If you were around in early 1995, you probably remember the cover of Van Halen’s Balance. Two conjoined twins on a see-saw, looking vaguely miserable in a desert. It was a weird, jarring image for a band known for "Panama" and "Jump." But honestly, that’s because van halen balance album songs weren't meant to be another party soundtrack. They were the sound of a band literally coming apart at the seams while trying to pretend everything was fine.
I remember the first time I heard "The Seventh Seal." That opening with the chanting monks? It felt like a heavy metal funeral. It wasn't the "Van Hagar" we were used to. It was something much darker, much more complex, and—dare I say it—way more interesting than anything they’d done since the early 80s.
The Chaos Behind the Tracklist
The recording of Balance was basically a three-month pressure cooker. The band's longtime manager, Ed Leffler, had just died. He was the only guy who could actually keep Eddie Van Halen and Sammy Hagar from killing each other. Without him, the "balance" the album title refers to was more of a desperate wish than a reality.
Eddie was recording sober for the first time in basically forever. Think about that. Twenty years of legendary riffs fueled by beer and cigarettes, and suddenly he’s in the studio at 5150 with a clear head. He wrote "The Seventh Seal" in about thirty minutes. It’s a monster of a track, but the sessions were tense. Producer Bruce Fairbairn—the guy who did Aerosmith’s Permanent Vacation—had to act like a referee.
One of the weirdest bits of trivia? Sammy actually had to fly to Vancouver to record his vocals at Bryan Adams' house because he couldn't stand being in the studio with Eddie. When you listen to the van halen balance album songs, you can almost hear that distance.
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A Breakdown of the Standout Tracks
Let’s look at the songs that actually defined this era. It’s a mix of some of the best playing of Eddie’s career and some... well, let's call them "experimental" choices.
- "The Seventh Seal": This is the heavy hitter. It’s got this U2-meets-Zeppelin vibe. Eddie’s guitar tone here is thick, gnarled, and angry. It’s about his struggle with sobriety, and Sammy’s vocals are surprisingly gritty.
- "Can’t Stop Lovin’ You": This was the "pop" hit. Bruce Fairbairn basically forced them to write a radio song. Sammy wrote it from his ex-wife's perspective, which is kinda heavy for a Top 40 tune. It feels a bit like 1980s Tom Petty, but with better guitar fills.
- "Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)": This was the first single. It’s moody. It’s grunge-adjacent. Hagar was actually writing about Kurt Cobain’s suicide here. The solo is atypical—less "Eruption" and more "Neil Young on fire."
- "Amsterdam": This is where the wheels started falling off. Eddie hated the lyrics. He thought Sammy’s "Wham, bam, Amsterdam" lines were cheesy. Sammy, meanwhile, just wanted to sing about weed and red lights. It’s a catchy riff, but you can hear the creative friction.
- "Not Enough": A massive piano ballad. It sounds like something Ben Folds would write if he had a Marshall stack behind him. It’s beautiful, but it definitely signaled that the "hard rock" version of the band was shifting.
The Instrumentals: Genius or Filler?
There are three instrumentals on Balance, which is a lot for a 12-track album. Most fans think they're just there to pad out the CD length, but there's some real history there.
"Strung Out" is this avant-garde piano piece where Eddie basically tortured a Baldwin piano with batteries and knives. He actually recorded it in the early 80s while staying at Marvin Hamlisch’s beach house. Fairbairn loved it and insisted it go on the record as an intro to "Not Enough."
Then you have "Baluchitherium." It’s a four-minute guitar workout named after an extinct giant mammal. It was actually supposed to have lyrics, but Sammy and Eddie couldn't agree on them. They eventually just said, "Forget it, it sounds better without vocals." Honestly? They were right.
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The Mystery of "Crossing Over"
If you’re a real Van Halen nerd, you know about the Japanese import. It featured a bonus track called "Crossing Over." It’s widely considered one of the best van halen balance album songs, despite not being on the standard US release. It’s dark, atmospheric, and deals with the death of a friend. It’s the kind of song that makes you wonder what the album could have been if they hadn't been fighting over "Amsterdam."
Why the Album Cover Mattered
The artwork by Glen Wexler was a huge talking point. In Japan, they had to change it to a single child because the conjoined twins were seen as culturally insensitive. People also kept saying the kid on the cover was Wolfgang Van Halen. It wasn't. Wolfie was like three years old and had dark hair at the time.
The "balance" depicted on the cover—the idea that what you do to one person affects the other—was a direct metaphor for the band. If Eddie pulled one way, Sammy felt the jerk on the other end. Eventually, the see-saw just snapped.
The Legacy of the 1995 Sessions
Balance hit #1 on the Billboard 200. It went triple platinum. By any business metric, it was a smash. But it was also the end. This was the last full album with Sammy Hagar before the disastrous "Greatest Hits" recordings and the Gary Cherone era.
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Looking back, these songs represent a "grown-up" Van Halen. They weren't singing about "Ice Cream Man" anymore. They were dealing with death, divorce, sobriety, and the fact that they weren't the biggest band in the world anymore thanks to the rise of grunge.
Taking Action: How to Revisit Balance
If you want to actually "get" this album, don't just put it on as background music. It’s too dense for that.
- Listen to the 2023 Remaster: The original 90s mix was a bit "loud" and compressed. The remaster in The Collection II gives Eddie's guitar more room to breathe.
- Find the Twister Tracks: After Balance, the band did "Humans Being" for the Twister soundtrack. It’s the bridge between Balance and their eventual breakup. It’s arguably the heaviest thing they ever did.
- Watch the Live at Wembley Footage: The "Ambulance Tour" (so named because Eddie needed a hip replacement and Alex was in a neck brace) was surprisingly high-energy. Seeing "The Seventh Seal" live explains the power of that song way better than the studio version.
The van halen balance album songs are a time capsule. They show a legendary band trying to find their footing in a world that was moving on from 80s rock. It's not always pretty, but it's incredibly human.
Next Steps for Your Collection
To fully appreciate this era, you should track down the Balance Expanded Edition released in 2025. It includes the Wembley '95 live sets which finally give the Balance tracks the "live" energy they were missing on the polished studio record. If you're a vinyl collector, look for the European pressings; they often include "Baluchitherium" in a way that flows better with the B-side sequencing than the US versions.