Exactly two weeks before Glen Campbell passed away on August 8, 2017, he issued his final farewell to his fans. His goodbye message came through a music video for his song, “Adiós,” and it’s a visual masterpiece.
Peter Zavadi directed the video, which tracks one of Glen’s famous guitars as it embarks on an extensive journey. Starting in Nashville, the guitar manages to make its way to the coast of California, all thanks to a few friendly travelers and some of Glen’s family members.
Glen’s daughter Ashley had the honors of sending the guitar off on its cross-country trip. She is the first person we see in the video, and the only person to actually play the guitar. This seems fitting, since Ashley learned everything she knows about music from her father.
After Ashley parts ways with the guitar it bounces from person to person until it finally ends up in the hands of another Campbell family member, Glen’s grandson, Jeremy Olson. Jeremy is the one who takes the guitar to the California shore and gives it a honorable send-off. He tosses the guitar in the ocean before lighting it on fire, an action meant to resemble a Viking funeral.
Although the concept of the video is seemingly simple, it’s one that manages to pull at your heart. In addition to being known as a talented singer and performer, Glen was known across genres as one of the best guitarists in history. So the fact that one of his guitars was used as his means of saying “goodbye” makes the video for “Adiós” all the more meaningful.
Upon the video’s release, Ashley spoke to Rolling Stone about her hopes for it:
“My father’s music has touched so many people’s lives so I hope that this video will resonate with a lot of people. Music moves through us all in different ways, lighting a fire in each of us. That fire will always be burning as music keeps moving and as each of us continues to pass the torch.”
Tune in below to watch the moving video for “Adiós,” the last music video of Glen’s career. We’re so glad he left this behind for us to remember him by.
