FROM THE VAULT: Sammy Hagar on Joining Van Halen & Creating the 80s Anthem “Dreams”

Professor of Rock · Mar 18, 2026 · 12m

We're serving up another Vault classic in honor of POR's Sammy Hagar giveaway.

In this classic episode, the Red Rocker himself, Sammy Hagar tells us how he joined Van Halen and the resulting Music. He also tells the story behind creating the game changing song Dreams, the second single from their 1986 album 5150 which was the first Van Halen album to go to #1. The album 5150 is named after Eddie Van Halen’s studio. 5150, sold a million copies in its first week. Think about that for a second. The last few years, there have only been a couple of artists or albums that have sold 1 million copies…