Don't Back Down

Album: Mammoth WVH (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This rocker is part of the first Mammoth album, which is the solo project of Wolfgang Van Halen, son of Eddie. In a Songfacts interview with Wolfgang, he described it as "a fight song when you want your team to decimate the other team."
  • The original title was "Saltbath," a play on "Sabbath." Wolfgang told Songfacts: "It has that kind of shuffle-y, Black Sabbath vibe."
  • Van Halen wrote the song, sang on it, and played all the instruments himself. The video has a little fun with this one-man-band concept, showing identical Wolfgangs at every instrument as they record the song in 5150 Studios, which was set up by his dad, Eddie. At the beginning of the clip, drummer Wolf annoys his bandmates by showing up late. They get it together and record a take, then we see two more Wolfgangs in the control room who declare it "terrible." Producer was one role Wolf didn't do himself: Michael "Elvis" Baskette handled it.

    This wasn't the first video to use this concept: Phil Collins did it for his cover of "You Can't Hurry Love," and Outkast on "Hey Ya."
  • The album was completed in 2018 but wasn't released until 2021 because Wolfgang was occupied by caring for his father, who was in ill health and died of cancer in 2020. It was recorded at 5150 Studios, but it had been a while before Wolfgang returned there to shoot the video, which was a poignant return.
  • "Don't Back Down" features a dramatic mid-song instrumental section reminiscent of Queens Of The Stone Age. Wolfgang is a big fan of the Josh Homme-fronted band. He pointed out to UCR that another of the Mammoth WVH tracks, "The Big Picture," was called "Queens" as a demo title. "If you thought you heard Queens on this one, it's definitely on that one, too," he said.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Yoko Ono

Yoko OnoSongwriter Interviews

At 80 years old, Yoko has 10 #1 Dance hits. She discusses some of her songs and explains what inspired John Lennon's return to music in 1980.

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.