Top 10 Alert!
Song#: 3565
Date: 07/02/1988
Debut: 69
Peak: 5
Weeks: 19
Genre: Rock
Pop Bits: Van Halen's second album with Sammy Hagar, OU812, easily topped the chart and remained there for four weeks. Their popularity combined with the #1 Rock track "Black and Blue" made the LP an instant hit. However, that first single didn't get very far on the Pop chart. It stalled at #34, which was a disappointment considering their previous two LPs got kicked off with Top 10 hits. The tune may not have been the best fit for pop radio, so up next for release was this more mainstream power ballad. Predictably, the track would hit #1 at Rock. Over at Pop, the song did much better making it to #5. It would be Van Halen's third and final Top 10 on that chart. Not long after it began to climb the Pop chart, the album would be certified double platinum.
ReduxReview: This was the obvious hit single from the album and I don't know if it was smart or stupid to not release it out first. Had it been the lead single, it might have even gotten closer to #1 and the album could have perhaps spent more time at #1. But then keeping their rock radio cred with "Black and Blue" going out first then this song gave the album longer legs. It was a toss up, but in the end it all worked out. This was a terrific song that sounded like it could have been on 5150. It had all the usual VH elements along with a hooky chorus and a great bridge section. Of course Eddie's solos never disappoint. The one part of the song that I like, but then get annoyed by sometimes is that typewriter sound, which is heard throughout the song. It stands out most in the quieter sections like the opening. I can't confirm what it actually was, but from what I understand it was a sound effect that was associated with the keyboard that Eddie played. So basically, when he hit the melody notes on the keyboard, in addition to the piano/synth sound, that typewriter click would be heard when a key was used. Frankly, it is cooler to imagine Eddie sitting in the studio with an actual typewriter and playing along with the track. I can just see that signature grin on his face as he strikes each key. This would end up being VH's last Pop Top 10 hit and it was a good one.
ReduxRating: 8/10
Trivia: During the time he was with Van Halen, Sammy Hagar owned a house in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. As songs were being developed for the new album, Hagar went down to his retreat home to work on some music and lyrics. Being there gave him inspiration for a song and he began to write a track called "Cabo Wabo." It would be finished off and included on the OU812 LP. The track, in-turn, then gave Hagar the idea to open up a nightclub/restaurant in Cabo San Lucas. The Cabo Wabo cantina would open in 1990. Initially, Hagar along with his VH bandmates invested in the venture, but after the cantina started to fail, Hagar bought out their shares. New management came in and the place turned around and became successful. Eventually, there would be Cabo Wabo's in Las Vegas and Hollywood. If that wasn't enough, Hagar then invested in a new brand of tequila that he began to server at the cantina appropriately titled Cabo Wabo. It became popular and Hagar started to get it distributed in various places in 1999. By 2006, it had become the second most popular premium tequila brand in the US. The following year, Hagar sold 80% of his interest to a large spirits company. He got $80 million in the deal. In 2010, he sold the rest of his shares for $11 million.
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