What are Foo Fighters' biggest songs?

12 June 2024, 18:36

Big Dave Grohl and his team of heroes are back in the UK for some HUGE live shows this month. But which of their big tunes are the biggest? Radio X crunches the numbers.

1. Foo Fighters - Everlong: single release date 18th August 1997

   Reportedly about Dave Grohl's relationship with Louise Post of the band Veruca Salt, this acclaimed song was the second single from the Foos' second album The Colour And The Shape. Sadly, this was the final song to be performed live by Taylor Hawkins before his untimely death on 25th March 2022. The track made Number 18 on the UK charts and has since been certified three times Platinum by the BPI. On Spotify, Everlong has enjoyed over 1.16 billion plays, and has had over 308 million views on YouTube.

   

   Foo Fighters - Everlong (Official HD Video)

2. Foo Fighters - The Pretender: single release date 21st August 2007

   The first single to be taken from the band's album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, Grohl admitted that the refrain "What if I say I'm not like the others?" was a nod to a similar song from Sesame Street. The track made No 8 in the UK charts, has gone double Platinum in this country and has notched up over 779 million listens on Spotify and 575 million views on YouTube.

   

   Foo Fighters - The Pretender

3. Foo Fighters - Best Of You: single release date 30th May 2005

   The lead single from Foos' In Your Honor album is reportedly about "breaking away from things that define you". Once he'd poured his heart out recording the song in the studio, Dave Grohl feared he'd not be able to replicate the vocal onstage - but he was wrong. A double-Platinum selling single in the UK, it made Number 4 on initial release, while notching up over 634 million streams and over 258 million views.

   

   Foo Fighters - Best Of You (Official Music Video)

4. Foo Fighters - Learn To Fly: single release date 18th October 1999

   The lead single from the third Foos album There Is Nothing Left To Lose, Dave Grohl has explained that the lyric concerns his divorce and feeling of entering a new phase of his life. The memorable video features Jack Black and Kyle Gass from Tenacious D and has had over 177 million views on YouTube. The track reached No 21 in the UK charts and has had over 581 million streams on Spotify.

   

   Foo Fighters - Learn To Fly (Official Music Video)

5. Foo Fighters - My Hero: single release date 19th January 1998

   Dave Grohl claims that this Colour & The Shape track is not about his late bandmate Kurt Cobain, but actually about "everyday people". Making Number 21 in the UK charts, the track has had over 421 million Spotify streams and over 82 million plays on YouTube.

   

   Foo Fighters - My Hero (Official HD Video)

6. Foo Fighters - All My Life: single release date 24th September 2002

   The lead single from Foo Fighters' fourth album One By One made Number 5 in the UK, which is not bad for a song about a certain sexual technique (honest). The track has had over 382 million streams and over 111 million video views.

   

   Foo Fighters - All My Life (Official Music Video)

7. Foo Fighters - Walk: single release date 17th June 2011

   The third single to be culled from the Wasting Light album in 2011 was written by Dave Grohl about teaching his daughter Violet to walk and how that equated to learning to cope after a tragedy. The song was been played over 240 million times on Spotify and viewed over 126 million times on YouTube.

   

   Foo Fighters. Walk.

8. Foo Fighters - Times Like These: single release date 6th January 2003

   Big Dave referenced one of his favourite bands Hüsker Dü in the lyric to this song by including the phrase "new day rising" - one of the hardcore punk trio's albums. The track made Number 12 in the UK, was given Platinum status and has been streamed over 231 million times, while being viewed over 77 million times.

   

   Foo Fighters - Times Like These (Official HD Video)

9. Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench: single release date 28th April 1997

   The lead single from the Foos' acclaimed second album The Colour & The Shape was a reflection on Grohl's split from his wife Jennifer Youngblood and "realising that you are the source of all of the problems in a relationship". Making Number 12 in the UK, the track has been streamed over 228 million times and watched over 44 million times on YouTube.

   

   Foo Fighters - Monkey Wrench (Official Music Video)

10. Foo Fighters - The Sky Is A Neighbourhood: release date 23rd August 2017

    Foos' first single in two years was taken from the album Concrete And Gold and was later performed at the BRIT Awards in London. The song has been streamed on Spotify over 154 million times and viewed on YouTube over 75 million times.

    

    Foo Fighters - The Sky Is A Neighborhood (Official Music Video)