Last year marked 25 years since the first Foo Fighters album was released, and it's safe to say that Dave Grohl has come a long way since then.
The 'drummer from Nirvana' has done pretty well for himself as he fronts what is now one of the biggest rock bands on the planet and remains one of the nicest guys in the biz. Just ask... anyone.
To celebrate Foo Fighter's 10th album 'Medicine at Midnight' – which is out tomorrow, February 5th - we've put together a playlist of 10 of their best songs, in no particular order.
'BIG ME'
That first Foo Fighters album has stood the test of time, as Grohl tentatively poked at the post-Nirvana possibilities of fusing grungey rock with a poppier sound. This track remains a fan favourite for good reason – it's still brilliant.
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'BEST OF YOU'
A track that sums up Grohl's might as a songwriter – a sense of lyrical vulnerability blended with a balls-to-the-wall rock anthem. There are plenty of these tracks in their back catalogue, but this is one of the... erm... best.
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'ALL MY LIFE'
Possibly the best, or at least most spinetingling intro to a Foo Fighters song ever? If you've been lucky enough to see the band play live, you'll know that the moment that the drums kick in on this song is just sublime – and the energy is relentless from there on in.
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'THE PRETENDER'
Alright, here's a contender for 'Best Intro', then. We have to admit that 2007's 'Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace' is not quite our favourite Foo Fighters album - but damn, they know how to get the blood pumping on this song. Remember the first time you heard this song? Were you really expecting that haunting first verse to give way to that ferocious chorus?
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'MONKEY WRENCH'
This song doesn't need an explanation. Really, of course it'd make any 'Top 10 Foo Fighters Songs' tracklist. A fizzy, high-octane explosion of grungey pop-rock taken from their second album 'The Colour & The Shape', it's impossible not to chair dance to this tune. Go on, try it. Impossible.
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'MY HERO'
We've already established that Foo Fighters are more than capable of those big bolshy rock songs – but songs like 'My Hero' show the emotion-driven side to their oeuvre. The fact that they can do this and still rock the f**k out within the same song is testament to Grohl's skill as a songwriter.
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'LEARN TO FLY'
Their third album 'There is Nothing Left to Lose' firmly brought Foo Fighters into the mainstream, thanks to songs like this one and 'Breakout'. Not only is the video brilliant, but 'Learn to Fly' perfects the melody and singalong quality that marks so many Foos songs as modern rock classics. Even your mam probably liked this song.
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'TIMES LIKE THESE'
A track that has resonated with many people over the difficult past year, it was actually written during a difficult period in Grohl's life – when sessions for 'One By One' were unsteady and tension was rife within the band. This song is a self-help guide for optimism and positivity: acknowledge what's good about life right now, and know that better days are coming.
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'BREAKOUT'
The giddy mischief of this song gets us every time - and we must have heard it thousands of times by now. Neverthless, we will continue to scream gleefully along with the 'Breakouuuuuuuuttttttttttt' part, because it is both therapeutic, fun, and the culmination of a brilliant song.
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'EVERLONG'
If you really listen to it, 'Everlong' is quite a gloomy song; it was written in the wake of his divorce, after all. But it's never felt like that to us. Another track from 'The Colour & the Shape', that surging chorus about finding new love after a turbulent period in life never fails to lift our hearts. A Foos classic, for sure.
