Sammy Hagar Wants to Find Police Officer Who Gave Him a Ticket in the ’80s
There is one person who Sammy Hagar would love to reconnect with. Back in the ’80s, Hagar said that he was driving home from the airport after a family vacation to Greece, Italy, Egypt and Kenya with his first wife Betsy Berardi and son Aaron. Admittedly, they were all worn out and Hagar began driving a little bit over the speed limit.
He explained, “I was driving 62 by accident. I was unconsciously driving 62 miles per hour, not even trying to disobey the speed limit. I’m the only car on the damn highway. I think the (trooper) is bored so he thought ‘I’ll just pull this guy over.’ Middle of the night; got nothing to do.” He said that the police officer did not seem to recognize him.
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What most people would call an annoying or inconvenient experience, Hagar was inspired to write a song about it called “I Can’t Drive 55.” While what really happened is not quite as dramatic as the song and its music video, which features a high-speed chase but Hagar said the words just flowed out of him following the speeding ticket.
Remind Hagar continued, “I was telling my wife to write down lyrics on a piece of paper. I just sang the whole damn song. It was just like automatic writing. It was just coming out of me.” Now, Hagar hopes to find the man who wrote him that ticket all those years ago and said that he would be invited backstage during an upcoming show and “would be treated like a king.” He added, “I would do a shot with him, I’ll take pictures, I’ll give him a swag bag. I might bring him out on stage and introduce him.”
Listen to the song here and tell us if you ever knew it was inspired by a true experience:
’80s Where Are They Now
March 2023
Who can forget all the great TV shows, movies and music of the ‘80s? See what your favs are up to now!
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