Weekly we are counting down the Top Ten songs from 92.9's favourite artists and this week it's the Foo Fighters!
10. Walk | Wasting Light, 2011
Charted in AUS: 57
The Foo Fighters are another one of those bands that while they didn't chart highly in Australia, they still made a big impact on fans. Especially this album Wasting Light and the second single Walk.
The Foo Fighters won five Grammys following the release of this album; Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for this track, Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for "White Limo," Best Rock Album for Wasting Light and Best Long Form Music Video for the Foo's documentary Back and Forth.
FUN FACT: This album was recorded DIY style with old school tape machines at home in his garage!
9. Wheels | Greatest Hits, 2009
Charted in AUS: 21
This song was one of two new tracks recorded for their Greatest Hits album in 2009. Believe it or not, this album was part of a clause in their label contract and Grohl did not want to release it. In the liner notes of the album he writes:
These 16 songs are what we're calling our "Greatest Hits." Not to be confused with "Our Best Songs" or "Our Favorite Songs," it is a collection of the songs that have defined our band's identity to most people over the years.
8. All My Life | One by One, 2002
Charted in AUS: 20
One by One was released in 2002 and became their second consecutive album to win a Grammy for Best Rock Album. When Dave Grohl has been asked what this song is about, he says,
That song is a little dirty. Use your imagination!
Read the lyrics here.
7. Times Like These | One by One, 2002
Charted in AUS: 22
Times Like These was the second single released off the album One by One and is one of Dave Grohl's favourite tracks. The group had a lot of tension during the recording of this album—spending 1 million dollars on material they just threw out. Dave left to play for Queens of The Stone Age at this time but eventually came back to finish the album.
FUN FACT: On April 24 of 2020 one of the biggest live lounge collaborations of Times Like These was put together to support vulnerable people affected by COVID-19.
6. Monkey Wrench | Colour and the Shape, 1997
Charted in the AUS: 17
Monkey Wrench was a massive song and album for the Foo Fighters, and contrary to the predictions it would be another grunge record, it cemented its success as a rock album when it was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Album.
FUN FACT: The screamed bridge of this song is almost impossible for Dave Grohl to sing live but the bridge on the CD was yelled all in one breath.
5. Best of You | In Your Honor, 2005
Charted in AUS: 5
Best of You is a self-reflective song all about reaching your potential and in fact was a big success for the Foo Fighters. Number 1 in Canada, UK and the US. In Your Honor was a great album in that it gave listeners two sides of the Foo Fighters, disc one featured the harder tracks like Best of You and the second disc was softer acoustic tracks.
FUN FACT: Best is repeated in the song 40 times.
4. My Hero | Colour and the Shape, 1997
Charted in AUS: 74
This song is all about Dave Grohl's heroes and ordinary people that have done extraordinary things. In Dave's words the song is,
"(my) way of saying that when I was young, I didn't have big rock heroes, I didn't want to grow up and be some big sporting hero. My heroes were ordinary people and the people that I have a lot of respect for are just solid everyday people—people you can rely on."
3. The Pretender |
Echoes, Silence, Patience, Grace, 2007
Charted in AUS: 10
The Pretender was such a massive song for the Foo Fighters and in Australia it made it to number 10 on the charts and was a number 1 album. The Foos won Best Hard Rock Performance at the Grammys for this song and the album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace won in the Best Rock Album category.
2. Learn to Fly | There is Nothing Left To Lose, 1999
Charted in AUS: 36
Learn to Fly, is another massive track for the Foo Fighters off their third album There is Nothing Left To Lose.
At the time of the recording, guitarist Franz Stahl was fired which meant the Foos were only a three-piece for this album. They had a tumultuous few years and when Dave bought a house in Virginia and built a studio in the basement, the three of them found solace in hanging out and recording. They Nate (bassist) and Taylor (drummer) would just eat chili, drink beer and whiskey and record whenever we felt like it.
Dave says,
It was one of the most relaxing times of my whole life...and when I listen to that record it totally brings me back to that basement.
FUN FACT: The film clip features long time friends Tenacious D (Jack Black & Kyle Gass)
1. Everlong | Colour and the Shape, 1997
Charted in AUS: 45
And the number 1 Foo Fighters song is EVERLONG! This is the most played song at Foo Fighters' concerts and is often the encore song at concerts.
When this song was written, Dave Grohl was sleeping in a sleeping bag on a friend's floor having just gotten divorced, he had no access to his own bank account, and both his drummer, William Goldsmith, and guitarist, Pat Smear, were on the verge of quitting the Foo Fighters. It was a very emotionally charged song for Dave, taking only 45 minutes to write it.
FUN FACT: There is some whispering at the end of the song and it's a combination of three tracks mixed by Dave Grohl. One track is a love letter being read, another is a technical manual, and the third is a story about the father of one of the studio engineers.