Foo Fighters: A Retrospective, 1995-2023

Foo Fighters A Retrospective: 1995-2023

Overview: Rock group formed in 1994 by Dave Grohl, formerly the drummer with Nirvana. He recorded the 1995 self-titled debut on his own, but then assembled a band to tour the album. The Players: Dave Grohl (vocals, guitar: 1994-present) Pat Smear (guitar: 1995-97, 2010-present) Nate Mendel (bass: 1995-present) William Goldsmith (drums: 1995-97) Taylor Hawkins (drums, backing vocals: 1997-2022). Died 3/25/2022. Franz Stahl (guitar, backing vocals: 1997-99) Chris Shiflett (guitar, backing vocals: 1999-present) Rami Jaffee (keyboards: 2017-present) Josh Freese (drums, percussion: 2023-present) Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Foo Fighters Top 50 Songs FooFighters.com (official site) Facebook Wikipedia

Awards:

Compilations: GH Greatest Hits (covers 1995-2009, released 2009) E The Essential (covers 1995-2021, released 2022) Immediately below is a list of this acts’ top songs as ranked by the DMDB. The codes beside the songs indicate which of the above albums the songs appear on. In addition, you can scroll farther down the page to see a snapshot of the individual albums with the singles from each indicated. The songs are again followed by the codes, but also for those songs that charted, the date of the song’s release or first chart appearance and its chart peaks are noted in parentheses. Click for codes to charts. Top 50 Songs DMDB Top 2%: 1. Everlong (1997) GH, E DMDB Top 5%: 2. The Pretender (2007) GH, E 3. Best of You (2005) GH, E 4. Learn to Fly (1999) GH, E 5. All My Life (2002) GH, E 6. Monkey Wrench (1997) GH, E 7. My Hero (1997) GH, E 8. Big Me (1995) GH, E 9. Times Like These (2002) GH, E 10. Walk (2011) E DMDB Top 10%: 11. This Is a Call (1995) GH, E 12. Rope (2011) E 13. I’ll Stick Around (1995) 14. Something from Nothing (2014) 15. Long Road to Ruin (2007) GH, E 16. Baker Street (1998) DMDB Top 20%: 17. DOA (2005) 18. Waiting on a War (2021) E 19. Run (2017) 20. Breakout (1999) GH, E 21. The Sky Is a Neighborhood (2017) E 22. Next Year (1999) 23. Shame Shame (2020) E 24. Darling Nikki (2003) 25. Walking After You (1997) 26. Stacked Actors (1999) Beyond the DMDB Top 20%: 27. The One (2001) 28. Wheels (2009) GH 29. Making a Fire (2021) E 30. These Days (2011) E 31. Low (2002) 32. Congregation (2014) 33. Rescued (2023) 34. Let It Die (2007) 35. Love Dies Young (2021) 36. No Way Back (2005) 37. Under You (2023) 38. Outside (2014) 39. Saint Cecilia (2015) 40. Bridge Burning (2011) 41. The Line (2017) 42. A Life of Illusion (2003) 43. No Son of Mine (2021) 44. Resolve (2005) 45. Have It All (2002) 46. For All the Cows (1995) 47. Band on the Run (2007) 48. Arlandria (2011) 49. Miracle (2005) 50. Keep the Car Running (2007)

Foo Fighters (1995)): This Is a Call (6/15/95, 35 BA, 6 AR, 2 MR, 5 UK, 9 DF) GH, E I’ll Stick Around (9/4/95, 51 BA, 12 AR, 8 MR, 18 UK, 10 DF) For All the Cows (11/21/95, 28 UK) Big Me (1/27/96, 13 BA, 10 RR, 23 A40, 9 AA, 18 AR, 3 MR, 19 UK, 1 DF) GH, E Read more on the DMDB page for this album.

The Colour and the Shape (1997): Monkey Wrench (4/28/97, 58 BA, 9 AR, 9 MR, 12 UK, 15 DF) GH, E Everlong (8/2/97, 42 BA, 4 AR, 3 MR, 18 UK, 1 DF) GH, E My Hero (1/17/98, 59 BA, 8 AR, 6 MR, 21 UK, 9 DF) GH, E Walking After You (6/6/98, 35 A40, 16 AA, 12 MR, 20 UK, 33 DF)

There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999): Learn to Fly (9/18/99, 19 BB, 13 BA, 21 RR, 15 A40, 4 AA, 2 AR, 1 MR, 21 UK, 12 DF) GH, E Stacked Actors (1/17/00, 9 AR, 25 MR) Generator (3/6/00, --) Breakout (4/1/00, 11 AR, 8 MR, 29 UK, 23 DF) GH, E Next Year (9/9/00, 40 A40, 14 AA, 17 MR, 42 UK, 18 DF)

One by One (2002): All My Life (9/7/02, 43 BB, 3 AR, 1 MR, 5 UK, 15 DF) GH, E Times Like These (1/18/03, 65 BB, 5 AR, 5 MR, 12 UK, 9 DF) GH, E Low (6/23/03, 23 AR, 15 MR, 21 UK, 35 DF) Have It All (9/22/03, 37 UK)

In Your Honor (2005): Best of You (5/7/05, 18 BB, 41 RR, 38 A40, 1 AR, 1 MR, 4 UK, 9 DF) GH, E DOA (9/5/05, 68 BB, 5 AR, 1 MR, 25 UK, 21 DF) Resolve (11/21/05, 32 UK) No Way Back (2/11/06, 6 AR, 2 MR) Cold Day in the Sun (3/13/06, --) E Miracle (7/22/06, 39 A40)

Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007): The Pretender (8/18/07, 37 BB, 1 AR, 1 MR, 8 UK, 15 DF) GH, E Long Road to Ruin (11/10/07, 89 BB, 21 AA, 2 AR, 1 MR, 35 UK, 33 DF) GH, E Cheer Up Boys (Your Make Up Is Running) (4/7/08, --) Let It Die (4/19/08, 5 AR, 1 MR)

Greatest Hits Foo Fighters

Recorded: 1995-2009 Released: November 3, 2009 Peak: 11 US, 4 UK, 6 CN, 11 AU Sales (in millions): -- US, 1.5 UK, 2.45 world (includes US and UK) Genre: rock Rating: 4.024 out of 5.00 (average of 5 ratings)

Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Tracks: (1) All My Life (2) Best of You (3) Everlong (4) The Pretender (5) My Hero (6) Learn to Fly (7) Times Like These (8) Monkey Wrench (9) Big Me (10) Breakout (11) Long Road to Ruin (12) This Is a Call (13) Skin and Bones (14) Wheels (15) Word Award (16) Everlong (acoustic version) Tracks Not on Previously Noted Albums: Skin and Bones (9/5/05, --) GH Wheels (9/29/09, 72 BB, 4 AA, 4 AR, 3 MR, 22 UK) GH Word Forward GH Everlong (acoustic version) GH About the Album: The Foo Fighters’ first greatest-hits collection offers highlights from their first six studio albums as well as a live cut from their Skin and Bones album. The compilation also features two new songs.

Wasting Light (2011): Rope (2/25/11, 68 BB, 1 AR, 1 MR, 22 UK, 15 DF) E White Limo (3/25/11, --) Walk (6/17/11, 83 BB, 1 AR, 1 MR, 57 UK, 18 DF) E Arlandria (9/17/11, 79 UK) These Days (10/15/11, 27 AR, 2 MR) E Bridge Burning (4/7/12, 14 AR, 40 MR) Read more on the DMDB page for this album.

Medium Rare (2011): Baker Street (1/19/98, 34 MR, 1 DF) Darling Nikki (9/22/03, 15 MR, 1 DF)

Sonic Highways (2014): Something from Nothing (10/16/14, 84 BA, 28 AA, 1 AR, 1 MR, 73 UK, 63 CN, 53 AU) The Feast and the Famine (10/24/14, --) Congregation (10/31/14, 25 AA, 1 AR, 5 MR) What Did I Do?/God As My Witness (11/6/14, --) Outside (8/4/15, 7 AR, 11 MR)

Concrete and Gold (2017): Run (6/1/17, 1 AR, 9 MR, 64 UK, 76 CN, 53 AU, 24 DF) The Sky Is a Neighborhood (8/23/17, 1 AR, 7 MR, 63 UK, 18 DF) E The Line (5/26/18, 4 AR, 30 MR)

Medicine at Midnight (2021): Shame Shame (11/7/20, 2 AA, 1 AR, 10 MR, 43 CN, 40 AU) E No Son of Mine (1/1/21, 32 AR) Waiting on a War (1/14/21, 3 AA, 1 AR, 8 MR, 53 UK, 95 CN, 18 DF) E Making a Fire (6/8/21, 3 AA, 1 AR, 6 MR, 52 UK) E Love Dies Young (12/4/21, 13 AA, 3 AR, 6 MR)

The Essential Foo Fighters

Recorded: 1995-2021 Released: October 28, 2022 Peak: 42 US, 10 UK, 43 CN, 5 AU Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.1 UK Genre: rock Rating: 4.536 out of 5.00 (average of 9 ratings)

Tracks: (1) Everlong (2) Making a Fire (3) Times Like These (4) Rope (5) Monkey Wrench (6) My Hero (7) Cold Day in the Sun (8) Big Me (9) Long Road to Ruin (10) Shame Shame (11) Best of You (12) All My Life (13) The Pretender (14) This Is a Call (15) Waiting on a War (16) Walk (17) Learn to Fly (18) The Sky Is a Neighborhood (19) Breakout (20) These Days (21) Everlong (acoustic version) About the Album: Greatest-hits collections are already shameless money grabs from record companies, but nothing is more shameful than the collections that follow the first. Rather than pick up where the first left off, second greatest-hits collections usually replicate much of what was on the first set and then add more recent material. If the record companies cared about the fans, they wouldn’t be as interested in a career retrospective (at least not at this stage) when a Greatest Hits Volume II is more respectful of those who already bought the first collection. In the case of The Essentials, a whopping thirteen songs are featured on this set and Greatest Hits. That leaves eight songs to represent the four studio albums released since then. However, this set completely skips over Sonic Highways, which includes “Something from Nothing,” a #1 hit on the mainstream rock and alternative rock charts. “Congregation” and “Run” were also chart-toppers on the mainstream rock chart but aren’t featured here.

But Here We Are (2023): Rescued (4/19/23, 1 AR, 1 MR, 88 CN) Under You (5/17/23, 1 AR, 1 MR, 98 UK) Show Me How (5/25/23, --) The Teacher (5/30/23, --) The Glass (6/2/23, --)

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Foo Fighters Dave’s Music Database: Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists Wikipedia page for Greatest Hits Wikipedia page for The Essential First posted 12/9/2023.