Watch Steve Vai and Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt performing “Yankee Rose”

“Yankee Rose” was written by David Lee Roth and Steve Vai and was Roth’s first single on his 1986 first full-length album “Eat ‘Em and Smile”. In this awesome video posted on Youtube you can watch Steve Vai and Extreme’s Nuno Bettencourt performing the song in a bar recently.

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The song

After releasing Crazy from the Heat, an EP of lounge standards that became a surprise hit during early 1985, and subsequently parting ways with Van Halen while the band was at its commercial zenith, Roth assembled a new backing band: bassist Billy Sheehan (later of Mr. Big); drummer Gregg Bissonette (later of Ringo Starr and Elton John, among others); and guitarist Steve Vai, who had worked previously with Frank Zappa, PiL and Alcatrazz.

After releasing Crazy from the Heat, an EP of lounge standards that became a surprise hit during early 1985, and subsequently parting ways with Van Halen while the band was at its commercial zenith, Roth assembled a new backing band: bassist Billy Sheehan (later of Mr. Big); drummer Gregg Bissonette (later of Ringo Starr and Elton John, among others); and guitarist Steve Vai, who had worked previously with Frank Zappa, PiL and Alcatrazz.

The song was recorded as a tribute to the Statue of Liberty in New York City, as the statue was completing a major renovation for the 100th anniversary of its dedication in 1886.

The song was Roth’s third Top-40 hit, the first two being covers of “California Girls” and “Just A Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody”.

It also appears as a radio tune on the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on the rock station V-Rock. A cover of the song is the title song for the video game Rumble Roses and Rumble Roses XX performed by Teresa James.

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