Red Hot Chili Peppers Pay Tribute To Eddie Van Halen On New Track, ‘Eddie’

Punk trailblazers, Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP), who first formed in 1983, released new single, ‘Eddie’, on September 23^rd, and through it paid their respects to rock legend Eddie Van Halen, who passed away in October 2020.

‘Eddie’, despite not referencing the guitarist by name, details the early days of his career, “Sailing the Sunset Strip” and “bending the strings”. Combining RHCP’s characteristically-clean guitar riffs and edgy vocals with a touching and powerful inspiration. The single marks an exciting new era for the band, which will come with the release of their upcoming 17-track album, ‘Return of the Dream Canteen’, on October 14^th.

Discussing the new track on Instagram, frontman Anthony Kiedis explained: “Sometimes we don’t realize how deeply affected and connected we are to artists until the day they die. […] In the end, our song asks that you not remember Eddie for dying but for living his wildest dream.”

And ‘Eddie’ certainly does adopt more of a sense of celebration rather than loss, with the band focusing on the moments in Eddie’s life where he lived to the fullest. The chorus maintains: “Please don’t remember me / for what I did last night”, while the verse details how he “married a TV wife” while “smoking the reefer”.

Moreover, Kiedis also revealed in the same Instagram post that “The day after [Eddie’s] death Flea came into rehearsal with an emotional bassline […] and pretty soon with all our hearts, a song in his honor effortlessly unfolded.”

The single comes while RHCP are in the midst of their North American tour, and before they embark on a tour of Australia with Post Malone for their forthcoming album, details of which can be found on their official website.

Isobel Reeves

@_izzyreeves02_

Image: ‘Return of the Dream Canteen’ Official Single Cover