Rolling Stone looks back at 22 performances and recordings of Van Halen’s 1984 song ‘Panama’, arguing that it captures the band’s sound and remains a reliable live highlight for its different eras.

– The song was not a political comment on Panama; David Lee Roth has variously linked it to a drag racer or his Opel Kadett, while its lyrics also suggest sexual double meanings.
– Released as the third single from 1984, it followed the Number One hit ‘Jump’ and reached Number 13 on the US Hot 100.
– Van Halen played it at almost every concert after its release, including with both Roth and later singer Sammy Hagar.
– The original video featured arena footage, beer-drinking and surreal Roth scenes, but no race car.
– The article places the song within Van Halen’s rise to major touring success in 1984, before Roth’s departure.