Celebrate some of your favorite Van Halen tracks and songs that inspired the band as we look back 40 years at their fifth studio release, Diver Down, which dropped on this day, April 14, 1982.
Listen to your favorite music -- curated for fans, by fans -- on Audacy's Van Halen Radio
This one was a whopper for the Van Halen boys, with the album spending a total 65 weeks on the charts thanks to hit cover singles like The Kinks' "Where Have All the Good Times Gone!," Roy Orbison's "(Oh) Pretty Woman," and Marvin Gaye's "Dancing in the Street" made famous by Martha and the Vandellas.
Two more obscure covers are featured on the 12 track release ("Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)," and "Happy Trails"), which also holds an incredible flamenco-style guitar intro by Eddie Van Halen on the original "Little Guitars," and another double dose of instrumentals on "Cathedral," and "Intruder." Rounding out the release are the originals "Hang 'Em High," "Secrets," and "The Full Bug."
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The album's cover artwork notably features a maritime safety flag used to denote a diver in the water, a reference singer David Lee Roth told an interviewer in 1982 applied to the band itself, saying it represents "something going on that's not apparent to your eyes... a lot of people approach Van Halen as sort of the abyss. It means it's not immediately apparent to your eyes what is going on underneath the surface." The choice honestly fits perfectly with a tracklist peppered with music that inspired the band in their early days.
Listen to Audacy's Van Halen Radio now for music inspired by and picked for you based on your love of Van Halen, including music from related artists you'll enjoy like Quiet Riot, Joe Satriani, Alice Cooper, Whitesnake, Def Leppard, and many more.
For every mood, every interest, every passion. By Audacy.
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Browse even more of Audacy's all-new stations like Van Halen Radio, 80s Guitar, Rock N’ Road, Freedom Rock, The Canyon, Arena Rock, Wake Up and Rock, and The Roots of Rock for those who crave the early days.
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