“Panama” reportedly was inspired by a time Van Halen was criticized by a reporter for writing songs solely about hard partying, hot women, and fast cars, to which David Lee Roth responded that they’d never written a song about a fast car.

The car they wrote “Panama” about is either a drag racer named Panama Express or Diamond Dave’s Opel Kadet:

The nickname for that blue 1969 Kadett Caravan was “Panama” cuz that was the farthest south that you could possibly go and still have a really corrupt good time.

Of course, the car described in the song only serves as a metaphor for…. a hot woman – who is into some hard partying! (see also: “Little Red Corvette”).

Released as the third single from 1984, “Panama” reached #13 in the US, becoming the album’s third top 20 in a row.

Its music video features the band on stage, often being swung back and forth from a cable. It is notable for featuring a custom-made bass guitar designed to look like a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey. Reportedly, MTV had a rule banning product placement, but the bass guitar was so prominent in the video – and VH was so popular at the time, having just scored a #1 hit with “Jump” that year – that the network was forced to air it as is.