The “stomping” Foo Fighters song Dave Grohl compared to Chuck Berry
For some time now, Foo Fighters have been a polarising force—not due to their association with a tragic story from an earlier musical era, but because their music genuinely divides audiences. The band is a dream come true for traditional rock enthusiasts, thanks to their unwavering commitment to classic rock sensibilities. Conversely, this very nostalgia has led others to dismiss them as “dad rock”.
By definition, being labelled as “dad rock” isn’t inherently negative. It simply signifies that Foo Fighters resonate with a generation through their homage to the sounds and styles of the past. Dave Grohl’s deep love for music is well known; he approaches every project with the passion and dedication of someone who lives and breathes rock and roll.
However, with that comes a whole host of criticism. “Dad rock” isn’t by any measure considered “cool”. In fact, it’s the opposite, strengthened by the fact that Grohl seems to have taken it upon himself to shun any aspect of mainstream culture so as not to appear a part of it. For Grohl, rock is a real and authentic form of music, and it must stay that way no matter what.
Although this atmosphere has permeated his work from the beginning, it would be reductive to say his music is merely one-dimensional, as proven by the arrival of Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace in 2007. The sixth album took the band’s well-established rock sound and blended it with more acoustic sensibilities, making more aggressive entries stand out, and the more considered ones exude greater depth.
One such example was ‘The Pretender’, which, aside from becoming one of their most popular and well-known tracks, emerged from a heart-thumping chorus that seemed to exist with enough power on its own. However, Grohl knew that he needed to create verses to accompany the melody, but felt strongly about adding oscillating keys that emanated the varying dynamics throughout the whole album.
In his attempt to create a straight-up rock song, Grohl stumbled across something more nostalgic than intended. According to the singer, ‘The Pretender’ unintentionally became “a stomping Foo Fighters uptempo song, with a little bit of Chuck Berry in it”. The song certainly held a piece of the legendary rocker at its core, but for some, it ran the risk of becoming too dense.
“The guitars on ‘The Pretender’ are quite full on, with countermelodies and so forth, and they all tend to be in the same range, so it gets quite dense,” sound engineer Rich Costey explained to Sound on Sound. Adding: “The challenge of this type of mix is to retain the power of the track, yet define a space for everything. Handling the guitar balance was a slight chore, and in comparison, the drums and vocals were quite easy.”
Although the song took much longer to complete than the rest, and Grohl wasn’t entirely sure it would take full form at one point, it ended up becoming a fan favourite for a reason. Even if some people categorise it as nothing more than your typical, empty, almost childlike fist-pumping music listened to only by parents, its appeal remains undeniable.
