“Panama” by Van Halen

All things considered, “Panama” can be interpreted in one of two ways. Most-notably it is about a car. And depending on which particular origin story one subscribes to one – or perhaps both – of the following automobiles served as its inspiration.

First is a race care called Panama Express which David Lee Roth saw perform one day in Las Vegas. Second was his own personal vehicle, a brand of German car called an Opel Kadett, which Roth himself reportedly named Panama (though some reports repute this).  But either way, the lyrics are clearly biggin’ up this vehicle. Indeed on top of being an attractive, powerful and fast car, even beyond its physical appeals its attributes are symbolic of the disruptive, undisciplined lifestyle which the singer idealizes. And for the record no, Panama is not the car which is featured on the music video to this track.

Interpretation #2

However, the second interpretation of the song is that Van Halen are actually singing about a female. More specifically, it’s supposed to be about a stripper whom Roth was friendly with. And the idea that he actually may be singing about a lady really starts to come through in the latter half of the song.

But honestly speaking, throughout, the lyrics can be interpreted either way. That is to say that on the surface, they do primarily read as if the singer is praising a particular automobile. But the way the metaphors are arranged, they could also be easily understood as being in reference to a lady, one whom he, as well as others are particularly attracted to. 

So conclusively, we can say that “Panama” is about both a car(s) and a girl. Or stated otherwise, fast cars and hot women hold a comparable place in the singer’s heart.

Facts about “Panama”

This is the third single from Van Halen’s classic album “1984”, as issued by Warner Bros. Records on 9 January 1984. The band’s classic signature song “Jump” also appears on “1984”.

The writers of “Panama” were Van Halen’s lineup as of that time:

• Alex Van Halen
• Michael Anthony
• David L. Roth
• Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020)

According to the legend behind this tune, Roth was inspired to write the lyrics after being accused of only being able to pen songs about the following three subjects:

• women
• parties
• fast cars

And upon receiving this criticism, it came to him that he never actually wrote a song about the latter. Thus he penned “Panama” as a sarcastic gesture, so to speak.

And the song went on to become a moderate hit, appearing on the Billboard Hot 100, UK Singles Chart and charting in a couple of other countries. And in peaking at number 13 on the Hot 100, it holds the distinction of being Van Halen’s last-notable hit before Roth left the band about a year later (though he would later rejoin).

Pete Angelus directed the music video to “Panama”. It was filmed at a venue called the Providence Civic Center, which is located in Rhode Island.

Said video infamously features Michael Anthony strumming a bass guitar which is actually shaped like a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. And the reason we use the word infamous in this regard is because the reason he did so was actually to circumvent MTV’s rule of no advertisements in music videos in such a way that they couldn’t edit the product placement out.

“Panama” was produced by Ted Templeman.