Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin continued the Hanukkah Sessions on Wednesday with “Jump” by Van Halen. The tribute to David Lee Roth and the late Eddie Van Halen comes following covers of Lisa Loeb, Ramones, and Barry Manilow.
From Kurstin’s opening synth notes, the video is imbued with that 1980s razzle-dazzle. Though the cover is a bit bare without any guitar, the sonic void is instead filled in by Grohl’s pounding drums. Kurstin fully commits to solely using the synth, opting for a keytar solo rather than an actual guitar. While Grohl does his best to pay homage to Diamond Dave, there’s simply no touching the legacy of EVH.
“Quite possibly the loudest and proudest of hard rocking Jews, David Lee Roth has gone on record crediting his Bar Mitzvah preparation as his earliest vocal training,” Grohl and Kurstin said in the YouTube description. “He became a rockstar the day he became a man: Diamond Dreidel DLR and Van Halen…with ‘Jump.'”
Related: UPDATE: David Lee Roth To Retire Following Las Vegas Residency… Maybe
Last year’s inaugural Hannukah Sessions series saw Grohl and Kurstin cover a wide array of Jewish artists including Beastie Boys, Drake, Mountain, Peaches, Bob Dylan, Elastica, The Knack, and The Velvet Underground.
Watch Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin cover “Jump” by Van Halen for the fourth night of the Hannukah Sessions. Stay tuned to the Foo Fighters’ YouTube channel for future installments.
Dave Grohl, Greg Kurstin – “Jump” (Van Halen)