The singer Sammy Hagar called one of the best songwriters: “It still gives me goosebumps”
The work that Van Halen made was bound to look a lot different when Sammy Hagar took over.
As much as David Lee Roth paved the way for what they would become when he joined the group, it would have been impossible for him to live up to Hagar’s track record of hitting those massive high notes every single time the band launched into tracks like ‘Dreams’. He wasn’t built for that, and while Eddie had a new vocal instrument to work with in the band, ‘The Red Rocker’ wanted to get the band more interested in the songwriting side of the music business rather than being a party band.
Because when you look at their track record, Van Halen wasn’t necessarily known for being the most intellectual band in history. Those Roth records do have a solid flow all the way through their career, but when you look at the jump they made on 5150, no one would have expected them to have the potential to make ballads like ‘Love Walks In’ or for ‘The Red Rocker’ to take on the kind of vocals that ended up on ‘Why Can’t This Be Love’. But they didn’t forget the party vibes, either.
On all of their albums, there were tunes like ‘Good Enough’ and ‘Poundcake’ that leaned into the sillier side of their sound, but for the most part, a lot of their songs around the time of Hagar was practically dad rock. It’s really good dad rock, but given what Hagar was listening to at the time, it’s not like he was interested in following ‘Diamond Dave’s lead and breaking out the swords every time he sang.
After all, this was the first time that Van Halen had a member who cited artists like Donovan as a main influence, and it’s not hard to hear why. A lot of the love songs that Hagar sang had much more depth than anything coming out of the hair metal scene at the time, which probably explains why a tune like ‘Right Now’ works a lot better than whatever heart-tugging song that Warrant was working on at the time.
That sentimental side may have come from those years listening to folk tunes, but Hagar did also have a soft spot for Neil Diamond. Say what you will about how cringy he could be to look back on, but Diamond’s music is still the soundtrack of some of the greatest years of the 1970s, and when you listen to a song like ‘Sweet Caroline’ or ‘Cherry Cherry’, it’s hard to think of any note out of place whenever he sings.
But looking at how the chords moved underneath everything, Hagar considered Diamond to be among the best writers that he had ever heard, telling Steve Lukather, “He’s one of the greatest songwriters. He was so profound with those simple songs like ‘I Am I Said’. It still gives me goosebumps.” And whether or not most people would like to admit it, some of Diamond’s songs did end up having a little bit of an edge to them as well.
Take the song Hagar brought up. ‘I Am I Said’ is not going to be considered heavy by any means, but when listening to the way that he enunciates every single line he says with such conviction, you can hear a lot of soul in what he’s singing, which isn’t all that dissimilar to the kind of grit and gravel that James Hetfield had when he eventually started singing more melodic tunes in Metallica.
It’s not exactly the easiest inspiration to see, but for the greatest songwriters in the world like Hagar, it’s not about playing the heaviest thing all the time. The true professionals are the ones that let the song guide them, and while Diamond may be a little bit corny at points, there’s hardly anyone arguing with the raw passion that he had whenever he sang.
