Who is Foo Fighters' My Hero about? The story of the 1998 anthem

19 January 2026, 15:29 | Updated: 19 January 2026, 15:33

Dave Grohl in London, 1997, around the time of the release of The Colour & The Shape. Picture: Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images

Was the classic Foo Fighters song written about Kurt Cobain... or someone else entirely?

By Martin O'Gorman

Foo Fighters' 1998 single My Hero has become an anthem for fans across the globe and is still one of the band's biggest hits to date.

The third track to be released from the band's sophomore album, The Colour and the Shape, the popular anthem has gone on to represent heroes from across the world, but who was Dave Grohl actually referring to when he wrote the song?

Was it about Kurt Cobain, about your everyday man or about someone else in particular?

Let's find out...

Foo Fighters - My Hero (Official Music Video)

Was Foo Fighters' My Hero about Kurt Cobain?

Some people assume that in Foo Fighters' My Hero single, Dave Grohl is referring to the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who sadly lost his life to suicide in 1994. And it seems earlier on in the song's history... it kind of was. Speaking to VOX magazine back in 1997, Grohl said: "There's definitely an element of Kurt in that song. It was probably inspired by him. That was probably my realisation that these people who are normal human beings can be way more than a famous figure."

"I don't understand the rock star persona," he added. "It doesn't make sense. For me, there should be some kind of connection. When you come to see the show, I don't want people to stand there and feel like they've got to look at me for an hour and fifteen minutes. I'd like to think that we can all laugh together - when you walk out on stage, you know what kind of people they are.”

Nirvana's Kurt Cobain in 1990 — Foo Fighters' My Hero isn't definitively about the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. Picture: Kevin Mazur/WireImage/Getty Images

However, by 1999, Grohl had definitely distanced himself from the idea. When Grohl performed the track on The Howard Stern Show, and the shock jock confidently stated the song was "loosely based on Kurt Cobain," the rocker scrunched up his face and replied: "Errr, it's kinda more about heroes that are ordinary."

When Stern asked if it's because heroes disappoint you, he clarified: "Not at all. I look up to regular people, more than I up to... [celebrities]."

Despite this, Stern and Annie

Watch their conversation and decide for yourself in the clip below:

Dave Grohl “My Hero” on the Howard Stern Show in 1999

Who is Foo Fighters' My Hero about?

Dave Grohl has never officially attributed My Hero to one person, instead suggesting it was more about the "common man". In 2008, the band released a statement when Republican candidate John McCain used the track without their permission.

They wrote: "The saddest thing about this is that My Hero was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential. To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song."

Though Kurt Cobain is mentioned early on in the song's history, Grohl distances himself in later years from the idea, making its inspiration more general.

Though My Hero isn't definitively about Cobain, Foos track Friend of a Friend, written about Grohl's first impressions of Cobain as well as Krist Novoselic, certainly is.

Read more:

Which Foo Fighters song is about Kurt Cobain?

Dave Grohl performing with Foo Fighters at Manchester's Apollo, 25th May 1997. Picture: Jon Super/Redferns/Getty Images

However, the idea that My Hero's meaning has changed throughout the years isn't so far-fetched. During lockdown in 2020, the song was used to celebrate healthcare staff and essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

In March of that year, Grohl performed a moving rendition of the track live from Hawaii for the iHeart Living Room Concert for America, which was organised by Elton John.

Ahead of his performance the rocker said: "Hey this is Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters. I hope everyone is staying healthy. If you love someone let them know. If you're thankful for someone, tell them."

He added: "I'd like to dedicate this song to everyone out there on the frontlines that are doing their best to get us through all of this..."

Two years later Foos' beloved drummer Taylor Hawkins sadly tragically died, aged 50, on 26th March 2022.

Just a few months later and the sticksman was honored at the one of two tribute concerts, with Dave Grohl and Foo Fighters performing the song in London with Taylor's son Oliver Shane Hawkins playing on his late father's drum seat.

Watch the stirring performance below:

Foo Fighters - My Hero at the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert

28 years after its original release and My Hero has gone to become so much more poignant than Grohl could have ever imagined... with the song not only representing the common man, but tragically being tied to some of the biggest losses in the rock star's life.