Sammy Hagar , former vocalist of Van Halen , spoke about David Lee Roth 's recent comments after he said he dreamed about Eddie Van Halen and used that to compose a new song. The song is "Encore, Thank You, Goodnight," which was released in April 2025 .
During an appearance on Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk , Sammy said [transcription via Blabbermouth ]: “Actually, Dave didn’t even say anything bad about me. He said I have a ‘great voice’ and ‘good songs.’ I was surprised because I thought he was cool for a minute. To be honest, I’d love to be friends with him. He’s a bit of a crazy guy, but he’d be good company to hang out with. We have so much in common. Our history together is huge. We each spent ten years in Van Halen. We wrote a lot of songs with Eddie. We have some similar tastes. And of course, we’re two completely different types of people, but that’s what makes it all the more special. The people around us would be having a lot more fun.”
Sammy Hagar also made a point of clarifying that he has nothing against David Lee Roth: “He has the courage to go out there and do what he loves for the fans. And he doesn't need money, because he has enough. Nobody in Van Halen is broke. He does it because he loves it. And he's having fun. The guy has a great band, that's undeniable. I even sent him a message saying, 'The best thing you did was bring in those backing vocalists.' Van Halen's harmonies are the most important parts of the songs, along with Eddie's guitar. Everyone loves singing those songs, and if he can't do it, then find someone who can.”
Remember the comment David Lee Roth made about Sammy Hagar's music?
During a show at the Hampton Casino in Hampton, David Lee Roth made mocking comments referring to Sammy Hagar's claim that a song was written after Eddie Van Halen appeared to him in a dream.
Then, David Lee Roth told the audience [via Louder ]: “One of my esteemed colleagues, he’s a contemporary, he has an incredible voice, he has an incredible repertoire. You all know Sammy Hagar, right? He has an incredible voice. And Sammy, out loud, described to the media, about six weeks ago, that the ghost of Eddie Van Halen visited him and gifted him with a song that he memorized and then went home and recorded. It’s on the internet.”
"I don't know what the odds are, but last night the ghost of Eddie Van Halen visited me in my hotel room. I was watching the weather forecast and he came in and was laughing. His ghost was laughing."
“I asked, ‘What did you do now?’ He replied, ‘Dave, Dave… Dave, you know that song I gave to Hagar?’ I asked, ‘And now?’ He replied, ‘Actually, it’s ‘In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida’ [the 1968 Iron Butterfly ] backwards. Don’t tell him, damn it.’”
READ ALSO: Sammy Hagar fires back at Alex Van Halen: “I’m making you money selling Van Halen records”
