Sammy Hagar Tells The Story Behind I Can’t Drive 55

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Learn about the iconic rock song and music video…

If you watched MTV back in 1984, a magical time when they actually played music videos and not garbage “reality” shows, you no doubt saw Sammy Hagar flogging a black Ferrari 512 Berlinetta while singing about how he can’t drive 55. We all know the frustration of wanting to just get on the road and drive, but you have a hot car that easily gets going well past the speed limit, then before you know it a cop chases you down to hand out a ridiculous citation. When the song came out the top speed limit in the United States was 55 mph, a federal law which many felt was outdated. But the story of this song goes beyond that, as revealed by Hagar himself.

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Posting to Instagram, the rocker took us behind the music to tell the story of his mechanic Claudio Zampoli and the tune which rocketed up the charts and is still considered by many to be among the top rock songs of all time. Zampoli was Hagar’s mechanic and apparently bought the musician his first new Ferrari, the 512 BB. That started a love affair with the Italian brand, fueling the singer’s love of driving fast.