I Never Said Goodbye

I Never Said Goodbye
Studio album by
Sammy Hagar
ReleasedJune 23, 1987
Recorded1987
StudiosA&M Studios and One on One Recording Studios, Los Angeles,
The Record Plant, Sausalito, California
GenreGlam metal
Length45:33
LabelGeffen
ProducersSammy Hagar, Edward Van Halen, David Thoener
Sammy Hagar chronology
5150
(1986)		 I Never Said Goodbye
(1987)		 OU812
(1988)
Singles from I Never Said Goodbye
  1. "Give to Live"
    Released: June 1987 (US)
  2. "Eagles Fly"
    Released: October 1987
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllmusicStarStar
Crash5–6/6
Kerrang!StarStarStarStar

I Never Said Goodbye is the ninth studio album by American rock musician Sammy Hagar. The album was released on June 23, 1987 by Geffen Records. Released while Hagar was a member of Van Halen, I Never Said Goodbye was Hagar's first solo album since 1984's VOA. The album was recorded in ten days under a contractual obligation to Geffen Records as a condition of his leaving the company to join Van Halen and their record label, Warner Bros. Records. The album spent 23 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and became Hagar's highest charting solo album, peaking at number 14 on August 15, 1987.

Hagar originally considered releasing it as another self-titled album with a textless cover. It was renamed I Never Said Goodbye after the new name was chosen as part of an MTV promotional contest. Some pressings retain the title Sammy Hagar, not to be confused with the 1977 album Sammy Hagar.

The album features Eddie Van Halen on bass guitar. The songs "Give to Live" and "Eagles Fly" were also performed live by Van Halen together with Hagar. "Give to Live" topped the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1987, becoming Hagar's first song to reach number one on that chart.

Song information

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sammy Hagar, except where noted.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."When the Hammer Falls"4:09
2."Hands and Knees"4:52
3."Give to Live"4:23
4."Boys' Night Out"3:19
5."Returning Home"6:17
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Standin' at the Same Old Crossroads" 1:46
7."Privacy" 5:23
8."Back into You"
5:15
9."Eagles Fly" 5:00
10."What They Gonna Say Now" 5:09
Total length:45:33

Personnel

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Chart (1987) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)48
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)56
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)37
UK Albums (Official Charts)86
US Billboard 20014

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA) Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Popoff, Martin (2014). The big book of hair metal : the illustrated oral history of heavy metal's debauched decade. Minneapolis, MN. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-7603-4546-7. OCLC 858901054.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. ↑ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 354. ISBN 9780862415419.
  3. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Sammy Hagar I Never Said Goodbye review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
  4. ↑ Holger Stratmann (September 1987). "LP Reviews: Sammy Hagar — Sammy Hagar". Crash (in German). No. 9. München: Jürg Marquard-Gruppe [de]. p. 70. ISSN 1614-2292.
  5. ↑ Johnson, Howard (June 25, 1987). "Sammy Hagar 'Sammy Hagar'". Kerrang!. Vol. 149. London, UK: Spotlight Publications. p. 18.
  6. ↑ Scapelliti, Christopher (June 26, 2015). "Sammy Hagar Finally Reveals Eddie Van Halen's Guitar Part on His 1987 Solo LP". Guitar Player. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 Hagar, Sammy, Returns Home, 1987. (Geffen PRO CD-2832)
  8. ↑ "Top Albums/CDs. Volume 46, Issue 23 (1987-09-12)". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sammy Hagar – Sammy Hagar" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Sammy Hagar – Sammy Hagar". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 28/6/1987 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Sammy Hagar Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  13. ↑ "American album certifications – Sammy Hagar – Sammy Hagar". Recording Industry Association of America.