David Lee Roth has released a cover of Tommy Tutone’s Top 5 hit ”867-5309 / Jenny,” which he cheekily referred to as “That Telephone Song.” You can listen to it below.
It’s a fairly faithful cover of the 1981 power-pop anthem, substituting the crunchy electric guitars for acoustic strumming and more jangly leads. Roth also adds a bluesy harmonica solo in lieu of a guitar solo.
The former Van Halen frontman has stayed active on YouTube in recent months, releasing several songs, dance videos and spoken-word musings. His cover of “867-5309 / Jenny” arrives two months after the rap-rock song “Election Year.”
Roth also revisited Van Halen’s discography last year and released new versions of some of their classic hits, including “Panama,” “Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love” and “Unchained.” Additionally, he’s reunited with former guitarist John 5 on a handful of tracks in recent years, including the reflective ”Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bar and Grill” and “Nothing Could Have Stopped Us Back Then Anyway,” plus the 2023 acoustic ditty “The Shit That Killed Elvis.”
READ MORE: All 75 David Lee Roth-Era Van Halen Songs Ranked Worst to Best
David Lee Roth Has Been Dishing Van Halen Dirt
Diamond Dave hasn’t minced words while talking about his former bandmates and his successor, Sammy Hagar. Earlier this year, the singer uploaded a video called “The Ballad of Popsicle Sam” in which he speculated that Hagar “was abducted by aliens and he was sex probed.”
In another video, Roth acknowledged the tension between Eddie and Alex Van Halen. “Al drove his brother fucking crazy. He’s a big bully,” Roth said, adding that alcohol often exacerbated their issues. ”Al weighed about 20 more pounds, drank between two and six six-packs of Schlitz malt tall liquors a day. At the height of his [drinking] they had to put in a special industrial refrigerator in the guest house at Eddie’s studio.”
Van Halen Lineup Changes
Three different singers and two different bassists joined the Van Halen brothers over the years.