Unchained (song)

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"Unchained" (help·info) is the best-known song from Van Halen's 1981 album Fair Warning. Considered to be one of the band's signature tracks, it is instantly identifiable and one of the most requested songs on FM radio in the 1980s.^{[citation needed]} Eddie Van Halen wrote the main riff at 4:00 in the morning with engineer Donn Landee while they were doing some overdubbing on the album. The song features prominent use of the MXR M-117 flanger, which has become a popular sound and a preset for the flanger setting was included on the EVH Flanger MXR later manufactured. It uses a dropped-D tuning down a half step with suspended fourth chords interspersed. The song is also notable for being producer Ted Templeman's only vocal contribution to the band when he says "Come on, Dave, gimme a break!" during the interlude of the song. He thought David Lee Roth was getting too obnoxious and he jumped in. The band liked the way it sounded and kept it in the song.[1]

The song was a live concert staple with David Lee Roth following its release. During the first Sammy Hagar era, the song was only played on Van Halen's 1993 "Right Here, Right Now" tour. It later made a comeback as the usual opener for the 1998 Van Halen III tour and was also played nightly on the 2004 tour with Hagar. It is also part of the setlist for the 2007 tour with Roth and Wolfgang Van Halen. Wolfgang tells David to "give him a break" during the break on the 2007 tour.