Red Hot Chili Peppers have teased the release of a new song called “Eddie,” inspired by legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen.
In a 57 second clip uploaded to the band’s Twitter account, fans got their first taste of the track. Rather than the explosive bombast of Van Halen, Red Hot Chili Peppers appear to stick to their own signature sound.
The clip opens with a guitar part similar to the band’s 2002 hit “By the Way,” before John Frusciante ventures into an emotive melody. Around the 30 second mark, frontman Anthony Kiedis delivers vocals that clearly reference the departed guitar god.
“Sailing the Sunset Strip, I’m a bit of a king / Granny would take a trip, I’ll be bending the strings / Got hammers in both my hands, such a delicate touch / They say I’m from Amsterdam, does that make me Dutch?”
In a separate portion of the song, uploaded to YouTube by the fan account Chili Rare, Kiedis can be heard repeating the line: “Please don’t remember me for what I did last night / Please don’t remember me loud and clear.”
Listen to the clip of “Eddie” below. The full song arrives Sept. 23 and will be featured on the band’s upcoming album Return of the Dream Canteen.
Like rockers and music fans all over the world, Red Hot Chili Peppers were saddened by Van Halen’s death in October 2020.
“Oh man, bless his beautiful creative heart,” Flea tweeted at the time. “I love you Eddie Van Halen, an LA boy, a true rocker. I hope you jam with Jimi tonight. Break through to the other side my brother.”
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