Uploaded December 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
New remaster sourced from the HDtracks release.
"Runnin' with the Devil" is a song by the American hard rock band Van Halen, released as the second single from their 1978 eponymous debut album. The lyrics were inspired by Ohio Players 1974 song "Runnin' from the Devil". In 2009, "Runnin' with the Devil" was named the 9th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1. Chuck Klosterman of Vulture ranked it the eighth-best Van Halen song, praising the staccato bass playing as well as David Lee Roth's vocal performance.
"Runnin' with the Devil" remains a staple track of classic rock radio and is amongst their most popular songs.
The song begins with a collection of car horns sounding. The horns were taken from the band's own cars and mounted in a box and powered by two car batteries, with a foot switch. Producer Ted Templeman slowed the horns down before adding them to the track. This same idea was first used during the band's club sets and appeared on the Gene Simmons-recorded demo of the song, as well as the song "House of Pain" which preceded it on the demo. A four-measure guitar solo is played after the second and third chorus.
The song's lyrics have often been misinterpreted as being satanic, yet the band members have never revealed the full meaning of the song. It is usually interpreted as being about the life of a touring young band. The song's verses deal with an individual's experience, including learning that a "simple" lifestyle is not as simple as it appears. The lyrics "Runnin' with the devil" are usually interpreted as being a reference to freedom. In the song freedom is portrayed as a lack of social ties and living in the present. The song's meaning has also been interpreted as being an attempt to convince a person that the theme of a simple life is not wrong as it appears. Therefore, the lyrics of "Runnin' with the devil" would not be serious.
New remaster sourced from the HDtracks release.
"Runnin' with the Devil" is a song by the American hard rock band Van Halen, released as the second single from their 1978 eponymous debut album. The lyrics were inspired by Ohio Players 1974 song "Runnin' from the Devil". In 2009, "Runnin' with the Devil" was named the 9th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1. Chuck Klosterman of Vulture ranked it the eighth-best Van Halen song, praising the staccato bass playing as well as David Lee Roth's vocal performance.
"Runnin' with the Devil" remains a staple track of classic rock radio and is amongst their most popular songs.
The song begins with a collection of car horns sounding. The horns were taken from the band's own cars and mounted in a box and powered by two car batteries, with a foot switch. Producer Ted Templeman slowed the horns down before adding them to the track. This same idea was first used during the band's club sets and appeared on the Gene Simmons-recorded demo of the song, as well as the song "House of Pain" which preceded it on the demo. A four-measure guitar solo is played after the second and third chorus.
The song's lyrics have often been misinterpreted as being satanic, yet the band members have never revealed the full meaning of the song. It is usually interpreted as being about the life of a touring young band. The song's verses deal with an individual's experience, including learning that a "simple" lifestyle is not as simple as it appears. The lyrics "Runnin' with the devil" are usually interpreted as being a reference to freedom. In the song freedom is portrayed as a lack of social ties and living in the present. The song's meaning has also been interpreted as being an attempt to convince a person that the theme of a simple life is not wrong as it appears. Therefore, the lyrics of "Runnin' with the devil" would not be serious.
