1984 Rock Hit That Echoes an AC/DC Classic Became Fans' Secret Anthem
Van Halen's "Drop Dead Legs" is a classic rock hit with swagger and a mid-tempo groove driven by Eddie Van Halen's righteous riff. A rock flex from thekings of guitar shred, the track is an underappreciated deep cut only the most devoted fans treat like a secret anthem.
Its biggest fan might just be EVH himself, with American Songwriter sharing that in 2009, the late guitarist and founding band member said, "One of my favorite songs of ours is ‘Drop Dead Legs.' Whether it's a hit or not, to me, I love that song."
@tomshreds Did you know this Van Halen classic was actually inspired by AC/DC? I've always thought there was a Back in Black vibe, especially with that G/B chord. But while the influence is definitely present, it's also undeniably Van Halen sounding. After sitting down to learn this a few weeks back, I was surprised by how hard it is to play. I assumed it would flow easily based off how smooth & funky it sounds when Eddie plays it, but I couldn't have been more wrong. It's a very idiosyncratic riff, twisting and bending along, like a disturbing hybrid of Malcom Young & Gumby. It's believed Edward used his 58' Flying V for this, as well as Jump, Girl Gone Bad & Hot For Teacher. It's curious that he favoured the Flying V so much on 1984, but that incredible tone he pulled speaks for itself! My guitar is tuned to match the song using Allen Garber's 'sweetened tuning for the StroboPlus HDC entitled 'DDL'. Highly recommend for playing along with the classic VH tunes. #evh#eddievanhalen#vanhalen#davidleeroth#80srock#1984#classicrock#guitar#guitarist#guitarcover#amplitube @petersonstrobetuners
♬ original sound - TomShreds
In a 2014 interview with Guitar World, the rock legend went even further, sharing his inspiration for the track's guitar solo.
"That was inspired by AC/DC's ‘Back in Black'," he readily admitted. "I was grooving on that beat. Although I think that ‘Drop Dead Legs' is slower. Whatever I listen to somehow is filtered through me and comes out differently. So ‘Drop Dead Legs' is almost a jazz version of ‘Back in Black.' The descending progression is similar. But I put a lot more notes in there."
Recorded at Eddie Van Halen's 5150 Studios and released on the band's landmark 1984 album - you know, the one with the smokin' baby angel on its cover - the side-A closing track was never released as a single, and therefore never charted. Feats of that ilk were conquered by "Jump," "I'll Wait," "Panama," and "Hot for Teacher."
Still, the track became a cult classic all the same - "Drop Dead Legs" is the kind of song fans don't just remember, they swear by.
Van Halen's New Era
The diamond-certified full-length 1984 debuted the band's new sound, fusing hard rock with synthesizer pop sounds, but also marked the farewell of frontman David Lee Roth. Peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, the album was second only to Michael Jackson's Thriller.
Today, Van Halen is back in the headlines, not with 1984, but with their Sammy Hagar debut, 5150, which finally broke into the U.K. charts with its reissue 40 years later. According to Forbes, the band's seventh album debuted on three charts across the pond, hitting No. 51 on both the Official Albums Sales and Official Physical Albums charts, and No. 59 on the most downloaded collections in the country.
Related: 1977 ‘Greatest Ballad Ever Written' Became a Prom Night Anthem
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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 3:43 AM.