“Why Can't This Be Love” by Van Halen

Van Halen's "Why Can't This Be Love" was the world's first taste of the band with Sammy Hagar out front in place of David Lee Roth, the opening single from 5150, their seventh album, in 1986. And the thing leading the charge wasn't a guitar solo but a keyboard riff, fat and punchy enough that Hagar later said it sounded like a guitar part anyway.

That was the new direction in a nutshell: slicker, keyboard-heavy, built for radio. Some of the diehard guitar crowd grumbled, but Hagar reckoned the band won a whole new audience, and the single backed him up, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100. All four members share the writing credit, Mick Jones co-produced with Donn Landee and the band, and a 12-inch version stretched it out with extra lyrics.

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