How Van Halen’s “Panama” Responded to Critics and Became a Hard Rock Classic

Coming up… It may just be the greatest Hard Rock song ever. With music by the foremost guitar hero of Generation X, the late Eddie Van Halen, and lyrics by rock’s ultimate frontman Diamond Dave… David Lee Roth. He wrote the words in response to a reporter's editorial that he only sang about "women, partying, and fast cars.” Diamond Dave took exception to the reporter implying that he was a stereotypical, vacuous rocker. After pondering on the critique, he realized he’d never actually written a song about “fast cars,” and he did so with piss and vinegar… the result was Panama from their multimillion-selling hard rock masterpiece, 1984. Not even a broken nose could stop him from singing after an accident live on stage...and to think this song barely missed the top 10… Today we're giving it the #1 spot… The story is next on Professor of rock Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.