Jamie's Cryin'
"Jamie's Cryin'" | ||||
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Warner Bros. | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Ted Templeman | |||
Van Halen singles chronology | ||||
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"Jamie's Cryin'" is a song written by the band
Writing and recording
Some of the songs on Van Halen were written before the band was signed and appeared on a
Templeman stated that:
At first I was worried that the lyrics were too reminiscent of a fifties white pop breakup song, but eventually I realized Dave's lyric was a lot like those wonderful
Where Did Our Love Go?" Those songs sounded happy, but were about heart-rendering breakups. The way it came off was in keeping with that heavy-metal-with-a-smile, upbeat sound, this teenage thing. It ended up being one of the singles off the record.[3]
Roth has claimed that in addition to writing the lyrics he also structured the guitar solo for the song by singing it out.[5][6]
As with other songs on Van Halen that did not use vibrato (e.g., "Runnin' with the Devil", "You Really Got Me"), Eddie Van Halen played his rhythm guitar part on "Jamie's Cryin'" on an Ibanez Destroyer.[7][2]
"Jamie's Cryin'" is one of the few songs on Van Halen on which
Lyrics and music
Classic Rock critic Dave Everley described the lyrics to "Jamie's Cryin'" as being "about the aftermath of a one-night stand that’s surprisingly sympathetic."[9] The Vincennes Sun-Commercial said that it "told the age-old story of how a girl falls in love, but knows the guy only wants a one night stand."[10]
Roth describes "Jamie's Cryin'" as a
The song's hook is similar to that on the Kiss song "Christine Sixteen".[4] Eddie Van Halen and drummer Alex Van Halen had played on the demo for "Christine Sixteen."[11]
In choosing Eddie Van Halen as the sixth greatest "pick squealer" of all time, the staff of Guitar World said that "With his aggressive pick attack, Ed sounds almost as if he’s using some weird wah-wah effect when he pinches the strings in the hyperboogie riffs of 'I’m the One' and 'Jamie’s Crying.'"[12] Joe Charupakorn noted that on the guitar solo Van Halen "could have easily wailed, but instead chose to the play thematically and appropriately to maintain the song's vibe."[13] Charupakorn also noted that "the solo makes use of question-and-answer phrasing that is similar in structure to the intro riff."[13]
Critical reception
The Morning Call critic Len Righi noted that the song was getting significant radio airplay before the single came out and said that "its sinewy beat, piercing guitar fills and crisp harmonies behind David Lee Roth's husky vocal combine to produce powerful rock."
Although "Jamie's Cryin'" did not chart when it was released as a single, Eddie Van Halen was disappointed that their cover of "You Really Got Me" was chosen as the lead single from the album over "Jamie's Cryin'".[2][20] He stated that "It kind of bummed me out that Ted [Templeman] wanted our first single to be someone else's tune. I would have maybe picked 'Jamie's Cryin', just because it was our own."[20][21]
Other releases
"Jamie's Cryin'" was one of five songs included on a sampler EP that Warner Bros. Records put out in advance of the release Van Halen (along with "Runnin' with the Devil", "You Really Got Me", "Eruption" and "Ice Cream Man").[22][23][24] The band also shot a music video for the song at the Whisky a Go Go, along with videos for the first two singles from the album.[4]
"Jamie's Cryin'" was included on the 2004 Van Halen compilation album The Best of Both Worlds.[25]
"Jamie's Cryin'" is one of the songs included on Guitar Hero: Van Halen.[26]
Roth sang a version of "Jamie's Cryin'" on the 2006
Sampling
References
- ISBN 9780862415419.
- ^ ISBN 9780306826672.
- ^ ISBN 9781773054797.
- ^ ISBN 9781770907911.
- ^ Irwin, Corey (September 18, 2019). "David Lee Roth takes most of the credit for Van Halen's success". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ Bienstock, Richard (November 22, 2019). "David Lee Roth: I "structured" the guitar solos on Van Halen's debut album - and EVH's guitar stripes were my idea". Guitar World. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ Bosso, Joe (November 20, 2008). "Van Halen: VH1". Guitar World. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ Steven Rosen (October 6, 2020). "Van Halen: the story of the debut album that saved rock". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ Everley, Dave (August 24, 2021). "Van Halen: a track-by-track guide to the debut album that saved rock'n'roll". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ "Van Halen's first is explosive". The Vincennes Sun-Commercial. March 21, 1980. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-03-12 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ Gray, Geordie (October 12, 2020). "Turns out Eddie Van Halen played a big part in Kiss' 'Christine Sixteen'". Tone Deaf. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ "The Top 10 Pick Squealers of All Time". Guitar World. October 27, 2017. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ ISBN 9781495034817.
- ^ Righi, Len (March 25, 1978). "Records". The Morning Call. p. 41. Retrieved 2023-03-12 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Is Van Halen's First Album Their Best: Our Writers Answer Five Burning Questions". Ultimate Classic Rock. 9 February 2018. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ Simmons, Gene (January 18, 2021). "Gene Simmons pays tribute to Eddie Van Halen: "Not since Hendrix did anyone change the game like Edward"". Guitar World. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ Yates, Henry (December 14, 2020). "Eddie Van Halen 1955-2020: a visionary virtuoso who rewrote the rules of electric guitar". Guitar World. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Van Halen". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ Castaneda, Carol J. (June 22, 1979). "New Van Halen album shows fierce instinct for lyrics, melody". Fresno Bee. p. F14. Retrieved 2023-03-12 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Filcman, Debra (January 28, 2018). "Everything you need to know about Van Halen's 'You Really Got Me'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ Rosen, Steven (January 25, 2021). "Backyard parties and unbridled genius: the story of Van Halen's early years". Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ISBN 9781637583517.
- ^ "Record Reviews". Post-Star. March 18, 1978. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-03-12 – via newspapers.com.
- ISBN 9781493062102.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Best of Both Worlds". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ "Guitar Hero: Van Halen Track List Revealed". Guitar World. August 7, 2009. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ Monger, James Christopher. "Strummin' with the Devil: The Southern Side of Van Halen". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ Gerome, John (June 16, 2006). "Bluegrass Tribute". The Bradenton Herald. p. E37. Retrieved 2023-03-12 – via newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Lifton, Dave (February 10, 2018). "Van Halen's debut album: A track-by-track guide". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ O'Malley & Collin (January 7, 1991). "Inc". Chicago Tribune. pp. 1–14. Retrieved 2023-03-12 – via newspapers.com.