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Cover of Women and Children First by Van Halen
Cover: Women and Children First

Song · Van Halen

“And the Cradle Will Rock” by Van Halen

From the album Women and Children First (1980)

“And the Cradle Will Rock” by Van Halen appears on 74 radio countdowns from 27 stations between 1980 and 2026. It was first released in 1980 on the album Women and Children First. Its best result is #2 on the KISW 25 Greatest Rock Songs from 1980. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #21 alternative song of 1980.

74countdowns
27stations
#2best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1980–2026years charted

Watch

And the Cradle Will Rock... (Official Music Video)

Video from YouTube (Van Halen Music Videos). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"And the Cradle Will Rock..." comes from Van Halen's 1980 album Women and Children First, and its opening growl is a trick: that's not a guitar but Eddie Van Halen on a Wurlitzer electric piano, run through a flanger and a vintage Marshall Plexi. It was the first Van Halen song with Eddie on keyboards, and on the 1980 tour Michael Anthony took over the keys on stage.

Ted Templeman produced it and Donn Landee engineered, and all four band members share the writing credit. Alex Van Halen stomps, Anthony and Eddie stack the backing vocals, and David Lee Roth leaps all over it with a grin. Cash Box heard a tongue-in-cheek anthem; Eric Carr of Kiss thought enough of it to play along with it on the audition tape that won him the drum job.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1980 21 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1980 106
1980 2 KISW Seattle-Tacoma, WA KISW 25 Greatest Rock Songs from 1980 25

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1982 155 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1990 165 Z-Rock Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) 1000
1991 459 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1994 213 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 152 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 205 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1998 221 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 185 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2002 120 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2002 736 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2004 732 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2010 98 97.9 The Loop The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) 500
2011 260 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2011 841 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 879 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 442 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2013 459 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 538 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 335 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 648 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 423 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 539 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 240 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 440 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2016 304 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 408 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 153 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2017 520 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2017 219 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2018 418 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 343 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 512 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 451 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 372 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 235 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 455 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2020 281 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 374 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 209 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 752 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 444 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2021 398 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 283 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 412 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 969 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2022 249 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2022 290 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 321 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 500 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 345 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 738 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 375 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 398 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2023 419 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 454 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 411 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 161 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 855 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 309 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 375 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2024 370 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 289 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 241 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 759 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 440 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2025 386 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 324 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 783 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2026 248 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500
2026 193 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2026) 500
2026 388 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500
2026 286 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 U-Man 500 (2026) 499

Also listed as: And The Cradle Will Rock; And the Cradle Will Ro; And the Cradle Will Rock…; And The Cradle Will Rock…; And The Cradle Will Rock....

Charting alongside it in 1980

Best songs of 1980 →
  1. 2Another One Bites the DustQueen
  2. 3Whip ItDevo
  3. 4Don't Stand So Close to MeThe Police
  4. 5Once in a LifetimeTalking Heads
  5. 6You Shook Me All Night LongAC/DC
  6. 7Even It UpHeart

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