Van Halen has released another track off their upcoming box set, The Collection II, which drops October 6. The latest is the song “Crossing Over,” which is included on the set’s Studio Rarities disc.
In a video posted to YouTube, Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony discuss the backstory of the song, which Anthony notes was written about a childhood friend of Eddie and Alex Van Halen who took his own life.
Eddie played almost all the instruments on the song, which Sammy says was recorded before he even knew the guys. “I pulled that out and put a vocal on it like 10 years later,” he said, noting, “that was a special a** song.” Sammy explained the track was also about Ed Leffler, the band’s manager who passed away, adding that “it became about Eddie” following his death in 2020.
He says, “The truth of the matter is, that’s a deep track.”
The Collection II will feature newly remastered versions of the band’s four #1 albums with Hagar — 1986’s 5150, 1988’s OU812, 1991’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and 1995’s Balance — along with Studio Rarities 1989-2004, which features eight non-album Hagar-era tracks. It is available for preorder now.
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