Hey guys, welcome back to the blog for another top 10 list from me! This time, instead of breaking down a year, I will be sharing my favorite songs from an artist, which I see myself doing quite often, actually. We are starting this with the Foo Fighters, who have more than enough songs I love, so it was kind of easy to put together a list for them. So without further ado, let's get into it!
INTRODUCTION
The Foo Fighters are a rock band originally founded as a one-man project for former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl after the death of Kurt Cobain. While Grohl was on tour with Nirvana, he often brought a guitar with him and wrote songs when he wasn't performing, but since he loved Cobain's songs too much, he kept them to himself. After Cobain died and Nirvana was disbanded, Grohl began to record a lot of these songs anonymously under the name "Foo Fighters" because he wanted it to sound like a group. But unexpectedly, the tape of these songs gathered interest among several record labels, so Grohl gathered together some other musicians to support the album. After he recruited guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Nate Mendel, and drummer William Goldsmith, the album was completed under Grohl's new record label. They went on to release eight more albums that contained many hit singles. Because I personally enjoy a lot of these hit singles, I picked out ten of them to represent my favorite songs that they have recorded. And I'm here to present those ten songs and talk about why I love them. Let's dive in!
10. Learn To Fly (from There Is Nothing Left To Lose)
This is one of the most noticeable hits from the Foos, as it peaked in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Personally, I think it deserves it. It's not a very hard or upbeat song, which is what I'm used to hearing from them. And this type, which reminds me a lot of their iconic single "Everlong", is a nice change. Also, Dave Grohl sounds a little different here, too, and that's also kind of cool. So yeah, this is pretty good for the only Hot 100-charting single from There Is Nothing Left To Lose.
9. Rope (from Wasting Light)
Unlike "Learn To Fly", this song, and this album in general, isn't much different from what I'm used to hearing from the Foos. That's part of what I like about it. This song is really fast and energy-filled, which is the big thing that makes me want to stick around until the end. It also has some cool guitar riffs that go with that tempo nicely. It's not my favorite song off of Wasting Light, but it is an honorable mention for that honor.
8. No Way Back (from In Your Honor)
In Your Honor is not one of my favorite Foo Fighters albums, but it did have some cool songs on it, such as this one. It's a very good example of this band's usual sound, which I like. The guitar riff is the catchiest part of this song to me, as is the chorus, which defines the song along with that riff. While I do prefer seven other songs from the Foos over this, if I had to listen to any song from In Your Honor, I would immediately go to this one.
7. Walk (from Wasting Light)
Here's another Wasting Light single that I think shows their sound really well. I like how they continued their harder rock sound even into the 2010s, as that wasn't what was popular at the time. But some people, like me, enjoy hearing it, so I'm glad this song is out there for that. We'll have to wait until the top five to see what my favorite Wasting Light song is, but although this mystery song is better, I really enjoy this one.
6. Monkey Wrench (from The Colour And The Shape)
This is one of many songs from the late 1990s that were renowned hits but never charted on the Billboard Hot 100 because of the chart rules at the time. I think this is definitely cruel, but that doesn't affect my opinion on this song. It has some really catchy riffs throughout, plus that really hard rock feel that Dave Grohl is great at making. It's not better than "Everlong", which will appear on this list eventually, but I'm glad this was a hit along with it.
5. All My Life (from One By One)
I personally thought that One By One was a forgettable album, but I remember it at least somewhat because of this song. I like how this song starts with not as much in it, then some breaks in during the second half of the first verse and pre-chorus, then by the chorus it's just super fun. I don't know why but those kind of songs really stick out to me in a great way, and that's why I love this song. I considered putting it higher, like at #2 or something, but I guess this placing shows how strong their discography is.
4. These Days (from Wasting Light)
I love this song for the exact same reason why I love "All My Life": It has an awesome build-up that sets the stage for the song very nicely. And this is yet another one of those songs with actual guitars in it that was made in this decade, which you don't see or hear every day. But yeah, I like how the Foos didn't change according to the trends and just stuck with what they were used to playing, as many artists throughout this decade are victims of that. But the Foos aren't, and I'm very glad about that.
3. Something From Nothing (from Sonic Highways)
Okay, so think back to "These Days" and Wasting Light in general for a second. That album was released in 2011 and still possessed that great hard rock sound that is almost extinct in the 2010s because of new trends. Well, this song and album were released in 2014, which is a year right between the dance-pop and trap trends. And those subgenres are based off of computer-generated instruments. The Foos probably knew this, but even this far into this decade, they were still making actual rock music, and I admire that so much because not many artists will have the courage to do that. Anyway, this song is fantastic in pretty much every way. It is another one with an amazing build-up that is very noticeable, and very good at the same time. The many different riffs coming together help a lot with that. And how Dave Grohl's voice changes throughout the song to match the tones of it...just so good. 2014 was not an awesome year for music, but this song is one of the real highlights from that year, even though it barely did not chart on the Hot 100.
2. Everlong (from The Colour And The Shape)
Yes, this hugely iconic single is not my top pick for the best Foo Fighters song, and you'll find out why in a minute. But for now, let's just say that this song is a part of why 1997 was such an awesome year for alternative rock music, and music in general. There were a lot of great pop crossover hits from that year that helped make it what it is, but there were also songs on more of the actual rock side, like this one, that helped as well. While this song is certainly not the best of those, because 1997 was so awesome, it's up there, and I still enjoy listening to it when I get a chance to. However, as good as this song sounds like it is, it's not quite my favorite Foo Fighters song. It wasn't very close, either. So what is? Well...
1. The Pretender (from Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace)
If this song was a bigger mainstream hit and not have been caught between years, 2007 and 2008 would have been so much different for me. That's because this song just outright stands out when compared to other songs from that era. Okay, so if you decide to listen to this song, or have already, you probably heard the first 25 seconds or so and went, "Man, this is so slow and boring, I don't see why so many people love it. Maybe I should just stop here." Well, that's when it breaks right in and goes so hard that the energy is just way over the top. And by the time that super awesome chorus hits, you just feel so good because the song is now so upbeat and energy-filled. I know I've talked about of a lot of these other songs being really upbeat and energy-filled, but they don't even compare to how hype this one is. And I love hype songs, so this is perfect for my taste. You might not agree and think that something like "Everlong" is better, but I personally love this song too much to not say it's my favorite from them.
And that does it for this top 10 list! What do you think? Did you agree or disagree with my opinions, or do you just want to share your thoughts on the songs? Well, that's what the comment section or my Discord DMs are for, as you're welcome to hit those up anytime. You can also use those for suggestions for other posts you'd like to see from me if you want. But yeah, I had a lot of fun making this list and this post, and if you want to hear the goodness in these songs for yourself, that's what the YouTube embeds I included are for. I recommend all of these songs to anyone who is looking for things to listen to, so you are free to check them out if you're bored. But for now, that's it for this post and I'll see you guys next time! Have a great rest of your day!
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