5 Crazy But True Facts About Foo Fighters
5 Crazy But True Facts About Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters have been cranking out massive rock songs for more than 30 years, but the story behind the band is almost as interesting as the music.
From a debut album that wasn’t really recorded by a “band” to a name inspired by mysterious objects in the sky, here are 5 crazy-but-true facts about Foo Fighters.
1. The First Foo Fighters Album Was Basically All Dave Grohl
When you hear the 1995 debut album Foo Fighters, you’re mostly hearing one guy.
Dave Grohl.
After the end of Nirvana, Grohl recorded the album in about a week and played virtually everything himself — drums, bass, guitars and vocals. The notable exception was a guitar part played by Greg Dulli.
Only after the recordings were finished did Grohl put together the actual band that became Foo Fighters.
2. “Foo Fighters” Comes From World War II UFOs
No, Dave Grohl didn’t just put two random words together.
During World War II, Allied pilots used the term “foo fighters” to describe mysterious lights or objects they reported seeing in the sky.
Decades later, Grohl borrowed the name for his new musical project.
So one of the biggest rock bands of the last 30 years is essentially named after World War II UFO sightings.
3. “Everlong” Is Basically a Love Song
With those pounding drums and massive guitars, “Everlong” may not immediately sound like a traditional love song.
But that’s essentially what it is.
The song arrived during a turbulent period in Grohl’s personal life and was inspired by a new relationship. It became one of the defining songs from 1997’s The Colour and the Shape — and eventually one of Foo Fighters’ signature songs.
4. The “Big Me” Video Made Fun of Mentos Commercials
Remember those ridiculously upbeat Mentos commercials from the ’90s?
Foo Fighters certainly did.
The music video for “Big Me” turned them into a full-blown parody, complete with the fictional candy “Footos.”
The goofy video became one of the band’s earliest MTV hits and helped show that Foo Fighters weren’t going to take the whole rock-star thing too seriously.
5. Dave Grohl Went From Drummer to One of Rock’s Biggest Frontmen
Think about the career change.
Grohl joined Nirvana as their drummer in 1990 and played on the band’s breakthrough album Nevermind.
After Kurt Cobain’s death and the end of Nirvana, Grohl didn’t simply join another band as a drummer.
He wrote songs, sang lead, played guitar and eventually stepped to the front of his own band.
The drummer standing behind Kurt Cobain became the frontman of Foo Fighters, one of the defining rock bands of the next three decades.
What’s the Greatest Foo Fighters Song?
That’s where things get difficult.
“Everlong”?
“My Hero”?
“Learn to Fly”?
“Best of You”?
“The Pretender”?
There are plenty to choose from.
What’s your #1 Foo Fighters song of all time?
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