The Fast Car Song That Became a Van Halen Essential

When Van Halen released “Panama” in 1984, a few listeners thought the California party band had suddenly developed a geopolitical conscience. Panama was indeed in the headlines that year, thanks to Manuel Noriega’s rise and a fraudulent election. The four members of Van Halen, predictably, had zero interest in any of that.

David Lee Roth has offered varying accounts of what the song is actually about. One story ties it to a drag racer called the Panama Express. Another credits his 1969 Opel Kadett Caravan wagon, nicknamed Panama. The most consistent thread: a critic had accused the band of writing only about women, partying, and fast cars. So Roth decided to write a fast car song. As with much Roth lore, the truth is slippery. A line like “Here she comes, full blast and top down” suggests the metaphor wasn’t purely automotive.

Whatever its conception, the track became a distillation of Van Halen’s sound in under four minutes. It’s a sleek showcase for all four members — the riff, the swing, the solo, the vocal — and it stayed in the setlist for virtually every tour after its release. This past year, it was a fixture in the separate live shows of both Roth and Sammy Hagar, two singers who agree on little except that “Panama” still works onstage.

It never charted as high as “Jump,” stalling at Number 13 on the Hot 100, but it has outlasted most of the band’s bigger hits as a live staple and a pure encapsulation of what Van Halen did best. The meaning, as usual, was never the point.