Panama (song)

1984 single by Van Halen

2 min read

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2026-01-28Peak: 2582026-02-26

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Key Takeaways

" Panama " is a song by the American rock band Van Halen.
In 2015, "Sleazegrinder" of Louder included the song in his list of "The 20 Greatest Hair Metal Anthems Of All Time", placing it at number 9.
Instead, the song was reportedly written about a car.
Although the song features some suggestive lyrics, it is about a car that Roth saw race in Las Vegas; its name was "Panama Express", hence the title of the song.
Roth wrote the song after being accused by a reporter of "singing about only women, partying, and fast cars".

"Panama" is a song by the American rock band Van Halen. It was the third US single released from their album 1984.

In 2015, "Sleazegrinder" of Louder included the song in his list of "The 20 Greatest Hair Metal Anthems Of All Time", placing it at number 9.

Background

Despite its name, the song has nothing to do with the country. Instead, the song was reportedly written about a car. In an interview with Howard Stern, lead singer David Lee Roth explained the meaning behind the song. Although the song features some suggestive lyrics, it is about a car that Roth saw race in Las Vegas; its name was "Panama Express", hence the title of the song.

Panama was also the name of Roth's Opel Kadett.

Roth wrote the song after being accused by a reporter of "singing about only women, partying, and fast cars". He realized he had never written a song about fast cars and decided to write one.

In an interview with guitarist Eddie Van Halen, he said the song was musically inspired by AC/DC's straightforward three chord rock style.

During the bridge of the song where Roth says "I can barely see the road from the heat comin' off," Eddie Van Halen can be heard revving his 1972 Lamborghini Miura S in the background. The car was backed up to the studio and microphones were attached to the exhaust pipe to record the sound for the song.

The song is in the key of E♭ Major. However, the published score is in the key of E Major, having a moderate rock common time tempo of 144 beats per minute.