This week Sammy Hagar shared the powerful and deeply personal new single, Encore, Thank You, Goodnight. The single was released via Big Machine Rock and marks Hagar’s release since signing with the label.
Encore, Thank You, Goodnight was written by Hagar and guitar legend Joe Satriani. The song was inspired by a dream. “This song is my final bow to that part of my life,” Sammy said. “It’s not meant to be anything more than a thank-you — with love, with respect, and with one hell of a guitar solo.”
Sammy Hagar gets a lot of criticism for his comments and musings surrounding his time with Van Halen and his relationship with the brothers, as well as David Lee Roth. Some would describe his views outlandish even borderline narcissistic but, nobody can deny his musical talent and his ability to write a really great rock song.
Encore, Thank You and Goodnight, has everything – solid, top-notch drumming, a pick-driven, thunderous bass line by Hagar’s long-time collaborator and former Van Halen bassist, Michael Anthony – then we have guitar legend Joe Satriani.
Nobody can shred like Ed, and Joe Satriani knows this. However, he is clearly channelling his inner Edward Van Halen and doing a brilliant job as he taps, dives and glasses his way through this track.
“Joe brought in that big, emotional, guitar-driven energy that feels like Eddie’s spirit but is entirely of Joe’s creation,” Sammy says. “With Michael Anthony’s thundering bass and stellar Van Halen-esque background vocals and Kenny Aronoff’s relentlessly powerful driving rhythms, the song really came together on all levels.”
The song itself actually gives more of a nod to Montrose than it does to Van Halen, but it works well. Despite his advancing years, Hagar’s incredible voice stays the course like a 30 year old.
The song is, on the surface, an apocryphal tale of Ed, visiting Hagar in a dream and co-writing the track. The video even has some unseen footage of Ed in action, which is a nice touch.
Encore, Thank You, Goodnight was written by Hagar and guitar legend Joe Satriani. “This song is my final bow to that part of my life,” Sammy said.
Online discussion groups may have questioned Hagar’s motives for releasing the track. However, 2020 and 2022 saw David Lee Roth release two tribute singles to the late Van Halen guitarist, Somewhere Over The Rainbow Bar And Grill and Nothing Could Have Stopped Us Then Anyway, so it was not unexpected that Sammy Hagar would eventually produce his own homage to an all-time great.
It will be interesting to see what the Big Machine Rock-led future brings. “I’m a lifelong Sammy Hagar fan,” Big Machine Label Group Chairman & CEO Scott Borchetta said. “From the first note of Montrose Rock The Nation to the last note of Encore, Thank You, Goodnight and all stops in between.
“For us to be part of this extraordinary moment in Sammy’s career is an absolute honour and we are coming with everything we’ve got to bring Sammy the huge hit he and the boys deserve.”
“I’ve known Scott for a few years,” Sammy said, “and every time I run into him, we realise how much we have in common. It’s like no matter how much time we spend together, we never get fully caught up on our mutual passions — music being one of them.
“It was inevitable we would work together, and I couldn’t be happier to be with Big Machine.”
Encore, Thank You, Goodnight is great. The video is superb, and Ed co-wrote it in a dream. Sammy Hagar is back. What is not to like?
A 7-inch collector’s edition vinyl of Encore, Thank You, Goodnight is available along with bundles and exclusive merchandise options. For more details, visit shop.redrocker.com/collections/encore-thank-you-goodnight.
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Sammy Hagar Drops Powerful New Single In Emotional Tribute To Eddie Van Halen first appeared on
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