This was actually done by The Kinks. It was the B side to Till the End of the Day, released in 1966 in the USA

Michael Anthony backing vocals is the secret sauce.

Van Halen loved the Kinks as can be seen by their many covers such as " You Really Got Me" and this one...good songwriting and hooks by the Kinks.

Yes! That bass line the heavy tone. This song crushed my car stereo speakers back in day. Man I love this jam. tx fellas!!!!!!

Little Guitars, Hang 'em High, The Full Bug, great bangers on this album

Fall of 1982 I got kicked out of my fraternity pledge class because I skated on a 10 penny house clean so I could see this concert. I don't regret it for a second.

Damn I love the Kinks! By no means underrated but definitely underplayed!!!

Love when the song clicks for you guys

Such an appropriate song for these times!

This song brings back serious high school memories

❤️❤️❤️this song! Reminds me of an early summer day on 1982, school has just gotten out for the year. Sitting in a local park, staring out at the river, smoking weed, thinking the best year of school just ended and how could the summer top it, and listened to this song on full blast, having NO IDEA that the best summer of my life was just getting started ✊🤘🖤

YES! more Van Halen 👍👍👍

For Christmas i got this cassette, a car cassette player, and one speaker. Wore this cassette OUT!

You were spot on Edward is the king of rhythm guitar. Great reaction and thanks for covering this song. It’s not one of their greatest songs but it’s still a great riff. Hangem high,full bug and little guitars are great songs on this album and my personal favorite is cathedral followed by secrets. Check out this 2 together.

I saw them in concert during their Diver Down tour. They rocked this song!

The 5th... background vocals.. you guys are brothers like the vh brothers. Something in common. Good tune..

It's one thing to listen to music - it's another to hear it. You guys have great hearing!

That’s why I love you guys, you always give your real feelings about your reactions. Nowhere near a hit, but a solid deeper cut from the album 👍🏻

Great Kinks cover

5. Snare and cymbal sounds. POP & Sizzle!!!! Alex had an instantly recognizable sound.

And their harmonies.

Aww, Full Bug is the banger on this album

Little guitars and cathedral have to be my favorites but this whole album is my favorite of all the Van Halen stuff

Love this song....to me it drives. My favorite off of Diver Down is Secrets.

This entire album is full of cover songs, including this one…it is a bit of a departure for the band… but it does have a very summer feel to it… Which I think is kind of cool. I saw them on the tour for this album in 1982… My first fully attended concert… Absolutely loved it… Mind blown… They were fantastic!

That tune got a ton of airplay. Really took me back

Brilliant cover❤

I think they did this album in 12 days, Roth suggested they do a single cover of "Dancing in the Streets" as a hold over, they had just ended the Fair Warning tour and that album didn't do so well so Ted Templeman told 'em get back in the studio and do a full album, Eddie was pissed so they hurried up with a new album, half of which were cover songs, Templeman was pissed at that but it became a surprising success in the Summer of '82, that gave them breathing room for a few years, Eddie was able to build his home studio before they came back strong with 1984. This track isn't the strongest album opener but it still has a great Summer vibe.

Crazy high school times around that album. Also another vote for y'all to check out The Kinks

My favorite band when I was about 13. I remember when this came out. Then I heard punk and it was over. lmao. Haven't heard this in years, thanks. And Eddie made me want to play guitar, and now I have been a crappy guitarist for 30 years. RIP Eddie...

This was my introduction to VH. Hooked.

YEA!!! VH ROCKS!!! GREAT TUNE, GENTLEMEN!! :) Glad to see you ENJOYING THEM!! HUGS!!

It’s one of my favorite songs! Thank you

The Snare 🔥

#5. They always have great background vocals

Some (well, a little more than "some") history here on the background of "Diver Down" and why it's so different and a bit bizarre. Diver Down was more of a forced incarnation rather than a musically organic LP creation. Van Halen literally just finished their 1981 World Tour (Fair Warning), were exhausted and wanted to take some time off. But Warner Brothers was so desperate to cash in on the success of the tour they pushed the band into creating some music that would hit the charts. The band collectively finally agreed to do one... ONE... song as timing would in fact be a good idea. As much as Fair Warning is considered the proverbial “sweet spot” by many Van Halen fans and put it up just behind the debut album, it was also their biggest anomaly. The album as a whole did make it to #5 but it failed to produce a single chart topper. Figure that. Bottom line, the band was pushed to produce something before they took a break. David Lee Roth wanted to do “Dancing In The Streets,” and King Edward despised it altogether (and always did) and suggested Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman.” They went with “Pretty Woman,” released it, it was an instant hit… and before the band new it, Warner Bro’s placed so much pressure on them to produce an album that 12 days later Diver Down was given birth. With.. one foot out the door (see what I did there?)... already, Producer Ted Templeman and DLR pretty much decided to put 5 cover songs on it just do it and be done with it. Edward really didn't want much part of doing this album let alone 5 covers tunes. So Diver Down was the Van Halen album that Edward least liked and seeing DLR take so much creative control with what was produced… was pretty much the last straw for Edward. He had enough of not having the majority say for the band that he and his brother had created in the first place. This is the album that gave eventually gave birth to Edward’s own recording studio, “5150,” and with it he took back a large portion of creative control and told DLR (and Ted Templeman also) to go scratch if he didn’t like it. Well, after 1984, DLR did in fact leave to go scratch. This Kinks song is not really a surprise as a cover however. All four members were Kink fans, and for me, I think they Van Halenized it beautifully. Personally, for me, I still love the album in it’s own way, but I feel “Full Bug” is the ass kicker on this LP. And as always... King Edward? You are sorely missed by many. May you shred in peace.

Always searching the lesser pop songs and deep cuts, you guys hit so many good memories, thank you. This was a weird album for me, but I went with the flow, and then everything changed. 😂 See you back here for more. 👍🏽

This song is originally done by ''The Kinks'', in the 60's ,,and David Bowie did it in 1974...all 3 versions are fire...

You're right. GREAT hook. Love this song.

yes on the rhythm guitar.

And the snare drum sound

Agreed about the guitar. Eddie Van Halen is always talked up as a great lead guitar player but his true secret sauce is his rhythm playing. Swings like hell. Like others have said this is a Kinks song. The Kinks are the underrated greats of classic rock.

Fav song off this album

Pretty Woman and DACING IN THE STREE covers in this album 🤌🇵🇷🤌🎼🎸🎶🎶🎶☮️🤘❤️‍🔥

Airplay Beats! 🎵

This is a Kinks cover of course...I always thought they did a nice job on this one!

The drummer is underrated

Yeah you're right, the rhythm guitar is always killer w/ Eddie. Sometimes overlooked because of the incredible leads he did. FYI this is an old Kinks song, Ray Davies was one of the really great writers of the British invasion.

Right on time 🤘🤘

Banger!!!

VH are my go to for when I need a smile on my face👍

Great album, rockin tour.

Ray Davies was a king when it came to riding a hook

Spot on re. Ed’s rhythm guitar. Best of all time IM(&others)O.

👍

Secrets off the Diver Down album is great also

😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎

Eddie. Best rhythm guitarist.........plus pretty creative with his leads.

THE KINKD DO THIS SONG AS WELL CHECK IT OUT. IT IS EXCELLENT

Thanks!

My "Boom Box" used to crank this tape!

Bowie did a version of these on his Pin ups album

I give the “King of Rhythm” title to Keith Richards 🤘

5.....Van Halen harmony with Mike Anthony hitting the high end harmonies

The live Montreal 1984 show

Lovin the Van Halen reactions dudes! Can’t wait for y’all to check out “Take your Whisky Home” 🔥🔥

GoLaaa!Go Chee! Party time!

VH did a lot of covers.

Comments from you two are right on.

Diver Down had too many covers and was a short record. But Eddies guitar still had that 'Fair Warning' sound. Very raw. Intruder could have been the genesis of another great song on Fair Warning. Even the riff on this song is played with such heaviness! This is like Jamie's Cryin pt 2.

Yes! The "other" great Kinks' cover by Van Halen...

Wife here. The Kinks love them. Saw them back in the day. Lots of great songs. Not a fan of VH version . Listen to original great Kinks.

Don't forget to check out the Sammy Hagar years, especially the lesser known songs that feature a lot of Alex and Eddie's best musicianship. Those albums are sort of forgotten about these days, but there is more to them than just the Top 40 pop and ballads.

One of my favorite songs off of this album wasn't necessarily a VH song per say. Big Bad Bill (is sweet William now) was a song off this album that Eddie and Alex VH played with their dad playing clarinet on it, the only reason it's my fav is because it was the one song off this record that my late Grandparents and I could listen to together with them because they liked it too.

😎🤟

Where indeed...

So many covers on Diver Down

Now you need to listen to the kinks Many Many great songs

Pretty Woman cover of Roy Orbison’s classic is excellent and unquestionably one of the cheesiest videos ever! Worth a watch for both (long version) 😊

Secrets....

This is one of those "smokin" classics if you know what I mean.

Bad Company - Live for the Music

Dont forget Eddie's brother Alex on drums.

i have a very clean demo of this. probably take 1 as VH got it in one or two takes.

I don't care what you think if DLR, but those early VH albums outshine the later ones 10 to 1. Roth is the superior front man, throw in those backing vocals, the backbeat boys, and the usual from EVH, some of the best rock and roll albums you will ever listen to. Excellence.

@airplaybeats if you’re going to listen to anything on this album listen to Hang ‘Em High

Where Have All The Good Drunks Gone .... or whatever Dave sang 🤣

It’s a Kinks cover but I think they did a good job on it

I always wondered can you do both rhythm and lead with a delay ? never been around any of that stuff so I don’t know ?

There was no rithym guitar. That was a bass guitar , Alex Daivd and Eddie. 😊

Another Kinks cover, just like You Really Got Me.

As a youth 22 years ago didn’t really “get” this.. now, in 2024, I damn sure do… 😒

Van Halen covers always sound like originals cause they reinvent the parts/song..... Listen to originls like "Secrets" or " little Guitars" off this album..... "The Full Bug", Hang em High"...

I haven't heard this song, my feelings, this is the classic sound of Van Halen, and these are the vocals, how can you confuse David Lee Roth's voice with anyone? Don't think.

Diamond Dave had a penchant for doing remakes of other songs.

This is the album where VH began to wane on me. Diver Down didn't seem as serious as Fair Warning. (Pretty Woman and all that, I didn't get it.) And 1984 was the final coffin nail the DLR coffin. DLR gets booted from VH and we get a saccharin based VH (Van Hagar). Those first 4 VH records are classics, then it all started to go down the toilet.

Van Halen covered at least 3 Kinks songs.

Who's the baddest lo down mo fo in Harlem? Sho'nuff!!!!

The Kinks were Van Halen before Van Halen.

That song could have been longer