Song Sunday: Jamie’s Cryin’
**Edward Lodewijk Van Halen (January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020)**
“She saw the look in his eyes, and she knew better…”
This Sunday’s playlist submission is Jamie’s Cryin’ by American rock band Van Halen, formed in 1972 in Pasadena, California. The sixth track from their debut album Van Halen, it was released as a single on May 16, 1978 but, it never charted. Credit for songwriting is the whole band and the album peaked at #19 on the Billboard 200 on May 20, 1978 after its February 10 release. It was certified RIAA Diamond (10x Platinum) in sales on August 7, 1996.
After their 2015 North American Tour, they appear to be on indefinite hiatus. Eddie Van Halen has had some serious health problems.
American rapper Tone Lōc used the opening tom-tom and bass riff from this song on his 1989 hit Wild Thing and wound up settling out of court with Van Halen. He and Eddie Van Halen crossed paths some time afterwards and it wasn’t friendly.
I was in sixth grade when this song came out and I had no clue. I was all into disco back then. I didn’t know who they were until Dance the Night Away came out the following year. I didn’t buy an album of theirs until Diver Down. I have never been to a concert. ~Vic
Tone Lōc Talks About Debut Album & Eddie Van Halen (Billboard January 25, 2019)
America’s Songs III: Rock! Rock! (Google Books)
Van-Halen (Official Site)
Van Halen News Desk (Unofficial Site)
Gene Simmons Talks Lost Seventies Van Halen Demos (Rolling Stone March 22, 2016)
Eddie Van Halen’s Wife’s Positivity (Survivor Net September 8, 2020)
17 thoughts on “Song Sunday: Jamie’s Cryin’”
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September 12, 2020 at 7:16 PM
It’s amazing that it didn’t chart. It’s about as commercial as they got. Roth was a great front man…he just seems like he is forcing it at times…but it worked for him and them.
September 12, 2020 at 9:36 PM
He had a nice body and an interesting voice but, the personality…geez. I always wanted to smack him. I was never a big fan of Van Hagar but, Sammy had so much more cool finesse.
September 12, 2020 at 9:57 PM
Yea the sad truth is…Sammy is much cooler and a better singer and a great guitar player but…they were better with Mr showboat singing…Eddie though is really out there…not easy to work with
September 12, 2020 at 10:35 PM
Must be a Dutch thing. “Wooden Shoes, Wooden Head, Wouldn’t Listen.”
September 12, 2020 at 11:08 PM
Yea Eddie…something mental is going on…and substance abuse…Poor Michael Anthony got shafted
September 13, 2020 at 2:22 AM
Hey. He’s been busy. One band he is with is Chicken Foot, among others.
Eddie is in bad shape right now, hence Roth’s comments about the band being done.
September 13, 2020 at 2:26 AM
Yea I don’t want anything to happen to him…I’ve never been a fan of him. He unleashed a million copy cat guitarists who thinks all solos should be that stupid finger tapping…no soul whatsoever
Look how fast I play! yawn…. they treated Michael terrible…read about what they did to him. Just awful
September 13, 2020 at 2:32 AM
What? When he was bumped out for Wolfgang? Or something else?
September 13, 2020 at 2:38 AM
They bassically cut his pay almost to nothing and wouldn’t let him on the 2004 tour unless he signed his rights away to VH….they put him on a salary instead of a cut…which is wrong in a lot of ways.
September 13, 2020 at 3:54 PM
“Bass-ically?” You so PUNNY!
It might have something to do with this:
https://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/29727/
And, some of this may be true but, it’s lite on citation:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Anthony_(musician)#(2003%E2%80%932005)_Van_Halen_reunion
September 13, 2020 at 4:00 PM
What small minded people those brothers are… Michael was a founding member and a talented player in his own right.
Sammy sold them shares for affordable prices but they got impatient and started to gripe so he bought them out…then it blasted off and they were pissed.
Treating Sammy bad is one thing…I get pissed because of Michael…no he is not broke but that was uncalled for… plus…did you hear about the airbrush ordeal? On their site they airbrushed Michael off of their debut album I believe…until fans hit the roof.
September 13, 2020 at 4:31 PM
I missed the airbrush thing.
And, here I thought Roth was the biggest asshole.
September 13, 2020 at 4:36 PM
Roth from what I heard…wanted Anthony back and he didn’t understand either…No Roth can be funny…they are not.
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/did-van-halen-remove-michael-anthony-from-album-art-on-their-web-site-107357/
September 13, 2020 at 4:40 PM
GEEZUS… Yep. Wooden heads. Un-fucking believable.
September 13, 2020 at 4:45 PM
That was the tipping point to me…I couldn’t believe they would be that low…and then think the fans wouldn’t care.
September 13, 2020 at 2:59 AM
I’m going now…we will talk tomorrow!
September 13, 2020 at 4:00 PM
And…that we are! LOL!