Van Halen’s David Lee Roth Says He Made the Song 'Jump' with One Specific Audience in Mind
Van Halen’s David Lee Roth Says He Made the Song 'Jump' with One Specific Audience in Mind
Meredith WilshereSun, May 3, 2026 at 8:59 AM UTC
0
David Lee RothCredit: Rick Kern/Getty -
David Lee Roth says Van Halen's music, including ‘Jump,' was intentionally made to appeal to women with its 126 bpm
Roth performed ‘Jump' with Teddy Swims at Stagecoach and described the song's universal emotional and physical appeal
The Grammy-winning band's hit ‘Jump' was their only Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper and won the first MTV Video Music Award
David Lee Roth confirmed that ‘Jump' and other Van Halen songs were for the girls.
In an interview with Billboard at Stagecoach, the Van Halen frontman wanted to set the record straight on why they made the music at the BPM that they did.
“I purposely licensed only to contact sports, girl-friendly commercials and movies that were really physical, but girl-friendly,” he shared.
The interviewer noted, “and also Glee.”
“Let me show you,” he said to the interviewer, getting up to demonstrate. “Most rock and roll is meant for fellas. It's all what we call tits and pits. All right. This is Ozzy. I'll demonstrate. Tits and pits, that's for fellas,” Lee Roth shared.
Van HalenCredit: David Tan/Shinko Music/Getty
“All Van Halen music is 126 bpm. There you go. Miracle perhaps. And it goes here,” he said, mimicking dancing to the beat of the music. “Hey, see that's not for fellas.”
Advertisement
The song "Jump" was ranked No. 177 on Rolling Stone's 500 Best Songs of All Time list, which noted that it was “the only chart topper the band ever achieved.”
Roth joined Teddy Swims for a performance of ‘Jump' at Stagecoach. In an interview with Rolling Stone after the performance, the rocker said that “Classic Van Halen is probably 30 percent cowboy hat and boot.”
Van HalenCredit: Daniel Knighton/Getty
When asked why he keeps playing "Jump," the frontman said that the song has a universal appeal that is both physical and emotional.
“It's a song about ascending, taking a shot, testing the deep end,” he said. “It's about leading with your forehead, and I've been places with mine you wouldn't go with a pistol — which is cowboy humor.”
Roth was the lead singer of Van Halen from 1974 to 1985, 1996 and again in 2007 up until bandmate Eddie Van Halen's death in 2020. The Grammy-winning band won the inaugural MTV Video Music Award for "Jump."
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
