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Hagar was 'embarrassed' by the name change suggestion, but understood the reasoning behind it.

Van Halen, it was actually discussed as a rebrand for the band upon Hagar's arrival in the mid-'80s. An executive at Warner Bros. first suggested Van Halen change its name to Van Hagar during a band meeting in 1986, presumably with an eye on capitalizing on Hagar's notoriety as a solo artist and possibly hedging their bets in case 5150 was a commercial flop. Hagar recalled the discussion in a recent radio interview. It started with Warner Bros. executive Mo Ostin after the band played "Why Can't This Be Love" for him for the first time. "Mo Ostin went, 'Oh, I smell money' — he thought it ...

Sammy Hagar recalled the band-name discussions after he joined Van Halen, saying in April 2021 that he would have been embarrassed to be in Van Hagar.

Michael Anthony discussed pressure to change Van Halen's band name during the Sammy Hagar era in an April 2021 interview.

One of the finest rock bands ever, getting their stage legs back before a small audience in a club, ahead of an era-defining arena tour — wh...