Sammy Hagar recently opened up about his favorite song to sing, “Eagles Fly,” revealing the story behind the track in an interview shared on TotalRock.
The rock legend discussed how “Eagles Fly,” featured on his 1987 solo album I Never Said Goodbye, was originally passed over by Van Halen. Alex Van Halen later regretted that decision.
“When I sing ‘Eagles Fly,’ it’s about being born. And once again, I had a vision. It wasn’t a dream. I was wide awake, and I had a feeling in a special place. I was in a special place. And when I wrote that song…When I played that song, Eddie Van Halen said, ‘Wow,'” Hagar said.
Hagar went on to explain the internal band dynamics at the time. He noted that Alex Van Halen had reservations about him contributing original compositions to the group.
“And he played bass on it when I recorded it. Eddie loved it. And I remember Alex Van Halen at the time, who wasn’t about me coming in the second album…we did ‘5150’ then I made a record with that song on it, and Alex wasn’t about me writing songs for Van Halen. He was about his brother writing the music, and me writing the lyrics and the vocals,” he continued.
Hagar then recalled how Alex’s initial dismissal turned into regret once the song was released.
“So, I showed him that song, and Eddie’s going, ‘Wow, wow, wow.’ And Alex goes, ‘Yeah, yeah. It sounds like John Denver, it’s cool.’ Moved on. And when it came out, and we finished my solo record, Alex heard it, and he goes, ‘Hey, why the f*ck didn’t we put that on a Van Halen record!” Hagar said. “I went, ‘Well, Al, if you don’t remember, I can remember you said it sounded like John Denver,’ because I was playing it on acoustic guitar.”
The anecdote sheds light on the creative tensions within Van Halen during Hagar’s tenure with the band in the late 1980s.
The full backstory of “Eagles Fly” reveals just how close the song came to becoming an official Van Halen track. The song had been demoed before Hagar even joined Van Halen, originally conceived as a follow-up to his VOA album. When the band was nearing the end of recording 5150 and still needed one more song, producer Mick Jones suggested Hagar present something new. He brought “Eagles Fly” to the table acoustically, and that stripped-down presentation proved to be its undoing with Alex.
Despite Alex’s dismissal, Eddie Van Halen’s enthusiasm for the track never wavered. Eddie contributed guitar, bass, and backing vocals to the final recorded version. The production was helmed by Eddie himself, further cementing his personal investment in the track.
The irony of the situation was not lost on Hagar. After the polished version appeared on I Never Said Goodbye, Alex’s tune changed completely. “Alex heard it on the record, and he goes, ‘Hey, man, you should have saved that for Van Halen!’ I said, ‘Dude, don’t you remember what you said about that song?'” Hagar recalled.
Hagar has since reflected on what could have been. He noted that the song would have been a natural fit on Van Halen’s 1988 album OU812. “It should have been on a Van Halen record. That would have been unbelievable if it would’ve been on OU812. But it is what it is, and it’s a song that I will play for the rest of my life,” he said.
“Eagles Fly” ultimately transcended its solo origins. The song became a staple of Van Halen’s live set during the Hagar era, with the band performing it together on their 1993 and 1995 tours. What Alex once dismissed as sounding like John Denver became, by his own admission, one of his favorite songs — and one of Eddie’s favorite songs that Hagar ever wrote.
Source: TotalRock
