10 Worst Hard Rock Lyrics Of The ‘80s
2. Why Can't This Be Love - Van Halen
Hair metal fans around the world were dealt a heavy blow when David Lee Roth announced his departure from Van Halen. After years of being one of the greatest frontmen in rock, how would the rest of the band find anyone who could take his place? Though Sammy Hagar seemed like the ideal candidate after the success of 5150, the inner workings of “Why Can’t This Be Love” have a few more sore spots than people might like to admit.
The core message of the song is pretty good for a hair metal tune, with the lyrics detailing the singer’s infatuation with his lover and wondering if his love will last beyond the here and now. That kind of attitude actually seems pretty mature for a hair metal song, but then we get handed the line “only time will tell if we stand the test of time.”
As far as hair metal bands go, this kind of lyric is about as redundant as it gets, with Hagar looking like he didn’t have enough words to fill the verse. Rather than going back to the drawing board and coming up with a different line, the band just continued without a care in the world. The rest of 5150 is an absolutely stellar listen, but “Why Can’t This Be Love” was the one moment that this new iteration of Van Halen became almost laughable.