After Warner Bros. Records notified David Lee Roth that a Van Halen greatest hits album was coming, Roth contacted Eddie Van Halen asking for more details. The singer and the guitarist got in touch again, and two weeks later Eddie, realizing "Humans Being" was the only new track on the compilation, asked Roth if he would record two new songs. Eddie first wrote a song for Roth "that he didn't particularly care for." Eventually when checking all the new songs along with Eddie and producer Glen Ballard, Roth narrowed down to a shuffle, "Can't Get This Stuff No More," and a pop song, "Me Wise Magic". Roth was at first bothered by the darker introduction, but eventually came to like the song. Eddie's nickname for the demo was "The Three Faces of Shamus," for its three sections with "completely different vibes going on.