"Unchained" has many of the elements that make Van Halen songs memorable: ear-grabbing riff, killer guitar solo, fist-pumping energy, rich vocal harmonies. The song's secret weapon, however, comes during its breakdown, with a flippant, tongue-in-cheek exchange between singer David Lee Roth and producer Ted Templeman. The song, which was recorded during the spring of 1981 and released as a single on July 22 that year is one of the most straightforward tracks from Van Halen's boundary-pushing fourth album, Fair Warning. The attack pulls back about mid-song, with Roth telling Templeman " That suit is you!" with the producer firing back, " Come on, Dave, gimme a break!"