The Foo Fighters: 26 Years of Pure Rock and Roll

By Siddhant Bhardwaj, 2023

Published 11/16/21

For twenty-six years, the Foo Fighters have been international icons. For twenty-six years, they have put out chart-topping sonic masterpieces. For twenty-six years, Dave Grohl rocked out on his iconic pelham blue DG-335 guitar, Taylor Hawkins has obliterated his drumsticks, Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett have been shredding on guitars, Nate Mendel has laid out heavy baselines, and Rami Jaffee has been banging out serious licks on his keyboard.

They have released 10 studio albums, sold 30 million albums as of 2018, won 11 Grammys, 8 platinum records, received the first-ever global icon award at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards, and are one of 2021’s inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Foos got their start way back in 1994, with Dave Grohl as the frontman. Grohl was first part of the hit grunge band, Nirvana, from 1990 to Kurt Cobain’s abrupt death in 1994. Feeling lost, Grohl turned to the one thing he knew best, music. He went into his friend’s recording studio and recorded the band’s self-titled debut album, Foo Fighters, playing every instrument featured on the record. For their sophomore album, The Colour and the Shape (1997), Grohl recruited Taylor Hawkins on drums, Pat Smear on rhythm guitar, Chris Shiflett on lead guitar, and Nate Mendel on bass. This album held one of the most influential musical arrangements in Rock and Roll history, “Everlong.”

The Foo Fighters’ songs almost always have a basis in real life, where Grohl draws on his own experiences as well as events happening throughout the world. They have covered topics such as grief, mental health, inclusivity, non-conformity, love, heartbreak, joy, and perseverance. This includes the 2001 ballad, “Times Like These,” written right after 9/11. The song was meant to provide hope, love, and compassion at a tough time in the country’s history. Lately, the Foo Fighters have performed this song to promote those same ideals throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic.