Sammy Hagar recently spoke with Fox News Digital on his friendship with Eddie Van Halen’s turning point.
The musician reflected on his tenure with Van Halen, which spanned from 1985 to 1996, and said: It has a bit of a two-edged edge. In the beginning, there were such happy days with things like “5150” and “OU812. I had some difficulties with my ex-wife at the time, so writing “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge” was a little challenging.
Then, Hagar explained how the Van Halen brothers responded to his personal problems at the time and how they affected the band’s recording process: She feared that leaving the house might cause her to have a nervous breakdown. I thought, “I have to go to work here.” So, even though it took us a year to make that record, everything were going well. However, I was under a lot of pressure from the brothers to participate as much as possible. They also showed understanding. The band’s relationship with him changed with the release of the subsequent album, “Balance.” He clarified:
“But after the release of the following album, it seemed as though, you know, we weren’t getting along so well, and you could feel my demise approaching. Then comes the bittersweet material. Although Sammy thought “Balance” was a wonderful album, he also saw it as a darker musical turn for both him and Van Halen, as he noted: “It’s just too gloomy for Sammy or Van Halen. I’m just not a dark person, Sammy, let’s put it that way. Mr. Sunshine here. And wow, I was driven [sic] into the darkness by my divorce, my ex-wife’s poor health, my attempts to aid her, and my attempts to play in a band.
He continued, disclosing a conflict he had with the Van Halen brothers when the song was being recorded: The brothers also desire employment every day of the year. You see what I mean when I say that they wanted to work 367 days a year while I just wanted to work 360? We encountered a small issue there, but we overcame it, and the record is excellent.
Eddie and Hagar’s disagreements intensified during the recording of “Balance” and again in 1996, while Van Halen was writing songs for the “Twister” soundtrack. Finally, this resulted in a contentious argument between Sammy and Eddie on Father’s Day, which caused Hagar to leave the group. Nevertheless, Eddie said Hagar resigned, but Hagar insists he was dismissed.
