Van Halen's "Why Can't This Be Love" Was a Major Hit—Despite Having The ‘Worst’ Lyrics Ever
Anyone who has ever listened to music would say they have been impacted by powerful and meaningful lyrics. However, not all great songs are that deep and profound.
There have been a lot of hit songs over the years that included subpar lyrics. In the case of Van Halen, one of the legendary rock band's biggest hits also contains the "worst lyrics" in classic rock history, according to one publication.
'Why Can't This Be Love' tops an unfortunate list
In March of this year, Ultimate Classic Rock's Nick DeRiso put together a ranking of the 20 worst lyrics in classic rock history. To be fair, it is a list littered with successful acts, including The Doors, The Who, U2, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen.
Van Halen finds itself mentioned twice, at No. 20 ("Everybody Wants Some!!") and No. 1 ("Why Can't This Be Love"). The latter inclusion is for the line "Only time will tell if we stand the test of time," which DeRiso argues is classic rock's weakest lyric.
"This might have been better written ... with more time," DeRiso says.
Sammy Hagar, Van Halen's lead singer at the time, also makes DeRiso's list individually for the song "Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy."
Ranking off the mark?
Look, that line probably didn't take long to write, and it's not exactly lyrical poetry. Still, the worst lyric of all-time? On a song that reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Cashbox Top 100 in 1986?
Many Van Halen fans disagree.
"Oh, for heaven's sake. They had a plethora of Poison tunes to choose from, and instead they went for this? What a rag," one Redditor commented.
"Loverboy. Working for the Weekend. You better start from the start," a second person suggested.
"It's not even the worst Sammy song bruh," another commenter wrote, with a respondent adding "Not by a long, long shot."
"All these opinion lists are BS. A bunch of dudes who think they're the smartest person in every room they walk into, they all stink," someone else chimed in.