Mammoth WVH’s Wolfgang Van Halen will be a married man soon, and when that happens, he’s got a special song to celebrate the occasion. During a recent Today Show appearance, the musician revealed that his wedding to longtime love Andraia Allsop was approaching soon, and Allsop revealed that their wedding song would be Peter Gabriel‘s “In Your Eyes.”
Speaking with Consequence recently, Wolfgang revealed the significance of the song. It goes beyond the couple’s love and he reveals that it was also a favorite of his father’s.
“Peter Gabriel is one of our favorite artists,” Wolfgang told us. “There’s a concert before our wedding that we’re going to see that’s Peter Gabriel, because he’s on tour right now and he’s just one of our favorite artists. So is one of my favorite albums of all time, and it was one of my dad’s favorite albums of all time. So, I’ve just had a connection with Peter Gabriel and his music forever, and simultaneously, my fiancée [is a fan], as well. So, we couldn’t think of a better song.”
The Song That Launched A Thousand Boomboxes
As big as the song is now, it’s interesting to note that “In Your Eyes” wasn’t initially the massive song we know now. The track was released in August 1986, following the success of Gabriel’s chart-topping single and MTV favorite, “Sledgehammer.”
The track was a modest success, topping Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and crossing over to hit No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. So turned out to be a pretty popular album, with the Kate Bush duet “Don’t Give Up,” another Top 10 smash and MTV favorite in “Big Time” and the progressive pop gem “Red Rain” all following.
That could have been the end of the story, but in 1989 the song played a pivotal role in the John Cusack-starring romantic comedy Say Anything, with Cusack’s heartbroken character blasting “In Your Eyes” from a boombox outside his estranged girlfriend’s window calling back one of their romantic moments. The iconic scene has been referenced frequently throughout the years, and it gave “In Your Eyes” a second life.
In 2006, Gabriel earned his first gold single in the U.S. with “In Your Eyes,” even though other tracks enjoyed better chart runs, speaking to the popularity and lasting power of the track.
Peter Gabriel, “In Your Eyes”
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A Mammoth Romance
It was July 2022 when Wolfgang Van Halen and Andraia Allsop announced their engagement. “She said yes!!,” was the caption on the posting that Wolfgang shared on Instagram with his fans. Many of his musical peers congratulated the happy couple, with Sevendust’s Morgan Rose and Clint Lowery, Volbeat’s Rob Caggiano, Halestorm’s Joe Hottinger, Arch Enemy’s Jeff Loomis, Cradle of Filth’s Richard Shaw, Periphery’s Mark Holcomb among those leaving comments on the post.
While Van Halen has chosen a musical path, Allsop works as a software engineer. The couple actually have their birthdays one day apart with Allsop born on March 15 and Van Halen on March 16. The couple started dating back in 2015.
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