Who played the synth on Van Halen’s 1983 hit ‘Jump’?
Van Halen’s 1983 hit ‘Jump’ helped turn the band into American pop-rock superstars by combining their hard-rock sound with prominent synthesiser chords. The article says guitarist Eddie Van Halen played the keyboard part, and that the song’s success shaped the band’s sound for the rest of the decade.
Eddie had been developing the melody as early as 1981, but the band initially set the idea aside. During work on the album ‘1984’, he presented a more polished demo that persuaded David Lee Roth and producer Ted Templeman to develop it; Eddie played the part on an Oberheim OB-Xa. ‘Jump’ became Van Halen’s first and only US Billboard Hot 100 number one, while ‘1984’ reached number two on the Billboard 200.
In short
- Eddie Van Halen played the synthesiser on ‘Jump’.
- The melody had been taking shape since 1981.
- The hit became Van Halen’s only US Hot 100 number one.
Explained simply
Van Halen were an American rock band known for guitar-led hard rock. Eddie Van Halen was the band’s guitarist, while David Lee Roth was its singer; producer Ted Templeman helped shape their recordings.
Synthesiser music uses electronic keyboards to create sounds and melodies. On the album 1984, Eddie played the keyboard part on an Oberheim OB-Xa, bringing a prominent synth sound into the band’s rock style. The album reached number two in the US, and the song became Van Halen’s only US number one.