I Can't Drive 55
Encyclopedia

"I Can't Drive 55" was the lead single and first track from Sammy Hagar
Sammy Hagar
Sam Roy "Sammy" Hagar , also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Also sings Country Music....

's eighth studio album VOA
VOA (album)
VOA is the last solo album Sammy Hagar released before joining Van Halen. Around the same time Sammy Hagar joined Van Halen, guitarist Gary Pihl joined Boston...

in 1984. Perpetuated by a very successful music video, it became a concert staple that continued throughout Sammy's tours as a member of Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...

.

It is the 100th song on VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs.

Song origin

Music video

The song's video includes Sammy and his band being chased and jailed by the California Highway Patrol
California Highway Patrol
The California Highway Patrol is a law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and also acts as the state police....

 for traffic violations. The video shows Sammy driving a black Ferrari BB512i which is later tuned up by Sammy's real mechanic, Claudio Zampolli. Claudio was driving the Ferrari during the video's opening shot, where the Ferrari fish-tails across the speedway.

The video was shot on location at the Saugus Speedway
Saugus Speedway
Saugus Speedway is a 1/3 mile racetrack in Saugus, California on a site. The track hosted one NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event in 1995, which was won by Ken Schrader...

 in Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States and the twenty-fourth largest city in the state of California. The 2010 US Census reported the city's population grew 16.7% from the year 2000 to 176,320 residents. It is located about northwest of downtown...

. Sammy claims in the commentary for the video on the DVD, "The Long Road to Cabo" that he burned out his clutch during the video. Sammy drove a 512, but a 308 was also used. Sammy claims it cost him $5800 to fix.
  • The yellow jumpsuit worn by Sammy in the video, can be seen at the New Orleans Hard Rock Cafe
    Hard Rock Cafe
    Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...

    .

  • A trial scene is presided over by a judge played in a cameo appearance by John Kalodner
    John Kalodner
    John David Kalodner is a retired American A&R executive. His achievements included signing Foreigner, AC/DC, Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins to Atlantic Records in the seventies....

    . The judges props were borrowed from Director, Bob Zemeckis who had filmed the movie, "Used Cars."

  • The sets were built, and the video was shot during the Summer. There was no air conditioning in the jailhouse set, so the cast and crew were hot.

  • A stuntman was used for Sammy's stunts. An exploding ramp was used to throw Sammy across the courtroom.

Additional placements

The song has been a signature track for Hagar during and after his tenure with Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...

, and is commonly used on TV programs and commercials related to automotive racing. Most recently, the song was featured in a NAPA Auto Parts commercial, where NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...

 drivers Michael Waltrip
Michael Waltrip
Michael Curtis Waltrip is a semi-former professional race car driver, co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, and a published author. He is the younger brother of three-time NASCAR champion and racing commentator Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip is a two-time winner of the Daytona 500; having won the race in...

 and teammate Dale Jarrett
Dale Jarrett
Dale Arnold Jarrett is a former American race car driver and current sports commentator known for winning the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship...

 are asking Hagar to keep the noise down during a recording session; in response, Hagar asked Waltrip if he could drive faster. Waltrip's car number at the time of the 2007 commercial was #55 and he had failed to qualify for some races.

In 2001, NBC Sports
NASCAR on NBC
NASCAR on NBC, identified by its on-air logo as NBC NASCAR, was a series of NASCAR races that aired on the network from 2001-2006. Prior to the contract that gave NBC broadcast rights the network aired races as early as the 1964 World 600...

 had Hagar record a "corrected" version, now known as "I Can't Drive 65," reflecting the common 65 MPH speed limit on freeways, for use during Budweiser Pole Award
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...

 presentations on Winston Cup Series broadcasts on NBC and TNT. It was used from 2001 to 2003 during the broadcasts.

The accelerated version of the song was also available as a download for NHL Rivals 2004.

In 2008, Hagar recorded a newer version of the song that was used in NASCAR Dirt to Daytona 2008 called I can't drive 195, reflecting to the speeds used on NASCAR's biggest tracks Daytona and Talladega.

In 2011, the song became the opening theme for ESPN's NASCAR coverage for the 2011 season.

Track listing

Side A: "I Can't Drive 55" (Sammy Hagar
Sammy Hagar
Sam Roy "Sammy" Hagar , also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Also sings Country Music....

)
– 4:12

Side B: "Dick In The Dirt" (Sammy Hagar
Sammy Hagar
Sam Roy "Sammy" Hagar , also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Also sings Country Music....

)
– 4:19

In popular culture

  • The song is included on Van Halen
    Van Halen
    Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...

    's 1986 live video release Live Without a Net.
  • This song is a playable track in the music video game Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades.
  • This song was used as background music to illustrate the harshness of the "alternate" 1985 in the film Back to the Future Part II
    Back to the Future Part II
    Back to the Future Part II is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film and the second installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson...

    .
  • In Forza Motorsport 4
    Forza Motorsport 4
    Forza Motorsport 4 is a racing video game released by Turn 10 Studios for the Xbox 360. It is the fourth installment in the Forza Motorsport series, and was released in North America on October 11, 2011 and in Europe on October 14, 2011...

    , players that at any time reach 125 MPH in a 1984 Ferrari GTO will unlock a badge and title titled "I Can't Drive 55!"
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