Back in the mid 1990s, Van Halen recorded the ballad “Between Us Two” for the soundtrack to the disaster film Twister. The track didn’t make the cut and was ultimately shelved, but Sammy Hagar has suggested that the finished song could see the light of day at some point.
As the guest on a new episode of Kyle Meredith with…, Hagar was asked by the host if he thought the song would surface now that there’s a sequel to Twister in the works. “Between Us Two” has been the source of speculation for years among hardcore Van Halen fans, with many wondering if the song was ever recorded, as no audio has surfaced or leaked over the past two decades.
According to Hagar, the song was not only recorded, but it was completely finished before being shelved. He goes on to say that it’s currently stashed in the Van Halen archives and could be discovered as the band’s camp reissues Hagar-era material in the near future.
When Meredith first mentioned “Between Us Two” in the interview, Hagar seemed to be pleasantly reminded of the song’s existence. “Everyone keeps asking me if there’s any old songs that never got released,” Hagar said, “and I always say, ‘Not really.’ There’s a couple… ‘Between Us Two’ — that’s a mid-tempo ballad … almost country, kinda like [1995 Van Halen single] ‘Can’t Stop Lovin’ You’ but not as up-tempo.”
When asked if it could be resurrected, Hagar replied: “I don’t know if I can resurrect it, but we got it; it’s done. It’s in the archives; they’ll find it. They’re looking through the archives right now to try to remaster some of the old stuff from my era. They’ll find it. That’s gonna be a treasure.”
The Red Rocker also said that he is essentially powerless when it comes to releasing the lost song: “[Resurrecting it] would have to go through the Van Halen camp, and it’s a little dysfunctional over there. There’s never been a fearless leader in the Van Halen camp. [David Lee] Roth was for a while. I was for a while. Then Eddie [Van Halen] took over for a while, then Alex [Van Halen] came in … Now Wolfie [Van Halen] is the fearless leader.”
In terms of the dysfunction, Hagar could be alluding in part to recent headlines regarding the long-rumored Van Halen tribute tour. After ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted revealed that he was tapped for a hypothetical tribute alongside guitarist Joe Satriani, numerous members of the Van Halen camp have chimed in — mostly to point fingers. Wolfgang Van Halen implied that an uncooperative David Lee Roth shot down the project, while Hagar recently said that he’s been cut off by Alex Van Halen and is out of the loop regarding the situation.
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