is one of the foundations of any good rock and roll guitar player.
