I Never Said Goodbye

by Stephen Thomas ErlewineSammy Hagar, the singer's last solo album, was released a year after his first album with Van Halen, 1986's 5150. Although it charted the highest of any of his records, peaking at number 14, it wasn't as successful as his three previous albums, suffering from a slick, synthesized production and a lack of consistent material. The power ballad "Give to Live" was a hit and a couple of the rockers raised above the pedestrian level, yet the overall product was rather faceless. Perhaps sensing the lackluster quality of the record, Hagar launched an MTV promotion to re-title the record; the winning entry was I Never Said Goodbye, and titled that way in subsequent pressings. The 1994 Unboxed compilation also called the album I Never Said Goodbye, not Sammy Hagar.