Wolfgang Van Halen, the son of late rock guitar icon Eddie Van Halen, has released a new song, “Distance”, along with a heart-wrenching video featuring home video footage of the older and younger Van Halen together through the years. The song, Wolfgang Van Halen’s first-ever release under his Mammoth WVH moniker, was inspired by Wolf’s contemplation of a life without his father prior to Eddie Van Halen’s death in early October after a long battle with cancer.
Make sure you have your tissues handy when you hit play, because you’ll need them almost immediately. The new video for “Distance” begins with a decades-old exchange between a young Wolf and his father behind the camera. “I love you, Daddy,” a young Wolf says with endearing innocence as he makes his way upstairs to practice the drums. The show of affection elicits a sigh from Eddie, who returns the sentiment as he watches his son disappear up the stairs. “We’ve gotta clean out above the garage and build a little studio for you and me… or, for you.”
The song and video begin in earnest from there, as a simple rock progression and Wolfgang Van Halen’s reflective lyrics ring out over videos of him as a baby playing with his glowingly proud father. As the video goes on and the song builds in intensity, the home video footage shows an ever-growing Wolf gradually learning to play music over time, his father never far from his side. The song and clip show both build toward Wolf’s eventual insertion into his dad’s band as he works toward the song’s chorus: “No matter what the distance is I will be with you / No matter what the distance is you’ll be okay.”
The video finally ends on a still photo of a smiling Eddie Van Halen and his equally happy son practicing and laughing together as he rumples Wolf’s hair. As a crackly audio clip from EVH concludes, “I’m just so happy to have you as my son, man. I’m so proud of you. I love you so much.”
“As my pop continued to struggle with various health issues,” Wolf Van Halen said in a statement along with the video’s release. “I was imagining what my life would be like without him and how terribly I’d miss him. While the song is incredibly personal, I think anyone can relate to the idea of having a profound loss in their life, I never intended ‘Distance’ to be the very first piece of music people would hear from me, but I also thought my father would be here to celebrate its release. This is for him. I love and miss you, Pop.”
Watch the emotional new video for “Distance” from Mammoth WVH (Wolfgang Van Halen) below:
Mammoth WVH (Wolfgang Van Halen) – “Distance” (Official Video)
[Video: Mammoth WVH]
On Monday, Wolfgang Van Halen supported the release of “Distance” with his debut appearance on The Howard Stern Show.