A Look At 'Me Wise Magic'

"Me Wise Magic" happens to be one of my favorite Van Halen songs (yes, I am serious). It is completely different from most other tracks by them... or any other rock band, really. I always thought it was very inventive yet kept that guitar tapping and tone Eddie Van Halen made famous... and those soaring Michael Anthony backing vocals!

The track is extra special because it is one of the last featuring the original lineup. It was also a number one hit for six weeks in 1996. There was never an official video for the song because the Roth-era reunion was too short. Still, I am thankful we got this track! I saw this post on Facebook and I thought it was too good not to share. I try to spend less than ten minutes per day on Facebook. I quickly scan music pages I like, check my messages and look at requests in my Buy Nothing Group. Then I bust out of that hellscape!

Here's the full text if you don't want to jump to Facebook to read it all (which I get, believe me):

25 years ago today, Van Halen sent a little Zen headed your way! “Me WISE MAGIC” became the band's 13th No. 1 Billboard Mainstream Rock Track, maintaining the # 1 position for 6 weeks during the autumn of 1996. It was the first of two highly anticipated tracks recorded by the band with its original lead vocalist and songwriter, David Lee Roth. Together with the other new song on the compilation album, "Can't Get This Stuff No More", it's the last song recorded by the original line-up. The lyrics were written in the first person. They present a series of questions and statements about self-awareness, religious belief and superstitions - alternating between the points of view of God and a human being. Eddie Van Halen said about the song, "I thought it was majestic; it takes you on a roller coaster because there are so many changes. I nicknamed it "The Three Faces of Shamus," because there is that first low part, the high part, and then the chorus. All three have completely different vibes going on."

Comments

[Him]

I, too, thought that this song held the promise of something . . . more . . . from the original crew. It had that classic VH sound mixed with the Dirty Little Mouth sound of DLR in his later years. Perfect for me. It sounded like the classic band had aged, and done so fairly well.

Then again, I thought that ADKoT was just fine for what it was, cobbled together under less than perfect circumstances, and many years past "MWM." I also was one of the fanboys who thought that, for the newer stuff, "Tattoo" was a perfect intro to what can/could have be/been. Thing missing? Obvious. MA. Listen to the first song. Then the second song. He really did add the polish that smoothed out the rough when the master of ceremonies was doing his thing (in the old days and in the more recent ones). Of course, I am speaking of vocal things right now. Nothing to do with EVH. Well, some of this has a lot to do with him. But may he RIP.

I go to bat for DLR. I would do the same for MA. And I mourn the loss of EVH. Twilight of the Idols, indeed.

[Jeff]

Love this song. It was a really strong comeback effort of the original band.