The summer song party continues at the Van Halen News Desk. This time we’ve got a “Red” hot playlist of summertime Sammy Hagar songs!
“All We Need Is An Island”
From: Sammy Hagar & Friends (2013)
You can’t have a Sammy summer without a “big ole’ sandy beach” to throw a party. Heart’s Nancy Wilson and Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart joins Sammy on this dream getaway song. Taylor Swift and Grace Potter were both considered but Nancy ultimately got the nod. You’ll get no complaints from us Sammy. Nancy sings beautifully on this track.
Good news. We’ve found an island so let’s go sailin’!
“Sailin'”
From: Livin’ It Up (2006)
Pack your bags, we’re heading for a weekend trip down to Baja, Mexico. We’ll get there with this hidden gem from 2006. Sail on sailor Sammy!
“No Worries”
From: Space Between (2019)
“Crashing at the beach with some friends of mine. With no worries not a care in the world.”
“Mas Tequila”
From: Red Voodoo (1999)
We have arrived at the place where the big blue agave grow – Baja, Mexico! Have a shot of tequila. Have two. Why not make it three. HEY! HEY!
“One Sip”
From: Livin’ It Up (2006)
Sometimes all it takes is one sip and you’ll surrender to the summer. As for this song, all it took was a comment from Kenny Chesney and a song was born.
Sammy: “Kenny Chesney comes down for the first time for my birthday bash, he flies his plane down with his band in it. So he gets off the plane, comes straight to my house, and him and a couple of his buddies – band members – and we sit out on the deck, made some margaritas. [We’re] hitting some beers. No shirt, no shoes no problem, in our bathing suits, and he goes, ‘Sammy, I was coming here and I was waiting for my plane at the FBO, and a girl comes up to me from the bar and she goes, ‘What do you want? ‘We’re gonna get you a drink.’ He goes, ‘I don’t know waddya got?’ She goes, ‘My specialty.’ ‘And what is it?’ he goes. She said, ‘One sip and you’ll surrender.’ And he goes, ‘That’s a cool song, huh?’ [I said], ‘Hell yeah, it is!’ [I] grab two guitars, we sat on my porch and wrote that friggin song.”
“Margaritaville”
From: Sammy Hagar & Friends (2013)
When it comes to island escape music, nobody was better at it than Jimmy Buffett. It’s only fitting we include Sammy’s cover of Buffett’s classic 1977 song “Margaritaville”. This includes vocals from Keith Urban. R.I.P. to Jimmy and Keith. This one’s for you guys.
“Livin’ On The Coastline”
From: Livin’ It Up (2006)
Now we’re really livin’ it up! Hard to go back home when September rolls around. Wouldn’t it be nice to be “Livin’ On The Coastline” all year round? Sammy came up with this summer song while spending a whole year living in Cabo, San Lucas. While cruising on an ATV down the beach with his family, the music and lyrics just came to him!
“(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay”
From: B-Side to “I’ve Done Everything For You” (1979)
Sammy really got into his summer song groove during his post-Van Halen years but he has a few select tracks that go deep into his solo history, like this cover of the 1968 Otis Redding hit “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of The Bay”. Not included on any studio album, it was issued as a B-side to Sammy’s single “I’ve Done Everything For You” in 1979.
“Flamingos Fly”
From: “Nine On A Ten Scale” (1976)
Another rare summer Sammy song going back to the 70s. The track was written by Van Morrison, who included it on his 1977 album A Period of Transition. He gave the song to Sammy after they met at The Record Plant. It was intended to be a duet with Morrison but Hagar ultimately flew solo for his version.
“Father Sun”
From: Sammy Hagar & Friends (2013)
This duet with Sammy’s son Aaron was written while Sammy was, yes, on an island! He told Jam! Music: “I go to this little island called Taha’a and there’s about 60 people on it. I said, ‘Okay, I’m taking my family the day after Christmas. No guitar. No tape recorders. No music.’ I was there about four days and every night at dinner they’d bring in these people from these islands. A lady beating on a drum – boom, boom, boom – and these Tahitian ukuleles and these weird string instruments and they would sing the most beautiful music, French Polynesian music. Anyways, I got so damn inspired that I bought one of those instruments off a guy, ’cause you couldn’t go anywhere to buy one, so I said, ‘Just sell me your thing.’ And I started writing on it and wrote the song called ‘Father Sun.'”
“Maui Wowie”
From: This Is Sammy Hagar: When the Party Started, Volume 1 (2016)
This instrumental was originally an untitled, hidden track on Sammy’s album Ten 13 from 2000. While chillin’ out with the crickets one night, he lit up a joint, picked up a ukelele, and just started strummin’. Sammy said: “If that doesn’t take you to the island folks, you ain’t going.” It most definitely does Sammy. Only problem is we don’t wanna get off!
“Tropic Of Capricorn”
From: Ten 13 (2000)
Sammy says he wrote this song while in Hawaii. Inspired by his wife Kari, whose astrological sign is Capricorn, he used it as a metaphor for a woman’s body, the sea, and the sights and smells of the tropics. Thank you Kari for inspiring this musical piece of paradise!
We published our SAMMY HAGAR SUMMER playlist on Spotify, and expanded it to 15 songs. Enjoy!
Coming soon is the ultimate DAVID LEE ROTH summer playlist!
