David Lee Roth dedicated the song to martial artist Benny "The Jet" Urquidez, of whom he was a student.

[3] "Jump" was one of the few Van Halen songs originally recorded by Roth that Sammy Hagar would perform live during his tenures with the band.

Riding around in the back of his 1951 Mercury, with band roadie Larry Hostler driving, Roth listened repeatedly to the tune.

Roth bounced this suggestion off Hostler who agreed it was good; however, instead of describing a potential suicide, the lyrics were written as an ontological invitation to action, life and love.

[5] Ted Templeman recalls that "Jump" was recorded at Eddie Van Halen's newly constructed home studio.

"[19] Since December 1986, before every home game at the Stade Vélodrome, Olympique de Marseille players enter to Van Halen's song.

The original Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League played "Jump" on the arena PA system as the team came onto the ice.

[22] "Jump" was the theme song for the introduction of Chicago Cubs broadcasts on WGN-TV in 1984 and 1985, and was formerly what the team would run onto the field to before the top of the 1st inning.

"[25] Chuck Klosterman of Vulture.com ranked it the 16th-best Van Halen song, calling it "an articulation of unadulterated joy and the unprecedented power of six rudimentary keyboard chords arranged in the best possible sequence.

"[15] Ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics, the song was voted as the favourite sporting anthem, in a poll of members of PRS for Music.

[26] The song was used in the soundtrack of the 2015 biopic Eddie the Eagle, being described by Blake Goble of Consequence of Sound as "the most on-the-nose use of Van Halen's 'Jump' ever committed to celluloid".

[31][32] The song is heard in a scene of the 2005 film Herbie: Fully Loaded where the titular character competes in a demolition derby.

[citation needed] "Jump" was nominated at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards (1984) in the "Best Rock Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal" category, losing to "Purple Rain" by Prince & The Revolution.

[33] Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren debuted his own private remix of "Jump" at the 2019 Miami Ultra Music Festival with David Lee Roth on stage.