Tag Archives: Sammy Hagar

Music Video of the Day: Encore, Thank You, Goodnight by Sammy Hagar (2025, directed by ZZ Satriani)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

When it comes to Van Halen, I will always prefer the music from the David Lee Roth days to what was produced by Sammy Hagar but that’s nothing against Hagar.  Sammy may not have had Diamond Dave’s showmanship (which was as important to Van Halen’s early success as Eddie’s virtuosity) but he was still a good front man who brought his own style to the band.  Sammy was and is one of the best in the business and, at 77 years old, he still rocks.

With Encore, Thank You, Goodnight, Sammy Hagar pays tribute to Eddie Van Halen and his time with the band.  Performing with Hagar are almost all of the members of Chickenfoot, including former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, making this video both a tribute to one of Hagar’s bands and a reunion of another.  (Of the Chickenfoot lineup, only drummer Chad Smith is missing.)

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Remember The Heroes by Sammy Hagar (1982, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

This video, which was taken at a 1982 concert in St. Louis, is as close as we have for a music video for Remember the Heroes.  Co-written by Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain, this song is Sammy Hagar’s tribute to the men and women who have served this country, many of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice.

There aren’t many Memorial Day rock song out there.  Trust Sammy Hagar to do the day and it meaning justice.

Music Video of the Day: Best of Both Worlds by Van Halen (1986, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

This song and this video finds Sammy Hagar filled with optimism about his future with Van Halen.  That optimism wouldn’t last for long but both Sammy and Van Halen still went on to create a lot of great music, both together and separately.

This performance is taken from Live Without A Net, a concert video that was recorded at a show in New Haven, Connecticut.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Remember The Heroes by Sammy Hagar (1982, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

This video of a 1982 concert in St. Louis is probably as close as we will ever get to a music video for Remember the Heroes, Sammy Hagar’s tribute to the men and women who have fought and died in America’s wars.  I know that some people think this is a pro-war song but the lyrics are actually a plea not to forget the soldiers once the war is over and they’ve returned home.  The song calls out those who expect the military to fight for them but who then “turn their back” once the fighting is finished.

This song was co-written with Jonathan Cain, the keyboardist from Journey.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Winner Takes It All by Sammy Hagar (1987, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Winner Takes It All was written for the classic Sylvester Stallone arm-wrestling film, Over The Top.  It was originally recorded by the lead singer of Asia but the film’s producers felt that his version wasn’t tough enough for a Stallone film so they instead offered it to Hagar.  Hagar’s version is the one that appeared on the soundtrack.  Eddie Van Halen plays bass on the track.

Hagar has said that he didn’t care much for the song but he did enjoy getting to arm wrestle Sylvester Stallone while filming the music video.  At the end of the shooting, Stallone and Hagar both signed the black cap that Stallone was wearing and the cap was later auctioned off for $10,000.  All of the money went to charity.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Right Now by Van Halen (1991, directed by Mark Fenske)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

If it seems like Sammy Hagar looks like he was pissed off during the filming of the music video for Van Halen’s Right Now, that’s because he was.  Hagar was firmly opposed to the video’s concept, saying that the MTV audience would be so busy reading the subtitles that they wouldn’t pay attention to the lyrics.  It also didn’t help that, when the video was shot, Hagar was also suffering with pneumonia.  When Hagar slammed the door at the end of the video, that wasn’t acting.

The video was directed by Mark Fenske and produced by Carolyn Beug.  (Ten years after the video was released, Beug was killed in the crash American Airlines Flight 11 on Steptember 11th, 2001.  At the National 9/11 Memorial, Beug is memorialized at the North Pool, on Panel N-1.)  For the shot of the photograph being set on fire, Fenske used an old picture of himself.  As well, Fenske’s mother appears in the video, kissing the camera.

Right Now is probably the best known of the songs to come out of the Van Hagar period.   Despite Hagar’s reservations, the video was one of Van Halen’s most successful, winning the award for video of the year at the MTV Music Video Awards.

Music Video of the Day: I Can’t Drive 55 by Sammy Hagar (1984, dir by Gil Bettman)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Happy 4th of July!

When I was searching for the perfect music video for Independence Day, I did a google search for “Best Libertarian songs.”  After all, as anyone who knows me can tell you, the only thing more firm than my love of cinema is my resentment of authority.

Anyway, as you can probably guess, my search led to me sitting through a lot of dreary progressive rock songs, the type that featured 20 minute drum solos and lyrics lifted from Ayn Rand.  However, it also led me to a song called I Can’t Drive 55.  

Though this song is just a little before my time, it still feels like it was specifically recorded just for me.  I have always considered traffic laws, not just the laws themselves but the way they are enforced, to be the epitome of everything that can go wrong when people blindly respect authority.

Last year, I was mailed a ticket for running a red light.  I’ll be the first to admit that I ran the red light but the time to ticket me was when I did it.  Furthermore,  if I’m going to be ticketed, I demand to be ticketed by a human being and not some machine that is impervious to being manipulated by tears.  Sending me a ticket a month later and expecting me to pay it just because some camera recorded me bending the law is the first step to dictatorship.  The second step is people passively paying the fine because “that’s the law.”  Laws, after all, are man made and obeying them without question is giving mankind more respect than it’s earned through it actions.

As for the video, it also feels like it was specifically filmed for me.  It’s actually a fun little video with a sense of humor and who hasn’t wanted to tell a traffic judge what he can do with his gavel?

Anyway, enjoy!