Sammy Hagar is honoring a powerful memory with his new single, Encore, Thank You, Goodnight, a heartfelt track inspired by a dream reunion with his late friend and former bandmate, Eddie Van Halen.
The idea for the song first surfaced in 2022, when Hagar shared a vivid dream he had about Van Halen. In it, the two musicians reunited not as figures separated by loss, but as old friends who had simply drifted apart. In the dream, they eagerly started writing music together again — a moment so profound it stayed with Hagar long after he woke up.
Now, nearly three years later, that dream has taken form as a full-fledged track. Released Friday through Big Machine Rock — Hagar's first release under the label — Encore, Thank You, Goodnight serves as what he calls "my final bow to that part of my life."
"It's not meant to be anything more than a thank you — with love, with respect and with one hell of a guitar solo," Hagar said in a statement. Guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani channels that spirit beautifully, delivering an emotional solo that nods to Eddie's energy while remaining uniquely his own. The track also features Michael Anthony's thunderous bass and soaring background vocals, along with Kenny Aronoff's powerful drumming, rounding out a sound that feels like a tribute both nostalgic and new.
Lyrically, the song directly references the dream that sparked its creation. Hagar sings:
"Standing right there in front of me / like he'd never been gone / over in a corner we wrote this song / coming out of a dream / trying to hold onto that melody / another dream becomes a reality."
Reflecting on the dream, Hagar said at the time, "It wasn't like he had passed. It felt like he'd just been out of my life, and we hadn't seen each other for a while. He said, 'Man, let's write some music!' and I said, 'Yeah, let's go!'"
With Encore, Thank You, Goodnight, Hagar captures the emotional complexity of friendship, loss, and creative kinship, offering a tribute that fans of both artists are sure to treasure.