Heart founding member Nancy Wilson has today released “Amigo Amiga,” a tribute to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins ahead of the Los Angeles Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert.
Wilson began penning the powerful, heartfelt homage the night of Hawkins’ passing, with the song’s title stemming from nicknames the two gave each other. “I heard myself in tears saying ‘too soon too soon’ which became a refrain in the song,” Wilson tells Consequence. “I spent quite a few sleepless nights trying to express it all. He was a wonderful friend and we always had funny pet names for each other like ‘Amigo’ and ‘Amiga’ as well as ‘Luv’ and ‘Dahling.’”
As melancholic as the piano and acoustic guitar are, “Amigo Amiga” is uplifting in nature, with its verses remembering the traits that defined Hawkins as a staple in music. “From the raddest of the rad/ With everything you had/ You and your radical sunshine,” she sings, encapsulating the significance he had to those who met and worked with him.
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Listen to “Amigo Amiga” below. All profits from the song will go to the non-profit organization MusiCares.
“It is such a painful loss — but it also feels like Taylor has galvanized and re-energized rock ‘n’ roll with so many of his musician friends and fans coming together,” Wilson added, noting a recent resurgence in the genre. “It’s a new renaissance Taylor and the Foo family have gifted us all.”
“Now we raise a glass to you/ As your boat goes gliding through the sacred night,” Wilson sings near the conclusion of “Amigo Amiga,” a song that serves as the proverbial glass being raised to an artist gone too soon. Amid its somber nature, Wilson crafts a moving tribute that remembers Hawkins for the positives he brought and will continue to bring with his legacy.
Hawkins also performed on Wilson’s debut solo album You and Me, which was released last year. The first of two Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concerts went down earlier this month at London’s Wembley Stadium; revisit our recap of the six-hour event, and then make sure to tune in to the Los Angeles iteration on September 27th.
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