In 1978, Eddie Van Halen became a guitar genius. One year later, he wrote a tune even he couldn’t play

Eddie Van Halen’s acoustic instrumental “Spanish Fly” showed that his guitar virtuosity was not dependent on electric effects or studio tricks. Released on Van Halen II in 1979, it helped answer claims that the precision of his playing was manufactured and demonstrated his distinctive tapping technique on a flamenco guitar.

Van Halen later said he wished someone would develop the technique further, and admitted the piece was among the songs he did not feel he had the chops to play properly. The article places it alongside later experiments such as the percussive tapping on “Mean Street” and the organ-like sound of “Cathedral”, while noting that Van Halen spoke modestly about his own abilities.