I Can't Drive 55
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"I Can't Drive 55" is the lead single and first track from Sammy Hagar's eighth studio album '' VOA'' in 1984. Perpetuated by a very successful music video, it became a concert staple that continued throughout Hagar's tours as a member of
Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...
. The song is a reference to the since-repealed
National Maximum Speed Law The National Maximum Speed Limit (NMSL) was a provision of the federal government of the United States 1974 Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act that effectively prohibited speed limits higher than . The limit was increased to in 1987. I ...
that set speed limits at in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. It is the 100th song on
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs.


Song origin

Hagar wrote the song in response to receiving a speeding ticket in
New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...
outside Albany, for driving on the Northway, which at that location had a speed limit, the highest permissible speed limit in the United States at the time due to the
National Maximum Speed Law The National Maximum Speed Limit (NMSL) was a provision of the federal government of the United States 1974 Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act that effectively prohibited speed limits higher than . The limit was increased to in 1987. I ...
enacted in 1974. Hagar explained in an interview: Hagar has expressed interest in meeting the trooper who issued the ticket.


Music video

The song's
music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...
was directed by Gil Bettman. The video was shot on location at the Saugus Speedway in
Santa Clarita, California Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-most populous city in Los Angeles County, the 17th-most popul ...
. The song's video includes Hagar and his band being chased and jailed by the
California Highway Patrol The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is the principal state police agency for the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary jurisdiction, including patrol and Criminal investigation, investigations, over all California Controlled-access highw ...
for traffic violations. The video shows Hagar driving a black Ferrari 512 BBi which is later tuned up by Hagar's mechanic, Claudio Zampolli. Zampolli was driving the Ferrari during the video's opening shot, where the Ferrari fish-tails across the speedway. Hagar claims in the commentary for the video on the DVD, ''The Long Road to Cabo'' that he burned out his clutch during the video. Hagar drove a 512, but a 308 was also used. Hagar claims it cost him $5800 to fix. A trial scene is presided over by a judge played in a cameo appearance by John Kalodner. The judge's props were borrowed from director
Robert Zemeckis Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an American filmmaker known for directing and producing a range of successful and influential movies, often blending cutting-edge visual effects with storytelling. He has received several accolades incl ...
, director of the 1980 film '' Used Cars''. 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. The yellow jumpsuit, worn by Hagar in the video, can be seen at the New Orleans
Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a chain of theme restaurant, theme bar-restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos, hotels and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll ...
. A stuntman was used for Hagar's stunts. An exploding ramp was used to throw Hagar across the courtroom.


Track listing

#"I Can't Drive 55" ( Sammy Hagar) – 4:12 #"Dick in the Dirt" ( Sammy Hagar) – 4:19


Personnel

* Sammy Hagar – lead vocals, lead guitar * Gary Pihl – rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jesse Harms – keyboards, backing vocals * Bill Church – bass guitar, backing vocals * David Lauser – drums, backing vocals


Chart performance


Additional placements

The song has been a signature track for Hagar during and after his tenure with
Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...
, 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 The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
drivers
Michael Waltrip Michael Curtis Waltrip (born April 30, 1963) is an American former professional stock car racing driver, racing commentator, racing team owner, amateur ballroom dancing competitor and published author. He is the younger brother of three-time NASC ...
and teammate Dale Jarrett 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 No. 55 and he had failed to qualify for some races. *In 2001,
NBC Sports NBC Sports is an American programming division for NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, that is responsible for sports broadcasts on their broadcast network NBC, the Cable television, cable channels NBC owns, and on Peacock (streaming service) ...
had Hagar record a "corrected" version titled "I Can't Drive 65", reflecting the common speed limit on freeways at that time (six years after the National Maximum Speed Law was repealed), for use during Budweiser Pole Award 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''. *The song was the opening theme for ESPN's NASCAR coverage for the 2012 season. *The song is featured as a playable track in '' Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades'' and '' Guitar Hero Live''. *"I Can't Drive 55" was an achievement and Easter egg found in '' Forza Motorsport 4'' for driving a 1984 Ferrari GTO faster than 125 mph, in homage to the 1984 Ferrari 512 BBi used in the music video and the "Write me up for 125" line in the song. *The song is featured in an '' R4: Ridge Racer Type 4'' US commercial. *The song is featured in the 1989 film ''
Back to the Future Part II ''Back to the Future Part II'' is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale; both wrote the story. It is a sequel to the 1985 film ''Back to the Future'' and the second installment in the Back ...
'', when
Marty McFly Marty McFly is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Back to the Future (franchise), ''Back to the Future'' franchise. He is a high school student living in the fictional town of Hill Valley (Back to the Future), Hill Valley, California ...
discovers he has returned to an alternate, hellish version of 1985 Hill Valley, replete with strip joints, pawn shops, and in the center of it all, a huge 27-story casino hotel called "Biff's Pleasure Paradise", featuring villain Biff Tannen's face. At other points of the film and in its predecessor, Marty goes back to the year 1955 by driving in a time machine in the form of a very fast car. *The song is featured in the 1985 film '' Moving Violations'' when Scott Greeber and Stephanie McCarty borrow a car and go cruising at high speeds. *The song is on the soundtracks of '' NBA 2K18'' and ''
Twisted Metal ''Twisted Metal'' is a series of Vehicular combat game, vehicular combat video games originally developed by SingleTrac and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series has appeared on the PlayStation (console), PlayStation, PlaySta ...
''. *The song is used in the 2018 film ''
Bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...
''. *The song is played when Niklas Kronwall of the
Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
and Noah Hanifin of the
Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...
score goals at home. *In 2021, Sammy Hagar performed this song live at the
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway during the warmup lap before the race began.


Pop culture

The American
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
band
Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Min ...
named their album ''
Double Nickels on the Dime ''Double Nickels on the Dime'' is the third album by American punk trio Minutemen, released on the SST Records in July 1984. A double album containing 45 songs, ''Double Nickels on the Dime'' combines elements of punk rock, funk, country, spok ...
'' as a protest against the song. Azerrad, 2001. p. 82


References


Further reading

* *Azerrad, Michael. '' Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981–1991''. Little Brown and Company, 2001. . {{authority control 1984 songs 1984 singles Sammy Hagar songs Songs about cars Songs written by Sammy Hagar Song recordings produced by Ted Templeman Geffen Records singles Protest songs