Ronan O'BrienIt’s been thirty years since Dave Grohl emerged from the ashes of Nirvana and introduced Foo Fighters to the world. Heavy, grungy and a testament to the instrumental ingenuity of Grohl, this album is one of my absolute favourites.
Post-Nirvana & Kurt Cobain
Nirvana were a band that spearheaded an entire new genre of music, grunge. Forming in Washington, USA, the band’s rough and heavy sound propelled underground music to the mainstream. Firmly fixed in the Seattle punk scene, the group consisting of frontman Kurt Cobain, bassist Krist Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl slowly grew to become rock superstars. Although songs like “Smells Like Teen Spirit” became global hits, the band very much rejected the idea of commercial success and big labels. Despite this, they became one of the biggest selling bands of all time and dethroned hair metal and punk rock to become the “in” thing of the 1990s.
Like many rockstars of the era, frontman Kurt Cobain struggled with drug addiction. This led to failed rehabilitation and the eventual break-up of the band, truly ending in April 1994 with his death from suicide. Naturally, the news of Cobain’s death shook the world, but none more than bandmate Dave Grohl. Understandably, Grohl retreated from music altogether. Falling into a depression, Grohl became lost and jaded with creating music entirely. He often related Cobain’s death as being like that of a family member’s, and playing music became the same as walking into that person’s bedroom full of their things.
In the months following Cobain’s death, he travelled to Ireland. In his autobiography, The Storyteller, Grohl recalls travelling around Ireland and passing a hitchhiker wearing a Kurt Cobain t-shirt. This prompted him to experience a panic attack, snapping him back to reality. This became the moment that changed everything, and he vowed to go back to work.
Foo Fighters – A New Beginning
On his return to the US, Grohl booked some studio time at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle. Already sitting on content he had written while in Nirvana, the goal was to just record and get back into the flow of music. Determined to figure it out himself, he decided he alone would play all instruments on each song. The album was completed in just 5 days and these songs became the content of Foo Fighters, his debut album.
Grohl decided to release the album on his own, under his own label. Deciding against using his own name, the album was released under the moniker Foo Fighters. His reasoning for this was distancing himself from the world; “I wanted to start a label on my own, release the album with no names on it, no photos, call it Foo Fighters so people thought it was a band”. He didn’t want to attract attention; if people found out a member of Nirvana was back creating music, it would create a stir. Following the completion of the record, he distributed 100 cassettes to friends. This caught the attention of record labels, and the formation of the band truly began. And as they say, the rest is history.
This Is a Call
The album opens with feedback and a guitar tone that is truly Nirvana-esque. The song breaks open with distorted guitars and incredibly meaty drums. This song became the first time the entire world heard Dave Grohl sing. While Grohl composed and played all elements of the album, the vocals were the part he was least confident about. Although understandable, being known as a drummer, there was no need for this lack of confidence. His vocals are strong, shouting defiantly into the microphone. Lyrically, the chorus serves as a greeting and gratitude to those who helped him musically in his life. Towards the end of the track, it builds to a head and the talent of his drum playing is on full show with an incredible breakdown. The song has stood the test of time in many ways, often being used as an encore in Foo Fighters live performances.
“This Is a Call” is followed by a track that became known as a shot to Cobain’s wife, Courtney Love. “I’ll Stick Around” opens with guitars that are tonally similar to the opening track and a punk edge. The singing is melodic as is the guitar, and lyrically points to Cobain’s drug use. The chorus features Grohl shouting repeatedly, “I don’t owe you anything” which is perceived as directed towards Courtney Love. The reason being the legal disputes over Nirvana royalties that plagued Grohl. He defiantly tells her in the song “I’ll stick around and learn from all that came from it” and the frustration in his voice is evident.
Big Me
The third track on the album provides some respite from the hard, fast-paced tracks that open the album. “Big Me” was written during Grohl’s time in Nirvana, and is a heartfelt ballad to his then wife, Jennifer Youngblood. The guitars are melodic and the drums are firmly in the pocket. The song does sound a bit tongue-in-cheek on the album, but it’s quite a beautiful piece. Lyrically, it is summed up by Grohl perfecly; “Girl meets boy, boy falls in love, girl tells him to fuck off”.
The music video is hilarious in itself. The video is a spoof of early Mentos commercials which encapsulates the sweetness and unseriousness of the song perfectly. The popularity of the music video prompted the band to stop playing the song at live performances due to fans throwing Mentos at them on stage. Grohl compared it to a stoning, “those little things are like pebbles – they hurt.”
For All The Cows
This song is a deeper cut on the album for sure, but it’s one of my favourite tracks they have produced. It’s nonsensical but instrumentally brilliant. “For All the Cows“ opens with a jazz swing and sounds out of place on the album for that reason. But I think it serves as more of a testament to Dave Grohl’s talents. Known for fast-paced, punk-like drums, the groove in the verses is so delectable. But don’t be fooled, the chorus slams straight back into that raw, rough sound where the punk kicks through. Lyrically, it is nonsensical. But one could look into it deeper and argue it’s about the attitude of celebrities when they make it big.
The rest of the album is raw and energetic. The vocal delivery in songs like “Weenie Beenie“ and “Wattershed“ reflects the frustration and anger he may have felt following Cobain’s death. The instrumentals are fast-paced and the punk influence Grohl had growing up around the Seattle punk scene definitely shines through. The latter references many punk bands he grew up, and it serves as a great homage to them.
The True Beginning
While many critics rightfully compared the album to Nirvana, Foo Fighters served as a beginning for Grohl to move on from the past. Following the album’s success, Grohl decided to create a band. He asked Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic to join, but he refused. Instead, he recruited Nate Mendel as bassist and William Goldsmith on drums. Pat Smear joined as a second guitarist, with Grohl being the other as frontman. There has been a few changes to the lineup since, most notably drummer Taylor Hawkins, who was a staple of the band’s success until his death in 2022.
Moving on from the death of a close friend is one thing, but being able to step back into music after the success shared with them is another. For that reason, Grohl has shown true strength. But being able to achieve global success with more than one band is outstanding in itself. And it all started with this album.
