The first song Dave Grohl ever wrote and recorded
Whilst he might have been at the top of his game for decades, there was a time before Nirvana and Foo Fighters when Dave Grohl was still trying to find his way as a musician.
Of course, his story is now a famous one. Galvanised by The Beatles when young and then pushed into drumming thanks to the influence of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham and Rush’s Neil Peart, the Virginia native would make quick progress behind the kit. The instrument would be the key to him entering the music industry and writing his name as a legend.
A talented player when young, in 1986, aged just 17, Grohl lied about his age when auditioning for the influential hardcore punk band Scream. He claimed he was a year older in order to be considered for the role. In a demonstration of his aptitude, he was eventually asked to join, and he was so surprised at the invitation that he dropped out of school, eager to start the rest of his life. He recalled later: “I was 17 and extremely anxious to see the world, so I did it.”
Grohl played in Scream between 1986 and their break-up in 1990. It proved to be a momentous period for several reasons. Not only did it allow him to see the world and develop as a person, but it also saw him refine his craft behind the drum kit, which ultimately opened the door to him joining Nirvana later in the year.
However, it was revealed in 2017 in an outtake from the 2014 Foo Fighters documentary miniseries Sonic Highways that this period also saw him take his general musicianship to new levels, including his singing and guitar playing. When not touring with Scream, Grohl would play in the band Churn alongside producer Barrett Jones and Stafford Mather, allowing him to write and record his first-ever song, ‘Gods Look Down’. Remarkably, in the show, Grohl and Jones listened back to the track after all those years.
Grohl’s reaction is mixed when listening to the demo of the first song he ever wrote and recorded. Whilst he seems to enjoy the guitar tone and riff, he took exception to his vocal performance. “I sound like a girl,” the Foo Fighters frontman said. “I don’t think my balls had dropped yet.”
The unaired clip from 2014’s Sonic Highways was uploaded by Barrett Jones to YouTube; the man seen in the video sat next to Grohl at the mixing desk. He is the owner of Laundry Room Studio and served as a co-producer on the Foo Fighters’ eponymous 1995 debut album.
In the bio of the clip, Jones provides more information about ‘Gods Look Down’. He wrote: “PLEASE NOTE: the recording date for this song is listed wrong in the video at 1990, it is actually from late 88 or early 89. In any case, this was recorded before the Scream version. It was Dave’s first song, and he played all the instruments. Dave had already recorded many times with Barrett Jones at Laundry Room, starting with the bands ‘Freak Baby’ and ‘Mission Impossible’ in 1985 and ‘Dain Bramage’ in 1986-87. From early ’89 thru late ’90, when he wasn’t on tour with Scream, Dave recorded any played with ‘Churn’, a band with Barrett Jones (guitar, vox), Stafford Mather (bass) and Dave (drums). It was during one of these sessions that this song was recorded.”
Watch the clip and listen to Dave Grohl’s first song below.
