Van Halen - Why Can't This Be Love

The "extended remix" of Van Halen's "Why Can't This Be Love" is a good example of a time period where the 12" extended mix had become almost ubiquitous - even hard rock acts, a cultural universe removed from the disco scene whence the 12" single originated - acts such as Van Halen as AC/DC seemed to feel the need to put out extended mixes of their songs by 1985 and 1986. Like every other movement in popular music, the 12" remix had become appropriated and legitimated and had the life blood sucked out of it by the record industry. The extended mix of Why Can't This Be Love is a good example of totally defeating the purpose. The idea of the 12" single was to provide an extended dance track for disco songs which could be played in clubs for the extended pleasure of disco dancers and beatmixed to provide a seamless disco groove. At around 57 seconds longer than the 7" version, this one is at least still discernible as one (unlike the extended version of the follow up single Dreams which is listed at 13 seconds longer than the 7" version; the difference in playing times only apparently being due to the chronographers starting and stopping their clocks at different points).
Notwithstanding, this extended mix lacks any creativity or interest whatsoever - just about the only thing that happens is that the instrumental break is repeated, in exactly the same way that it was played the first time. It adds absolutely nothing to the song in terms of making it more interesting or danceable, but then I'm pretty sure that any self-respecting inner city disco or nightclub wouldn't have touched it with a 40 ft. pole in the first place. And I doubt any real Van Halen fan would have touched a 12" disco single with a 40 ft. pole either, so you have to wonder - what was the point of all these "useless" extended mixes? I mean, there was even an extended version of Pete Cetera's "Glory of Love"; a soppy ballad about as danceable as drinking strichnine is delicious.
It's a good question though, as 12" singles (and 7" singles too) were generally loss-leaders by 1985/86, they weren't making any money, so if they weren't going to be played in any nightclub, pretty much no one, except fans of the format or the artist was going to be shelling out twice the price for the 12" single, especially when the remix was as dull as this one.
It was overkill and excess, and by the end of the 80s the 12" would quickly fall from glory and fade back to the disco, whence it first came.