Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesFans of the late Eddie Van Halen are honoring the guitar great by sending his band’s music to the top of several Billboard charts this week. Van Halen passed October 6 following a battle with cancer.
Van Halen songs have spiked in popularity following news of the guitar legend’s death, jumping by a collective 463 percent on U.S. streaming platforms alone.
Most impressive of all is the amount of people digitally purchasing Van Halen songs, sending numbers shooting up 2,522 percent since last week.
Sales of the band’s albums have also witnessed a tremendous boost, with numbers up by 1,442 percent in the week following Eddie’s passing.
With droves of fans purchasing the band’s music, several Van Halen singles have returned to the Billboard charts for the first time in decades.
Leading the charge is “Jump,” which bowed atop the Hot Hard Rock Songs and the Hard Rock Streaming Songs charts. The 1984 hit was streamed over 4.2 million times in the past week, up 136 percent, and downloads have gone through the roof as well — up 2,176 percent to be exact.
“Jump” also placed second on the Rock Digital Sales chart and ninth on the Rock Streaming Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts.
Five other Van Halen songs are making a splash across the Billboard charts are “Panama,” “Runnin’ with the Devil,” “You Really Got Me,” “Eruption” and “Hot for Teacher.”
The Rock Digital Song Sales chart in particular is dominated by Van Halen songs, with “Why Can’t This Be Love,” “Dance the Night Away,” “Right Now,” “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love,” “Jamie’s Cryin’,” “Dreams,” “Love Walks In,” “When It’s Love” and “I’ll Wait,” all appearing in the top 25.
Album-wise, Van Halen’s eponymous debut LP tops the Hard Rock Albums chart. 1984 placed second.
By Megan Stone
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