The song Dave Grohl wrote inspired by his favourite member of The Beatles
Few rock stars can boast a career quite like Dave Grohl’s. Not only has he conquered the underground with Nirvana, but he’s also risen to the top of the rock world with Foo Fighters, all while staying true to his integrity and moral compass. Often called the “nicest man in rock”, Grohl has always been generous in praising those he admires, and as a passionate Beatles fan, it’s no surprise that the Fab Four had a profound impact on his own creative vision. To mark the 50th anniversary of Abbey Road, Grohl was asked to share some of his favourite Beatles songs and tackle the timeless question: who is your favourite Beatle?
It’s a difficult question to answer, especially knowing that Grohl’s choice will be endlessly mulled over. After all, he has expressed admiration for every member of the band in one way or another. His answer to the age-old question not only reveals his favourite Beatle but also offers insight into his favourite Beatles song. Grohl’s pick isn’t John Lennon or Paul McCartney, but rather the ‘Quiet Beatle’, the subtly enigmatic George Harrison—and for good reason, too.
Unlike most Beatles fans, who often choose their favourite band member based on TV appearances or films, Grohl selects his favourite purely through the music. If anyone is equipped to speak on the group’s output, Grohl is certainly one of the most qualified, having been a devoted fan almost since birth. His choice isn’t swayed by external factors but by the lasting impact of the Beatles’ music itself.
Grohl’s first memorable musical moment came from The Beatles and the McCartney track ‘Hey Jude’. He told the BBC: “The first Beatles song I’d ever heard, and it might be the first record I ever listened to. I remember having a sleepover at a friend’s house when I was maybe four or five years old and listening to ‘Hey Jude.’ I don’t think I’d ever listened to a rock ‘n’ roll record, and this was my introduction, and it stuck with me ever since”.
With such a consistent connection with the group, his willingness to choose a favourite member would have likely been tested when faced with the question. However, speaking to BBC Radio 2, Grohl said: “I think that of all The Beatles, of course, each of them is so entirely different. This is in terms of melodically, their songwriting, lyrically, but George Harrison, there was almost something about him that I preferred the most. I loved every single one of them, but I connected to George’s sense of melody more than anyone.”
The connection must have really stuck out as Grohl would even go on to write a song for his favourite Beatle for his new band’s first album. Having come out of the Nirvana car crash relatively unscathed, Grohl began finishing up the music for the Foo Fighters first record we he once again remembered the connection that Harrison ad given him to melodic rock.
“So much that on the first Foo Fighters record there is a song entitled: ‘Oh, George’,” remembers the musician during the tribute to Abbey Road, “Because I basically wanted the guitar solo to sound like something he would do. However, the guitar solo in the song ‘Something’ is the first guitar solo that I ever learned. It’s such a beautiful solo. Melodically, it’s safe to say that it’s one of the most classic guitar solos of all time. Such a beautiful song.”
In a naturally self-deprecating demeanour, Harrison was less enthused about the track, “The words are nothing, really,” he said in 1969. “There are lots of songs like that in my head. I must get them down. Some people tell me that ‘Something’ is one of the best things I’ve ever written. I don’t know. Maybe they’re right, maybe they’re wrong. It’s very flattering, though, It’s nice. It’s probably the nicest melody tune that I’ve written.”
Lyrically the structure to ‘Oh George’ may pose little resemblance to Harrison’s life or career but after naming the song in his honour and trying to emulate his guitar solo on ‘Oh George’, Grohl has made it abundantly clear who his preferred Beatle was and how he inspired him.
After all, we all have one, even if we won’t admit it.
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