| "Panama" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Van Halen | ||||
| from the album 1984 | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | May 4, 1984 (UK) [1] June 18, 1984 (US) [2] | |||
| Recorded | 1983 | |||
| Studio | 5150 Studios, Studio City, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:31 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Ted Templeman | |||
| Van Halen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Panama" on YouTube | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Panama" on YouTube | ||||
| Alternative cover art | ||||
 European release | ||||
"Panama" is a song by the American rock band Van Halen. It was the third US single released from their album 1984 .
Despite its name,the song is not about the country. Instead,the song was reportedly written about a car. [4] [5] In an interview with Howard Stern,lead singer David Lee Roth explained the meaning behind the song. Although the song features some suggestive lyrics,it is about a car that Roth saw race in Las Vegas;its name was "Panama Express",hence the title of the song. [6] [5]
Panama was also the name of Roth's Opel Kadett. [7]
Roth wrote the song after being accused by a reporter of "singing about only women,partying,and fast cars". He realized he had never written a song about fast cars and decided to write one. [8] [5]
In an interview with guitarist Eddie Van Halen,he said the song was musically inspired by AC/DC's straightforward three chord rock style.
During the bridge of the song where Roth says "I can barely see the road from the heat comin' off," Eddie Van Halen can be heard revving his 1972 Lamborghini Miura S in the background. [9] The car was backed up to the studio and microphones were attached to the exhaust pipe to record the sound for the song. [4]
The song is in the key of E♭Major.[ citation needed ] However,the published score is in the key of E Major,having a moderate rock common time tempo of 144 beats per minute. [10]
Musically,"Panama" has been described as hard rock, [11] glam metal, [12] and heavy metal. [13]
The music video for the song,directed by Pete Angelus,primarily features on-stage performances by the band. The bulk of the video was shot at The Spectrum in Philadelphia over two nights both during the show and at soundcheck. [14] Portions of it were filmed at the tour dates prior during performances at the Providence Civic Center in Providence,Rhode Island.[ citation needed ]
The car shown in the music video is a heavily customized 1951 Mercury Eight convertible - notably not "Panama Express",the Opel or the Miura.[ citation needed ]
Chuck Klosterman of Vulture ranked it the fourth best Van Halen song,calling it the "strongest pure riff in the catalogue." [15]
The song was prominently featured in "Coma Guy," a 2020 episode of the animated TV series Family Guy ,in which Peter mistakes the album 1984 for a book-on-CD of George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and becomes addicted to the song. [16] It is also featured in the film Superbad .[ citation needed ]
The song is also featured as in-game music for the video game Gran Turismo 4, with the song prominently featured in the game intro of the North American version. [17]
During the United States Invasion of Panama,US soldiers played this song repeatedly as a form of psychological warfare in an attempt to force General Manuel Noriega out of hiding [18]
The Toronto Maple Leafs began to use the song when scoring at home against Original Six teams in the 2023–24 season. [19]
| Chart (1984–85) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Argentina (CAPIF) [20] | 2 |
| Australia (Kent Music Report) [21] | 74 |
| Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [22] | 15 |
| Ireland (IRMA) [23] | 30 |
| UK Singles (OCC) [24] | 61 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 [25] | 13 |
| US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [26] | 2 |
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Rock &Alternative Songs ( Billboard ) [27] | 12 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI) [28] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Van Halen was an American rock band formed in Pasadena,California,in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene,Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and for the virtuosity of its guitarist,Eddie Van Halen. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
Van Halen is the debut studio album by American rock band Van Halen,released on February 10,1978,by Warner Bros. Records. Widely regarded as one of the greatest debut albums in rock music,and considered a progenitor of glam metal,the album was a major commercial success,peaking at number 19 on the Billboard Top LPs &Tape chart. It has sold more than 10 million copies in the United States,receiving a Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and making it one of the best-selling albums in the country.
David Lee Roth is an American rock singer. Known for his wild and energetic stage persona,he was the lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen for three stints:from 1974 to 1985,during 1996,and from 2006 to when they disbanded in 2020. He has also had a successful solo career,releasing numerous RIAA-certified Gold and Platinum albums. After more than two decades apart,Roth re-joined Van Halen in 2006 for a North American tour that became the highest-grossing in the band's history,and one of the highest-grossing of that year. In 2007,he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen.
5150 is the seventh studio album by American rock band Van Halen. It was released on March 24,1986,by Warner Bros. Records and was the first of four albums to be recorded with lead singer Sammy Hagar,who replaced David Lee Roth. The album was named after Eddie Van Halen's home studio,5150,in turn named after a California law enforcement term for a mentally disturbed person. The album hit number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart,surpassing the band's previous album,1984,which had peaked at number 2 behind Michael Jackson's Thriller album,on which Eddie made a guest appearance.
Women and Children First is the third studio album by American rock band Van Halen,released on March 26,1980,on Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Ted Templeman and engineered by Donn Landee,it was the first Van Halen album not to feature any cover songs,and is described by critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine as "[the] record where the group started to get heavier,both sonically and,to a lesser extent,thematically."
Sam Roy Hagar,also known as the Red Rocker,is an American singer,songwriter,guitarist,entrepreneur,and philanthropist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose before launching a successful solo career,scoring a hit in 1984 with "I Can't Drive 55". He enjoyed further commercial success as the lead vocalist of Van Halen in 1985 through 1996,and from 2003 to 2005.
Diver Down is the fifth studio album by American rock band Van Halen,released on April 19,1982 by Warner Bros. Records. It spent 65 weeks on the album chart in the United States and had,by 1998,sold four million copies in the United States. Despite its commercial success,selling faster than its predecessor Fair Warning (1981),it was more lukewarmly received by contemporary music critics.
Balance is the tenth studio album by American rock band Van Halen,released on January 24,1995,by Warner Bros. Records. The album is the last of the band's four studio releases to feature Sammy Hagar as the lead singer. It is also the final Van Halen album to feature bassist Michael Anthony in its entirety. Balance reached number 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 in February 1995 and reached triple platinum status on May 12,2004,by selling more than three million copies in the US. "The Seventh Seal" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.
1984 is the sixth studio album by American rock band Van Halen,released on January 9,1984. It was the last Van Halen studio album until A Different Kind of Truth (2012) to feature lead singer David Lee Roth,who left the band in 1985 following creative differences. This is the final full-length album to feature all four original members,although they reunited briefly in 2000 to start work on what would much later become 2012's A Different Kind of Truth. Roth returned in 2007,but Eddie's son Wolfgang replaced Anthony in 2006. 1984 and Van Halen's self-titled debut album are the band's best-selling albums,each having sold more than 10 million copies in the United States.
"Jump" is a song by American rock band Van Halen. It was released in December 1983 as the lead single of their sixth studio album,1984. It is Van Halen's most successful single,reaching number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song differs from earlier Van Halen songs in that it is driven by a keyboard riff,although the song does contain a guitar solo. David Lee Roth dedicated the song to martial artist Benny "The Jet" Urquidez,of whom he was a student. In 2021,Rolling Stone ranked "Jump" at number 177 on its updated list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Eat 'Em and Smile is the debut studio album by former Van Halen singer David Lee Roth,released on July 7,1986,after his unpredicted successful debut EP Crazy from the Heat (1985).
"Hot for Teacher" is a song by the American rock band Van Halen,taken from their sixth studio album,1984. The song was written by band members Eddie Van Halen,Alex Van Halen,Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth,and produced by Ted Templeman. It was released as the fourth and final single from the album in October 1984,and was the final single released during the band's 1974–1985 era.
"Runnin' with the Devil" is a song by the American hard rock band Van Halen,released as the second single from their eponymous debut album in April 1978. The lyrics were inspired by Ohio Players 1974 song "Runnin' from the Devil". In 2009,"Runnin' with the Devil" was named the 9th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1. Chuck Klosterman of Vulture ranked it the eighth-best Van Halen song,praising the staccato bass playing as well as David Lee Roth's vocal performance.
"Dance the Night Away" is a song by American hard rock band Van Halen,and written by its group members. It is the second song from their 1979 album Van Halen II. While the rest of the songs from this album had existed in various forms since their days doing demos and playing clubs,this song was possibly the only song written during the recording sessions for the album.
"I'll Wait" is a song by American rock band Van Halen,taken from their sixth studio album,1984 (1984). It was written by band members Eddie Van Halen,Alex Van Halen,Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth,along with Michael McDonald,and produced by Ted Templeman.
"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 the group's first single with Sammy Hagar,replacing founding member David Lee Roth. It was released on both 7" and 12" formats with the latter having an extended version featuring extra lyrics.
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Van Halen was an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena,California in 1972 by the Dutch-born American brothers Eddie Van Halen (guitar) and Alex Van Halen (drums),plus singer David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony. The band's discography consists of 12 studio albums,two live albums,two compilation albums,and 56 singles.
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen was an American musician. He was the guitarist,keyboardist,backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen,which he founded with his brother Alex in 1972.
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The album also featured plenty of guitar-dominated heavy metal, such as "Hot for Teacher" and "Panama." which became hits in their own right.
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| Live albums | |
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| Other songs | |
| Videography | |
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| Related | |
