Why Can't This Be Love

"Why Can't This Be Love" is a song by the American rock band Van Halen for their seventh studio album, 5150 (1986). The song was the group's first single with Sammy Hagar, replacing founding member David Lee Roth. It was released on both 7" and 12" formats with the latter having an extended version featuring extra lyrics.

"Why Can't This Be Love"
Single by Van Halen
from the album 5150
B-side	"Get Up"
Released	March 1986
Recorded	1985–1986
Genre	Synth-pop[1][2] glam metal[3] pop rock[4]
Length	3:47 / 5:00 (extended version)
Label	Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	Eddie Van Halen Michael Anthony Sammy Hagar Alex Van Halen
Producer(s)	Mick Jones Donn Landee Eddie Van Halen Michael Anthony Sammy Hagar Alex Van Halen
Van Halen singles chronology
"Hot for Teacher" (1984) "Why Can't This Be Love" (1986) "Dreams" (1986)

In the US, it went to number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit number one on the Cashbox Top 100, the week of May 16.^[5] It was a top 10 hit in the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany and a top 20 single in Canada, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Background

5150 was a detour from the band, and the direction they would follow centered on a more keyboard-driven sound.

“The old people that were in doubt, they heard (imitates keyboard riff notes) ‘Why Can’t This Be Love’ and they just went, ‘Whoa, this is a new sound for Van Halen,'” said Hagar in 2023. “You know that keyboard riff sounded like a guitar riff. [Whereas] previous stuff like ‘Jump’ sounded like a synthesizer. So some of the hardcore guitar people rebelled a little bit, but they got a whole new audience with that. And we just satisfied them, and they stayed. And we just went out, and every show sold out in minutes, and we went out and just killed it.^[6]

Reception

Cash Box called it "a powerful pop/rock kicker."^[7] Billboard said "hard-rocking hooks alternate with trademark guitar workouts."^[8]

Chuck Klosterman of Vulture.com ranked it the worst Van Halen song, saying that the band's decision to release the song as the first single of the Sammy Hagar era was "the worst decision the band ever made," but said it was not his least favorite Van Halen song to listen to.^[9]

Live performances and in popular culture

During the 5150 and OU812 tours, Eddie Van Halen played the keyboard parts (using either a Kurzweil K250 or Yamaha KX88 connected by MIDI to an OB-8 backstage) while Hagar played the guitar parts and the solo. For the For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and subsequent tours, Van Halen took over the guitar parts and the keyboards were played backstage. Starting during the 1995 Balance tour, Michael Anthony and Eddie Van Halen would sing the second verse of the song during live performances. They would continue to do this on both the 1998 and 2004 tours.

The song is often a source of humor since it contains this tautological lyric: "Only time will tell if we stand the test of time". In 2008, The Daily Telegraph named this the eighth worst lyric of all time.^[10]

Personnel

• Sammy Hagar – lead vocals
• Eddie Van Halen – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
• Michael Anthony – bass, backing vocals
• Alex Van Halen – drums, backing vocals

Charts

Weekly sales chart performance for "Why Can't This Be Love"

Chart (1986–1987)	Peak
Australia (Kent Music Report)[11]	8
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12]	13
Ireland (IRMA)[13]	8
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[14]	32
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15]	16
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16]	15
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17]	11
UK Singles (OCC)[18]	8
US Billboard Hot 100[19]	3
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[20]	1
West Germany (GfK)[21]	8

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Why Can't This Be Love"

Year-end chart (1986)	Rank
Australia (Kent Music Report)[22]	33
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[23]	86
UK Singles (OCC)[24]	100
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[25]	69
West Germany (Official German Charts)[26]	51

References

1. Wilkening, Matthew (October 17, 2020). "Underrated Van Halen: The Most Overlooked Song From Each Album". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
2. "Best Van Halen '5150' Song – Readers' Poll". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
3. Kot, Greg (September 3, 1991). "It's the Guitarist Who Still Makes Van Halen Rock". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
4. "Did Van Halen Bite Off Too Much With 'OU812'?". Ultimate Classic Rock. May 24, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
5. "Why Can't This Be Love by Van Halen" (PDF). Retrieved March 14, 2024.
6. "Why Can't This Be Love". American Songwriter. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
7. "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. March 8, 1986. p. 9. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
8. "Reviews". Billboard. March 15, 1986. p. 101. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
9. Klosterman, Chuck (October 6, 2020). "All 131 Van Halen Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best A look back at the band's formidable legacy". Vulture.com. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
10. Neate, Rupert (July 9, 2008). "Worst lyric of all time: I'm serious as cancer, when I say rhythm is a dancer". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
11. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 319. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
12. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0664." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
13. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Why Can't This Be Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
14. "Van Halen – Why Can't This Be Love". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
15. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Van Halen" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
16. "Van Halen – Why Can't This Be Love" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
17. "Van Halen – Why Can't This Be Love". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
18. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 20, 2019.
19. "Van Halen Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
20. "Van Halen Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
21. "Offiziellecharts.de – Van Halen – Why Can't This Be Love" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
22. "National Top 100 Singles for 1986". Kent Music Report. No. 650. December 1986. Retrieved January 24, 2023 – via Imgur.
23. "European Hot 100 Singles – Hot 100 of the Year 1986" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 51/52. December 27, 1986. p. 28. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved April 11, 2022 – via World Radio History.
24. "January to December 1986: Top 100 Singles" (PDF). Music Week. January 24, 1987. p. 26. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
25. Nielsen Business Media, Inc (December 27, 1986). "1986 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 52. p. Y-21. {{cite magazine}}: |last= has generic name (help)
26. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts 1986". Offizielle Charts (in German). Retrieved April 11, 2022.