Sammy Hagar Reveals He’s Ready To Sing Painful 1995 Hit Again

Sammy Hagar recently opened up about the emotional struggle behind singing Van Halen’s 1995 hit “Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do).” Marking 30 years since the song’s release, Hagar shared how the track’s dark tone and personal meaning made it a tough one to perform, but he’s ready to tackle it again.

“Singing this song was always difficult,” Hagar admitted on social media. “I wrote the lyrics about Kurt Cobain’s death. I wanted the chorus to say, ‘I wanna tell you what love can do,’ but [producer] Bruce Fairbairn, Ed, and Al [Van Halen] wanted to make it darker.”

Adding to the challenge, Hagar revealed the song’s technical demands made it even harder to perform. “I painted myself in a corner,” he said. Despite this, Hagar announced, “We will be doing it at the residency in Vegas. I’m going to add it to the show.”

A Hit With a Heavy Backstory

“Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)” was one of four singles from Balance, the last Van Halen album with Hagar. Released on Jan. 9, 1995, the song climbed to the top of the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and stayed there for three weeks. Van Halen performed it live 58 times during their 1995 tour, but its haunting lyrics and intensity made it a standout—and a struggle—for Hagar.

Pain and Reflection Behind the Lyrics

In 2020, Hagar revisited the song with his band, The Circle, during a lockdown session. He revealed the inspiration came from Kurt Cobain’s tragic death. “When I heard that Kurt Cobain had taken his own life, the first thing I thought of was, ‘I wish I were there and could have tried to save him,’” he said.

The song also carried emotional weight due to tensions with the Van Halen brothers during its creation. “It added a lot of emotion, negativity, and pain in the original vocal performance,” Hagar recalled. Those feelings resurfaced when he sang it for the first time in decades.

Now, with a renewed sense of purpose, Hagar is ready to bring the emotional track back to life for fans.