History YMMV / VanHalen

** An oft-circulated story in the 1980s was that they did $85,000 worth of damage to Colorado State University-Pueblo's basketball arena after discovering brown [=M&Ms=] in their candy bowl. While Roth ''did'' indeed vandalize the backstage area to the tune of $12,000 after discovering brown [=M&Ms=], the higher figure was the fault of the venue and the venue alone, as they neglected to follow weight requirements when reading the rider. As a result, the immense weight of their setup caused it to go ''straight through the floor'' because it was incapable of bearing that great a burden, which was where the >$80,000 worth of damage came from. See SecretTest in the main page for more information on the M&M clause.

* NeverLiveItDown: The aforementioned "no brown M&M's" rider. However, it has also been hailed as a clever SecretTest idea to make sure their concert arrangements are set properly.

** The instrumental "Strung Out" sounds like something out of a horror movie score. Making it more jarring is the fact that it comes right out of nowhere between Big Fat Money (a standard hard rocker) and Not Enough (a soft, poppy power ballad).

* SampledUp: You might not know "Jamie's Cryin'", but it's a lot more probable you've heard Tone Loc's "Wild Thing".

** For the David Lee Roth era: "You Really Got Me", "Jamie's Cryin'", "Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love", "Runnin' With the Devil", "Dance the Night Away", "Jump", "Panama", and "Hot for Teacher".

** "Jump" with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_(Van_Halen_song)#Sporting_anthem sports in general.]] [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball Olympique de Marseille and Brøndby IF]] open their home games with it, [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball A.C. Milan]] plays it when they score a goal at their home stadium, WGN-TV in UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} once used it to introduce broadcasts of [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} Chicago]] [[UsefulNotes/MLBTeams Cubs]] games, and the [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague Winnipeg Jets]]--both the original and modern teams--have used it as their respective home game intro song[[note]]from the late 1980s to early 1990s[[/note]] and goal song.[[note]]since 2016[[/note]]

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: Despite Diamond Dave's 80s image, he [[WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}} DOES NOT DO COCAINE!]]
** He was off ''illicit'' drugs. He did clean up once to record "Jamie's Cryin'", but... well, Website/TheOtherWiki speaks for itself:
--->For recording of the song vocalist David Lee Roth wanted to go for a cleaner, "poppier" sound and quit smoking and drinking for a week before the final version was to be recorded. The band noticed the difference and Ted Templeman ordered him outside to smoke a cigarette. He smoked one, and drank half a bottle of whiskey, returning half an hour later and recording the track.

* FaceOfTheBand: Eddie, along with Dave and Sammy in their respective eras. Possibly also Alex to a lesser extent.

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: Despite Diamond Dave's 80's image, he [[WesternAnimation/{{Metalocalypse}} DOES NOT DO COCAINE!]]

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* {{Signature Song}}s:

** "Year to the Day" is about a poor farmer on a dying ranch that's leaving him completely broken on the inside. Things apparently became like this because of somebody (perhaps a loved one) leaving him one year prior. The chorus states that he "barely survived", so it had to have been rough; perhaps involving a death or a divorce. Couple that with the most somber backing track in Van Halen's entire discography, plus some truly haunting and echoey vocals from Gary Cherone, and you can't help but feel sorry for the song's narrator by the end.

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** He was off ''illicit'' drugs. He did clean up once to record "Jamie's Cryin'", but... well, Wiki/TheOtherWiki speaks for itself:

** Enters CanonDiscontinuity, as the band released a compilation with songs by both Sammy and David, but not the third guy.
*** Gary Cherone, for his part, was gracious enough to not speak out about any of this (including his non-inclusion in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction). Considering the way he was treated by the band during his tenure with them, he had every right to.

** Also true for David Lee Roth's solo career; while "California Girls" is still equally remembered as a [[Music/TheBeachBoys Beach Boys]] song, "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" is more associated with him than with any of its other artists nowadays. Went in the other direction for Sammy Hagar, though, as his "I've Done Everything for You" is much better remembered as a Music/RickSpringfield song.

** Also true for David Lee Roth's solo career; while "California Girls" is still equally remembered as a Music/TheBeachBoys song, "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" is more associated with him than with any of its other artists nowadays. Went in the other direction for Sammy Hagar, though, as his "I've Done Everything for You" is much better remembered as a Music/RickSpringfield song.

* DorkAge: The Hagar stuff for some; whoever came after Hagar for most.
** Enters CanonDiscontinuity, as the band released a compilation with songs by both Sammy and David, but not the third guy.
*** Gary Cherone, for his part, was gracious enough to not speak out about any of this (including his non-inclusion in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction). Considering the way he was treated by the band during his tenure with them, he had every right to.

** Opinion of Michael Anthony has dramatically improved since his firing. There was never any negative opinion to begin with, but, with his down-to-earth friendly personality, and very underrated bass playing, a lot of people have began paying him a lot more attention, especially since Eddie has a nasty habit of trashing the man in interviews.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** The band were planning a tour in 2019, rumored to include Michael Anthony on bass, but had to be scrapped due to Eddie's health problems. After Eddie's death in 2020, it was revealed (and confirmed by Sammy Hagar) it would have been a "Kitchen Sink" tour, bringing back not only Anthony, but would have had ALL THREE lead singers (Dave, Sammy and Gary Cherone).
** Three times between 1981 and 1984, Eddie and Alex tried to bring in Billy Sheehan (LeadBassist for Talas, a band that opened for VH) to replace Michael Anthony. Billy turned down the offer each time, feeling Mike was the right guy for the band, and respected him too much to steal his gig. He would later accept an offer to join Dave's solo band in 1986.

** Eddie Van Halen's death from a stroke on October 6, 2020, and the band's subsequent demise a month later.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The band were planning a tour in 2019, rumored to include Michael Anthony on bass, but had to be scrapped due to Eddie's health problems. After Eddie's death in 2020, it was revealed (and confirmed by Sammy Hagar) it would have been a "Kitchen Sink" tour, bringing back not only Anthony, but would have had ALL THREE lead singers (Dave, Sammy and Gary Cherone).

** The inordinate amount of feuding between devotees of the Roth and Hagar eras. Hagar fans accuse Roth being a technically poor singer, while Roth fans argue that Hagar's tenure with the band saw them become too generic. There's actually a sizable contingent of fans that likes both eras, not that you could tell from the online arguments - the general consensus is that Roth is a better frontman and has more stage presence while Hagar is a better singer technically and has more songwriting ability.

** The inordinate amount of feuding between devotees of the Roth and Hagar eras. Hagar fans accuse Roth being a technically poor singer, while Roth fans argue that Hagar's tenure with the band saw them become too generic. There's actually a sizable contingent of fans that likes both eras, not that you could tell from the online arguments.

** Eddie Van Halen's death from cancer on October 6, 2020, and the band's subsequent demise a month later.

* HarsherInHindsight: In May 2020, Sammy Hagar indicated in an interview that "until Ed or Alex Van Halen dies, [the band is] not finished." Five months later, Eddie would die of cancer, and indeed, the band was announced by Wolfie to be finished a month later.

* HarsherInHindsight: In May 2020, Sammy Hagar indicated in an interview that "until Ed or Alex Van Halen dies, [the band is] not finished." Five months later, Eddie would die of cancer, and indeed, the band was announced by Wolfie to be finished a month later.* MisBlamed: Eddie was already shifting the band's sound when Sammy came in - one look at Sammy's non-VH material shows he can rock just as hard as Dave. Part of the misblame is arguably due to Dave's opposition to said shifting.