There are few things more captivating than a good old-fashioned rock n' roll feud, and
the ongoing rivalry between Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth is certainly no exception.
For years, fans of Van Halen have debated the merits of each frontman, with some preferring
Hagar's polished vocals and others championing Roth's flamboyant stage presence.
But what do the singers themselves really think of each other?
In a recent interview, Sammy Hagar confirmed his true feelings about David Lee Roth, and
the answer may surprise you.
Get ready to delve deep into the world of rock drama, as we explore the latest chapter
in this long-standing feud.
FactsVerse Presents: Sammy Hagar Confirms His True Feelings About David Lee Roth
A Brief History of Van Halen's Lead Singers
To understand the history of Sammy Hagar and David Lee Roth's involvement with Van Halen,
we must first delve into the background of each musician.
David Lee Roth was born on the 10th of October, 1954, in the midwestern town fo Bloomington,
Indiana.
He first rose to fame as the lead singer of Van Halen, which he co-founded in 1972 with
guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen, and bassist Michael Anthony.
Roth's flamboyant stage presence and high-pitched vocals helped make Van Halen one of the most
successful rock bands of the 1980s.
He recorded six studio albums with the band before leaving in 1985 to pursue a solo career.
Sammy Hagar, on the other hand, was born on October 13, 1947, in Salinas, California.
He first gained fame as the lead singer of the band Montrose, which released its debut
album in 1973.
Hagar then launched a successful solo career, with hits like "I Can't Drive 55" and "Your
Love is Driving Me Crazy".
In 1985, he was approached by Van Halen to replace David Lee Roth as the band's lead
singer.
Hagar joined Van Halen in 1985 and recorded four studio albums with the band: 1986s "5150",
1988s "OU812", 1991s "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge", and 1995s "Balance".
During this time, Van Halen continued to enjoy success, with hit songs like "Why Can't This
Be Love" and "Right Now".
However, tensions between Hagar and Eddie Van Halen began to surface, with Hagar claiming
that Eddie was becoming controlling and difficult to work with.
In 1996, Hagar left Van Halen over creative differences with Eddie Van Halen.
We'll discuss this in more detail in just a bit - so stay tuned.
Following his departure, Hagar was replaced by Gary Cherone, former lead singer of the
band Extreme.
However, the Cherone era of Van Halen was short-lived, with the band releasing just
one album with him as lead singer, 1998s "Van Halen III".
Cherone left the band in 1999, and rumors began to circulate that Hagar was considering
rejoining Van Halen.
In 2003, Hagar and Van Halen announced that they had reconciled and would be embarking
on a reunion tour.
The tour was a success, and the band released a new album, "The Best of Both Worlds" in
2004, which included three new songs with Hagar on vocals.
However, tensions between Hagar and Eddie Van Halen once again surfaced, with Hagar
claiming that Eddie was becoming increasingly hard to work with.
In 2007, Hagar left Van Halen once again, this time for good.
He was replaced by the band's original lead singer, David Lee Roth, who had not performed
with Van Halen since 1984.
The Roth-reunion era of Van Halen has since released two albums, 2012s "A Different Kind
of Truth" and 2015s "Tokyo Dome Live in Concert".
However, rumors of tensions between Roth and Eddie Van Halen began to surface in the years
leading up to Eddie's death in October 2020.
Sammy Break's His Silence
In a recent interview that he gave while appearing on Steve-O's Wild Ride Podcast, Sammy Hagar
made his feelings about David Lee Roth clear.
Hagar, who replaced Roth as Van Halen's lead singer in 1985, claimed that Roth has not
had nearly the same level of success with his solo career as himself.
In fact, he claims to have made several times as much money with his solo ventures compared
to those of Roth.
Hagar went on to criticize Roth's singing abilities, saying that he "sang so bad last
time he was doing shows, it was embarrassing."
He also had some choice words about Roth's personality, calling him a "chest-beating
mothereffer" who "doesn't play well with others."
Despite all of this, Hagar acknowledged Roth's contributions to Van Halen's early success,
calling it "frickin' great."
However, he still contends that Roth's solo career was not nearly as successful as his
own.
Hagar's criticisms of Roth come at a time when Roth has announced his retirement from
performing.
The original Van Halen frontman, known as "Diamond Dave," had been touring with the
band in recent years after rejoining them in 2006.
With Eddie Van Halen's death in 2020, the band's future remains uncertain, but Hagar's
complaints about Roth are sure to reignite old debates about the band's various eras
and singers.
The Van Halen Song Hagar Hated Performing
When Sammy Hagar joined Van Halen in 1985, the band was already one of the biggest in
rock 'n' roll, with six albums under their belt.
However, there was one song from the David Lee Roth era that Hagar refused to sing.
During that recent appearance on Steve-O's Wild Ride!
podcast, Hagar reminisced about his time with Van Halen and revealed that when he first
joined the band, they hardly performed any of Roth's songs on tour, except for their
cover of The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" and the hit song "Jump."
Although he would still play those songs, Hagar admitted to being a jerk about it and
even pulled people from the audience to sing "Jump" during encores.
The reason for Hagar's reluctance to perform "Jump" was his dislike for the song's lyrics
which he found to be silly.
He specifically took issue with getting up on stage and singing the lyrics "Can't you
see me standing here.
I got my back against the record machine.
Y'know what I mean?'".
Hagar, preferred other songs in Van Halen's catalog, such as "Unchained," "Ain't Talkin'
'Bout Love," and "Runnin' With the Devil."
Hagar also shared in the interview that Warner Brothers suggested that the band should have
changed their name to Van Hagar when he joined, but Eddie Van Halen wanted to keep the original
name.
The band ultimately released three more albums with Hagar on vocals before he was ousted
from the group.
Despite Hagar's initial reluctance to perform Roth's songs, he later became more "user-friendly",
as he put it, about performing the tunes that fans wanted to hear.
However, according to Hagar, it was, in fact, Eddie Van Halen himself who didn't want to
play the old material.
Why Hagar Left Van Halen Twice
Sammy Hagar's departure from Van Halen was, as we've already touched on briefly, not a
one-time event.
The first time he left was due to disagreements with Eddie Van Halen over songwriting and
the band's direction during the recording of their 1995 album "Balance."
Hagar wanted to take a break after the tour, but the rest of the band wanted to get back
in the studio.
Hagar also desired to record new music for a solo best-of album while Van Halen wanted
to record new music for their own collection.
This led to a phone call on Father's Day in which Eddie told Hagar to be a team player,
and when Hagar replied that he wanted to be a solo artist again, Eddie said that he had
effectively quit, while Hagar claimed he was fired.
Hagar rejoined the band in 2003, but it was short-lived, and the tour was not without
problems.
It was said to have been marred by sloppy performances and Sammy's bad behavior, and
after the tour ended, Hagar's time with Van Halen was over once again.
But despite their ups and downs, Sammy and Eddie evidently reconciled shortly before
Eddie's death, as Hagar revealed in a recent exchange with Howard Stern.
The Future of Van Halen and Sammy Hager's Current Projects
Following the death of Eddie Van Halen, the future of the band is uncertain, but his son
Wolfgang has been keeping busy with his solo project, Mammoth WVH.
Wolfgang wrote and performed all the instruments and vocals on his debut album, which was released
in June 2021.
He also paid tribute to his father with the single "Distance" which he wrote while Eddie
was battling throat cancer.
Wolfgang has denied rumors of a Van Halen continuation without his father, stating that
they hurt him and his family.
He also expressed his admiration for the Sammy Hagar era, saying that it deserves more recognition.
Meanwhile, Sammy Hagar has been active with his band, Sammy Hagar and the Circle, featuring
former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham on drums, and guitarist Vic Johnson.
The band released a live album called Lockdown 2020 in January 2021, which included covers
of classic rock songs recorded remotely during the pandemic.
Sammy Hagar and the Circle have also announced several tour dates for 2023, including a show
at Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys on July 14.
Additionally, Sammy Hagar will host his eighth annual "Acoustic-4-A-Cure" benefit concert
on May 13, 2023, with special guests like Bob Weir, Don Was, and Nancy Wilson.
We're just about out of time for this video but to sum things up, the histories of Sammy
Hagar and David Lee Roth with Van Halen are both long and complex, marked by moments of
success and tension.
While both singers have left the band multiple times, their contributions to the Van Halen
legacy cannot be denied.
From Roth's high-energy performances to Hagar's polished vocals, both singers have left their
mark on one of the most successful and iconic rock bands of all time.
Who was your favorite vocalist of Van Halen, Sammy Hagar or David Lee Roth?
Let us know in the comments.
And as always, thanks for watching!