Dave Grohl: “You know who writes the hits? Aerosmith writes the hits”
It’s safe to say Dave Grohl knows a thing or two about hits. Not only has he had more than the average musician could dream of, but he’s also enjoyed his fair share of consequential ones, too. Without the string of chart smashes he released with Nirvana and several that arrived in the first half of Foo Fighters’ career, the alternative rock landscape would be completely different. As a testament to just how important some of these releases were, it would be missing what are now deemed intrinsic characteristics.
For most songwriters, the hit is an unknown realm, a place only accessible by intellectual cheat codes that only a select few manage to uncover. While it seems unfeasible to us mere mortals, for people like Grohl, who have enjoyed so many chart successes, they only deal in such a rare currency. It’s something that they’re acutely aware of and, perhaps most remarkably, are now used to as a fixture of life, just like the birds and the bees.
Grohl has even professed to this himself. He might be known as rock’s resident everyman and a humble figure channelling the hardcore ethos that first gave him his key into the industry; however, he still has that essential streak of self-awareness and a touch of arrogance that all musicians of his status have. He knows his place and is acutely aware of what he’s good at.
Although drumming is one skill he is better at than 99% of people on the planet, he’s also at that level with his songwriting. When speaking backstage at the Pinkpop Festival in 2008 to Tenacious D guitarist Kyle Gass, Grohl gave a crash course on how to write hits. As you might expect from someone so well-versed in the matter, he made it look easy and whittled down the art to a few simple instructions. He also named the band he thinks are the masters at delivering “the hits”.
Gass, who has also enjoyed several hits in his time, such as Tenacious D’s classic ‘Tribute’, reminded Grohl at the outset of the chat that he once told him, “I only write hits”. In response, the Foo Fighters leader said: “I ain’t lyin’ ‘cuz you know what, the deep cuts don’t keep the mansion running.”
It’s a comical point, but true. Musicians of Grohl’s stature are most compelled to continue writing hits to maintain their livelihood and fanbase.
Explaining what musicians need to do to pen a hit, Grohl offered the following summary: “Here’s the thing: most white people dance to the lyrics. So here’s what you got to do, is write some like heartfelt… Don’t think about a groove; think about it like it’s a bumper sticker: ‘Life’s a Bitch’.”
He added: “So that’s what you got to do; you got to pay off the chorus.”
Grohl then revealed that he thinks Aerosmith are the band that knows how to deliver “the hits” better than anyone. “You know who writes the hits? Aerosmith writes the hits,” he said. “And you know how they do it? Well, here’s the thing: listen to any of those songs, it begins with the chorus, the song is all chorus. ‘Love in an Elevator’, what’s the verse to that song? There isn’t one! It’s ‘Love in an Elevator’. ‘Janie’s Got a Gun’, well, how does it start? – ‘Janie’s Got a Gun’.”
The ex-Nirvana man concluded: “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus.” Whether it be ‘Best of You’ or ‘Breakout’, many Foo Fighters staples make full use of this maxim.
