My Sunday Song – “Crossing Over” by Van Halen

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic

For My Sunday Song #393, we are on the third Japanese Bonus Track picked by Mike Ladano. This time around it is the Van Halen song “Crossing Over” off the band’s 1995 album ‘Balance’. The song was written by Van Halen (credited to all the members) and was not just a Japanese Bonus Track, but was also used as the B-Side to “Can’t Stop Loving You”. And if you recently bought the new Van Halen Collection II box set, you got the track on the 4th Bonus LP so that is really cool.

I read somewhere that the song was not actually written during the Balance recording sessions, but originated way back in 1983 when it was titled “David’s Song”. Eddie played all the instruments on the demo. The song wasn’t about Roth, it was about a friend of Eddie’s name David who had committed suicide. If you read the lyrics you can get that from them. Eddie is trying to reach out and see his friend one more time. To touch him one more time before he crosses over. It is a dark song and powerful too.

The song starts off with Eddie and the tone is really eerie and then the bass comes in with a little duh dum, and then the Alex is in on the drums and those drums are unmistakable Alex as he has such a unique sound. There are some electronic drum elements too. It all is very dark. Sammy finally comes in and sings and it isn’t all powerful. It is slow and the lyrics are very deliberate and meant to convey the dark tone to the song. There is an importance to the lyrics, to the sound, to it all. I read somewhere that Eddie’s demo was used for this track and they layered in Alex and Sammy and if that is true, that is cool. The song isn’t explosive and the chorus isn’t very catchy, but this is the mid 90’s and things were not always done the way we were used to hearing things. Overall, a really cool track.

Give the song a listen and let me know what you think. Should it have made the final tracklist of the album? I think so. It is pretty darn cool. Now, I want to thank Mike for picking these tracks and you should go check out his website – Mike Ladano and his YouTube page for Grab A Stack A Rock. You will enjoy it all!! Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you all have a Happy Sunday!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=bjtG9hisVSI%3Fsi%3D456UZV1TGDofSNrs

“Crossing Over”

I reach across to the other side
To make contact with you
Golden slumber, you fill my dreams
When I make contact with you, oh

Don’t ask me why I’m crossing over

Oh, crossing over

I never got to? What’s it all about?
Really know you is there a way… out…
The way I want to now outta here
So many things I… I’m like the rest
I didn’t tell you seeking an answer
I wanna tell you now
Tell me why, oh Lord but why, why, why, why?
You’re crossing over why? why?

(I gotta bring you back… to see your face)
Oh, crossing over
(I wanna hear you call my name, to feel your touch)
Reaching out, reaching out
(Hear your voice again)
(To hear your voice again)
Crossing over
(To feel your touch)
Reaching out
(To feel you)
Crossing over
(To feel)
Crossing over
(To feel)
Reaching out, reaching out
Crossing over

Written By Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony

11 thoughts on “My Sunday Song – “Crossing Over” by Van Halen”

  3. Nice point about the mid90s being a time with some uncoventional ideas about songwriting. I remember reading that Pearl Jam was really reluctant to put their song ‘Better Man’ on Vitalogy because it was Too catchy/accessible. So if this chorus wasn’t as catchy, that probably fits with the style of the time, for a while, bands feared being Too catchy!

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  4. It is a really good song. I probably would have put it on the album if it were my decision, Balance had a variety of stuff anyway and it’s a good song so it wouldn’t have hurt anything. But they don’t pay me to decide that kind of stuff.

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