Wolfgang Van Halen, son of the late rock icon Eddie Van Halen, just released the debut single from his solo project Mammoth WVH. The single proved immediately resonant.<\/p>\n
Entitled “Distance,” the song soared to #1 on the all-genre US iTunes song sales chart. It remains in the pinnacle position as of press time at 8:35PM ET Monday.<\/p>\n
“Distance” seized the throne from Billie Eilish’s “Therefore I Am,” which had reigned since shortly after its release Thursday.<\/p>\n
“Distance” represents a tribute to Eddie Van Halen, who passed away earlier this year. The Mammoth WVH name is also a tribute; Mammoth was the original name of Eddie’s band.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs my pop continued to struggle with various health issues, I was imagining what my life would be like without him and how terribly I\u2019d miss him,” writes Wolfgang in an official statement. “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 \u2018Distance\u2019 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.”<\/p>\n
Proceeds from the song will be donated to Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation.<\/p>\n