When David Lee Roth and Van Halen parted ways in 1985, numerous vocalists reportedly were approached by guitarist Eddie Van Halen to gauge their interest in fronting the legendary Pasadena, California group. Former Journey vocalist Steve Perry told Rolling Stone that he was “honored” when Eddie asked him to jam with the band, but Perry felt he wasn’t suited to represent Van Halen’s “legacy up to that point.” Scandal’s Patty Smyth, known for fronting the hits “The Warrior” and “Goodbye to You,” was also approached and asked to join but declined because Van Halen “were heavy drinkers.”
In a new interview with “Out of the Box with Jonathan Clarke,” Daryl Hall, one half of the legendary songwriting duo, Hall & Oates, confirmed that Eddie approached him after Roth’s exit. “Well, yeah. Actually, yes,” Hall said when asked if he was asked to join the band. “I knew those guys really well; we actually shared some people — crew and things like that. And Eddie came to a show with [his then-wife] Valerie [Bertinelli] — this goes back, you know — and David had just left the band. And Eddie said, ‘Do you wanna join Van Halen, man?’ He was half joking, but I think he was serious — I really do believe he was serious. And I took it seriously. I went, ‘Meh, I think not. I think I’ve got my own sh*t going on.'”
Hall also said the keyboard hook in Van Halen’s “Jump” was inspired by the Hall & Oates classic, “Kiss Is On My List.” “That is correct,” Hall said. “That’s what [Eddie] always told me. He said that inspired ‘Jump.’” Van Halen would go on to get “The Red Rocker” Sammy Hagar into their ranks. Hagar fronted the band for four studio albums between 1986 and 1995 before quitting the group in 1996. Hall is a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and the star of hit web series-turned-TV show, “Live from Daryl’s House.”
