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On March 24th, 1986, Van Halen released 5150, their first album with then-new singer Sammy Hagar. In honor of the iconic record’s anniversary, here are 20 things you might not know about it:
1. Since David Lee Roth was no longer in the band, before 5150 came out, Van Halen’s label, Warner Bros. Records, advised the group to change their name, suggesting VanHagar as a possibility.
2. The band worked on the album for three months, completing it in February of 1986, just one month before its release.
3. The album is named after the California police term for a mentally unstable person, which comes from section 5150 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code. 5150 is also the name of Eddie Van Halen’s home studio where the band worked on the record.
4. The phrase “Play Me Loud” is etched into the vinyl version of the album, just under the label.
5. Tensions ran so high during the recording of 5150 that engineer Donn Landee locked himself in the studio and threatened to burn all the tapes the group had been working on.
6. Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones was one of the producers on the album. He was brought in after longtime producer Ted Templeman chose to instead work with David Lee Roth on his solo records.
7. 5150 was Van Halen’s first album to not have any instrumental tracks.
8. The mythical god Atlas on the album cover portrayed by Rick Valente, the former bodybuilder and host of the ESPN show BodyShaping.
9. To reflect the change in their line-up, the band altered their logo on the album cover. They kept the VH but put curved wings on it instead of the straight ones they used in the Roth era.
10. 5150 features some of the longest songs Van Halen had written up to that point, with “Why Can’t This Be Love” the only track on the effort under four minutes.
11. “Why Can’t This Be Love” was the first single off the album. It reached number three on the Billboard 100 and helped propel the album to number one.
12. “Dreams” was the second single off 5150. It peaked at number 22 on the Hot 100.
13. In 1995, “Dreams” was included on the soundtrack to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.
14. John Kerry must be a fan of 5150 because he played the song “Dreams” after delivering his acceptance speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. It became his campaign’s theme song.
15. Sammy Hagar once said that if he had to pick a favorite Van Halen song, it would be “Dreams”
16. Along with “Dreams” and “Why Can’t This Be Love,” the other singles from the album were “Love Walks In,” which peaked at 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “Summer Nights” and “Best of Both Worlds,” which didn’t chart on the Hot 100.
17. The opening track on the effort, “Good Enough,” plays in the 1987 movie Spaceballs.
18. The album was Van Halen’s first number one record.
19. 5150 is certified six-times Platinum for sales in excess of six-million units.
20. 5150 could’ve had a different singer. Eddie Van Halen auditioned Eric Martin of Mr. Big and Patty Smyth for the vocalist position, but they wound up going with Sammy.
Watch the video for "Why Can't This Be Love" below: