VOA (album)

VOA
VOA
Studio album by Sammy Hagar
Released	July 23, 1984
Studio	Fantasy, Berkeley, California; Sunset Sound, Hollywood;
Genre	Hard rock
Length	36:24
Label	Geffen
Producer	Ted Templeman
Sammy Hagar chronology

VOA is the eighth studio album by American rock musician Sammy Hagar, released on July 23, 1984, by Geffen Records. It was Hagar's last solo album before joining Van Halen. The title is a reference to the Voice of America broadcast network.^[1] The album peaked at number 32 on the Billboard 200 album charts on December 15, 1984 and features the single "I Can't Drive 55", Hagar's most successful song as a solo artist.^[2]

Background and recording

The album was recorded at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California and Sunset Sound in Hollywood, and then mixed at The Power Station in New York.^[3]

According to the album's liner notes,^[4] "Burnin' Down the City" is inspired by the street artists of New York City.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sammy Hagar, except where stated

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"I Can't Drive 55"		4:12
2.	"Swept Away"		5:36
3.	"Rock Is in My Blood"		4:29
4.	"Two Sides of Love"		3:41
5.	"Dick in the Dirt"		4:19
6.	"VOA"		4:29
7.	"Don't Make Me Wait"	Hagar, Jesse Harms	4:06
8.	"Burnin' Down the City"		5:32

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
Ted "Champagne" Templeman – percussion

Production

Ted Templeman – producer
Jeff Hendrickson – engineer
Tom Size – assistant engineer
Gary Rindfuss – assistant engineer
Eric Mohler – assistant engineer
Terry Christian – assistant engineer

Charts

Chart (1984)	Peak position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[5]	93
US Billboard 200^[6]	32

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[7]	Platinum	1,000,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ Rivadavia, Eduardo (July 23, 2014). "How Sammy Hagar Finally Broke Through With 'VOA'". Retrieved October 12, 2020.
^ "Chart History - Sammy Hagar - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
^ VOA (Media notes). Sammy Hagar. Universal Music B.V. 2018. MOCCD13570.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ VOA album liner notes, 1984
^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 8515". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
^ "Sammy Hagar Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
^ "American album certifications – Sammy Hagar – VOA". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

Lyrics from Hagar's official web site

This 1980s rock album–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Rivadavia, Eduardo (July 23, 2014). "How Sammy Hagar Finally Broke Through With 'VOA'". Retrieved October 12, 2020.

[2] "Chart History - Sammy Hagar - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2020.

[3] VOA (Media notes). Sammy Hagar. Universal Music B.V. 2018. MOCCD13570.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[4] VOA album liner notes, 1984

[group=-5] "Top RPM Albums: Issue 8515". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 30, 2023.

[ac_Billboard200_Sammy_Hagar-6] "Sammy Hagar Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2023.

[United_StatesSammy_HagarVOAalbumCertRef-7] "American album certifications – Sammy Hagar – VOA". Recording Industry Association of America.

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