Producer Ted Templeman on “Gonna Take a Lotta Drugs” by Van Halen: “I f***ing cracked up” – Nicolette Larson “Lotta Love”
Greg Renoff: Back in 1978, Van Halen recorded a parody of Nicolette Larson’s “Lotta Love”. I asked (Ted) Templeman and (Donn) Landee how it happened.
Landee:
Ted and I were working on Nicolette Larson’s album. I let them hear the tape, and David (Lee Roth) said, “Hey, can I have a copy of that? We want to try something.” So David and Mike (Anthony) did “Gonna Take a Lotta Drugs” to that tape. When we played it back, David and Mike said, “Do you think Ted’s gonna get mad about this?”
Templeman:
I had been gone from the studio. I had a meeting or something. So the guys went in there and wrote this song. [sings] “It’s gonna take a lotta drugs to get us through the night!” Donn put them on Nicolette’s track. (laughs) They loved that. I came back, and they were all nervous. But when Donn played it, I f***ing cracked up.
