Van Halen "Secrets" Breakdown

[@gkniffen]

"Secrets" is a hidden gem in the VH catalog. Love that tune.

[@heatheraskew2949]

Just listened to this yesterday in my jeep love every song

[@sleggarri]

I was 15 when DD hit. Love that album! Great job analyzing and playing Secrets. BTW: I have DD session outtakes, jams and alternative takes that I'd be happy to share with you, Fran. I believe that Templeman had released them to the public a few months ago.

[@PawpawJamz]

One of their most overlooked songs. Great video. Killer playing 🤘

[@jasoncarter9356]

Thanks for all the great content and passion for Dave era Van Halen!

[@francapitanelli9775]

Right on!! Thanks for the super thanks !!!!!👊👊👊👊👊👊

[@jasoncarter9356]

​@@francapitanelli9775 👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼👊🏼

[@gregeaster2479]

Love Diver Down...Saw em 3 times during that tour. Like i said love , using the word Love here! Every song and guitar virtuosity, but i have always wandered how he got Hang em High sooo mind altering fast and geniously perfect 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸LONG LIVE EVH🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸

[@rayohlinger1252]

Man, that was my entry point into Van Halen back in the day!

[@todd2683]

My fave album. Peak of their energy

[@francapitanelli9775]

Special place in my heart that one has. Yeah man. It’s got a thing for sure. Class

[@tbailiff4800]

I love the DLR lyric only running with the devil. Had that as my ringtone for ages until I switched to iPhone. I need to find one that’ll work.

[@felixsantana258]

Thanx for the Secret Guitar Lessons. Nice chords Fosho!!! 😼

[@chrisbr1969]

Another awesome video!

[@SteveJones379]

Fair Warning is my favorite album🤘, 1st album is close second. First album was my favorite when it came out. 😄 Nice guitar work! 🤘 Heard some pre-Drop Dead Legs 3-note per string runs in there.

[@lax0598]

My favorite VH song!! Thanks for doing this video. You are an awesome player!!

[@danielvelsor5693]

Always wondered why secrets sounds so different when I play it

[@kmg365bg]

Fantastic Fran. That was awesome.

[@lorettahookano6139]

When this album first came out I hated it but now it’s one of my favorites

[@mbrawls8782]

You're nailed it bro. Nice job. Underrated song. Brings back memories. Thanks!

[@jairotorres8472]

Mi disco favorito de van halen.Saludos desde Bogotá!!!!

[@mightyV444]

It's the middle of Summer here in NZ, and while sitting by the beach a few evenings ago and enjoying the sunset, a guy was walking by with a bluetooth speaker, and 'Cathedral' was playing on it! 😀 Which of course was very cool but also felt quite odd to me at the same time! 😄

[@francapitanelli9775]

Hahahaha

[@mightyV444]

@@francapitanelli9775 - 😄 A similar thing had happened around Christmas, when I was walking along my suburb's main road and suddenly noticed flute sounds somewhere underneath all the traffic noise, thinking "That melody sounds familiar!" It kept getting louder and louder the further I was walking, until I finally recognised it as the outro of the last song from my favourite album by Talk Talk, 'The Colour Of Spring', coming from a window above one of the shops on the opposite side of the road! 😀 Again a rather odd feeling; I hardly _ever_ hear music I like but not many others know, when out and about 😄

[@GuyNarnarian]

Cool breakdown man. I think I may actually be able to play it correctly now. You have an epic guitar face - look possessed. Subscribed.

[@francapitanelli9775]

🤙🏼🤙🏼

[@schmoopie1956]

Dude beautiful!

[@maximilianodachevsky5867]

Well done!!

[@dronairbrasil8555]

So cool man. Greetings from Brazil!

[@chaosmusician]

Great job, man.

[@edfromchicago]

Let’s get this man some more subscribers!

[@jeffnobles214]

Good stuff! Watching you play it, looks like there little shape snippet pieces parts from stairway and over the hills and far away.

[@hazor777]

Great Playing!! Love the explosion edit 😂😂😂😂! VH Forever!!

[@HazeOfWhearyWater]

Van Halen 1 was flippin' HUGE when it first came out as far as everyone in my age group was concerned.

[@badarmenia]

HUGE thumbs up bro! One of my fav EVH SOLOS. This one’s a beast!

[@francapitanelli9775]

👊👊

[@DANarchX]

Such a great song, although it’s indeed not pedal to the metal VH, it’s just such great songwriting. And then that solo… man! Thanks for picking this one off Diver Down, gets easily overlooked but so good. You did a great thing here pointing out all the intricacies and kudos for your skills!

[@francapitanelli9775]

Right on! Thanks

[@joelchabot3170]

Thanks!

[@DanAbrigg1964]

Fantastic VH song.

[@tanneryordan]

I noticed the strum behind the bridge recently also, although he did record it on the Gibson EDS. His EDS had more travel behind the bridge than a tune-o-matic, but not as much as the Kramer. It was a kind of throwback to the first album era when he would strum behind the bridge all the time. He does it all throughout the choruses of RWTD and during Feel Your Love Tonight, along with a few demos from that period. People are so crazy to think it was behind the nut lol

[@francapitanelli9775]

Yes! The first Eddie guitar we ever heard on “1” is behind the bridge

[@KnightOnBaldMountain]

Great cover! Secrets is one their best songs. Every time I listen to it I’ve got to hear Cathedral first. It feels like the intro to Secrets. Two thoughts: 1. Diver Down is a masterpiece. 2. Every cover Van Halen recorded is better than the original. Especially Dancing in the Streets and Pretty Woman.

[@francapitanelli9775]

Where Have All the Good Times Gone is such a great one too. They really make it their own. I didn’t even know it was a Kinks song until 20 years after I heard the VH version

[@KnightOnBaldMountain]

@@francapitanelli9775 There isn’t a filler song on the entire album. Whenever I improvise as an amateur DJ I often love to finish with Happy Trails. The song always amuses me. Speaking of The Kinks, I once read or heard that Ray Davies was so impressed with Van Halen’s cover of You Really Got Me that he said something to the effect that it was better than his original. Do you know if that’s true?

[@francapitanelli9775]

@@KnightOnBaldMountain sounds familiar but I can’t be sure

[@eugenemccool3579]

Sorry, if someone already posted this: Ed played “Secrets” on the Gibson, when recording for DIVER DOWN. So, that little “Rake”, most likely, behind the bridge, was on his Gibson. As I remember hearing/reading it: Ed didn’t take delivery of the Kramer Double Neck, until sometime during the DIVER DOWN/HIDE YOUR SHEEP TOUR.

[@sly9572]

One of their most underrated songs.

[@ppuntrotzooizooi7692]

Secrets is one of my favorites. Underrated as i see it. But very good and cool! Not much played live… 🤘🤘🤘

[@kelseydimattei6662]

Quoted by king Edward saying “secrets” was his favorite song on the album ❤️

[@francapitanelli9775]

I didn’t know that 🤘

[@Kinger1625]

Love your guitar face! Loved and Subed! Edit: OH HELL YES!!! Great playing, and drumming. Nice, even the snare sounds good….bass you too? If so it’s awesome! One of my favourite songs by VH. Women in Love is extremely underrated too! Thank you for this!

[@francapitanelli9775]

Thanks for the sub! Bass is Mike Anthony I played to the track and took everything out but him Women In Love YES. It is rich in beauty and awesomeness. Those background vocals over brown sound…… Damn

[@MorningCoffeeVinylSide]

EVH didn't get the Kramer custom till after the song was recorded which he got so he didn't get accused of ripping off Jimmy Page's iconic look. (IIRC he used a Gibson doubleneck for the recording) but he did play it behind the bridge like you said. The Kramer came late to the party.

[@tino0217]

Kicked ass bro

[@MRCATL3]

Secrets is probably top 5 most incredible VH songs nobody has ever heard

[@kimblez]

what room mic are you using to record your talking ? ... sounds good

[@ronniecapitanelli3729]

The incredible harmonic neck slap’n intro on Mean Streets is without a doubt the most mind blowing, ground breaking guitar epic since Hendrix blew everyone away with the Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock ~ BOOM 💥 (Oh .. and Diver Down ROCKS too)

[@francapitanelli9775]

I remember you putting on the Walkman headphones and watching your reaction the first time you heard that Mean Street intro. 🤯💥💣

[@tino0217]

Well done bro

[@francapitanelli9775]

I appreciate that 🤙🏼

[@mightyV444]

And when first reading this video's title, I was pondering, "Hmmm... 'Secrets'... Must be from one from the Sammy Era albums!? 🤔", because I wasn't able to connect any of the VH songs I _do_ know with that title, while also preferring the albums with DLR. And then you said "Diver Down" and I was like, "Eh?! That's my favourite VH album, so I should actually _know_ that song!" 😄 Which of course I did - Duh! 😄 I'd just never wondered or checked what it's called! 😅 Anyway, thank you for another amazing video, Fran! 😀👍 Ohhhsumm job with recreating its parts, too! 👏🤩 I'd be interested to hear how you usually go about learning such rather difficult guitar parts 🙂 And I agree: As simple as it may sound, that drum beat is actually not all that easy to play accurately over the course of the whole song! 😅

[@francapitanelli9775]

I guess Secrets was a better sounding title than “Got That Rhythm” which sounds like it could be a Gloria Estefan song. That drum beat was a problem. Especially for my neighbor who had to hear me flubbin through it over the last handful of days practicing it. 🤘

[@mightyV444]

@@francapitanelli9775 - LOL! 😄 I was actually thinking about Gloria Estefan and some of her songs with the Miami Sound Machine only recently! 😄 🎶"The rhythm is gonna geeet you...tonight!" 🎶 😁 And oooh yes, neighbours had often been a problem during my own drumming days, too! 🙄 Haven't drummed in many years and am hoping to be able to get back into it somehow and soon! 😊

[@MRCATL3]

Diver Down is so underrated. Cathedral/Secrets

[@GeneSchmidt]

great video! Big like and sub!

[@francapitanelli9775]

Thanks for the sub!

[@GeneSchmidt]

@@francapitanelli9775 for sure!!!

[@NeilJustice-tx5gg]

You got your facts wrong. The reason Warner Bros wanted them to make an album is because Pretty Woman topped at No 12. Ted Templeman and David Lee Roth wanted a cover to make Van Halen relevant in 1982 because they were going to take a 2 year break from touring and new album.

[@NeilJustice-tx5gg]

Very good playing though!

[@chriscollesano8463]

Sounds like he might’ve had a little chorus on his guitar while tracking. Good job though man 👍🏼

[@francapitanelli9775]

When I put chorus in the 12 string it didn’t sound right. But yeah, probably

[@mightyV444]

@@francapitanelli9775 - Maybe EVH was using a Flanger and not a Chorus?! Andy Summers' 'Chorus' sounds _also_ came from a Flanger! 🙂

[@chriscollesano8463]

@@francapitanelli9775 yea, I see that. Maybe it was an Harmonizer or whatever they were using back then.

[@NeilJustice-tx5gg]

You got your facts wrong. The reason Warner Bros wanted them to make an album is because Pretty Woman topped at No 12. Ted Templeman and David Lee Roth wanted a cover to make Van Halen relevant in 1982 because they were going to take a 2 year break from touring and new album.