Many bands spend their whole lives working hard without ever getting their big break but Van Halen was different. In 1985, the band hit a major crossroads. They were already one of the biggest rock acts in the U.S., but when lead singer David Lee Roth suddenly left, their future became uncertain. Then came Sammy Hagar and everything changed.
With Hagar joining the band, their next album, 5150 (1986), became even more successful than 1984, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The band kept the momentum going with more hit records during what fans came to call the “Van Hagar” era.
Interestingly, as Hagar recently recalled in a resurfaced interview with AXS TV, his joining Van Halen was a total coincidence and it all started with a Ferrari.
“I had just bought a Ferrari 512 — my first high-end sports car,” Hagar explained. “I bought it from this guy in LA who could get rare cars. While I was on tour, I took it back to him for a tune-up. Meanwhile, Van Halen had split with Roth, and Eddie [Van Halen] was in a bit of a slump.”
Hagar said that Eddie also used the same mechanic and noticed the Ferrari in the shop. When he asked about it, the mechanic told him it belonged to Sammy Hagar. Eddie, who was already a fan of Hagar’s earlier band Montrose, asked for his number. One phone call later, and Hagar was in Van Halen a twist of fate that led to five No. 1 albums and tens of millions of records sold.
Hagar added that he was actually planning to retire at the time. “I had just finished a big tour, made a lot of money, and was thinking about stepping back,” he said. “I’d been working nonstop since I was 24 writing, recording, touring. I was ready to slow down.”
