Dave Grohl shares his favourite Tom Petty songs
Dave Grohl stands as a unique figure in the music realm. While his ascent to fame with Nirvana was undoubtedly remarkable, his true genius only began to shine when he stepped into the spotlight with his own band, Foo Fighters.
Despite being primarily associated with hard rock throughout his career, Grohl’s musical versatility knows no bounds. From collaborating with Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age or Boygenius, he has embraced a diverse array of genres, cementing his status as a true musical chameleon. Above all, however, Grohl always recognised the profound impact of a captivating melody in igniting his passion for a song.
From his early years, Grohl was drawn to music that resonated with him on a purely instinctive level, embracing the melodic allure of artists like Tom Petty as fervently as he embraced the raw energy of Iggy Pop’s music. In fact, while discussing the songwriting prowess of Bob Mould, Grohl once mentioned his appreciation for Petty’s artistry: “You can argue that he’s just as influential in his own right as Tom Petty – he’s a classic American songwriter, only writing from a different place to most,” he said.
To Grohl, Petty serves as the quintessential muse, a musical ally who shares a deep understanding of the industry and the transformative power of exceptional music. Grohl has consistently expressed his reverence for the singer, a sentiment that is reciprocated by Petty. “It was the first time I’d looked forward to playing the drums since Nirvana had ended,” Petty said in 1994 when Grohl was invited to play with them on Saturday Night Live.
In his book The Storyteller, Grohl shared his love for the music of the 1970s while mentioning a handful of songs by Petty and his band, The Heartbreakers. The songs he said he appreciated the most were the band’s popular efforts, ‘Breakdown’, ‘American Girl’, and Refugee’. Discussing his love for Petty and his music, Grohl once explained, “Even when I was a stubborn, cynical, punk-rock asshole, I still loved Tom Petty. Because I felt like he was a stubborn, cynical, punk-rock asshole too.”
The amount of influence Grohl extracts from Petty is perhaps easier to understand when you consider the fact that Foo Fighters have covered ‘Breakdown’ almost 100 times over the years, which is more than most tribute bands, per Setlist. The camaraderie clearly goes hand-in-hand, as evidenced by their performance on Saturday Night Live.
However, despite having had the chance to join Petty and his band at one point, Grohl remained steadfast in his commitment to forging ahead with Foo Fighters, prioritising his role as frontman over revisiting his days behind the drum kit. His intuition proved to be spot on, as the band’s subsequent success allowed him to showcase his diverse talents centre stage rather than remaining relegated to the background behind the drum set.
