The song that changed Dave Grohl’s life forever: “I was seeing music, not listening to it”
A certain degree of hero-worship often surrounds our favourite musicians, elevating them to an almost mythical status. It can be surprising, then, to realise that they, too, likely spent countless hours glued to their radios, eagerly searching for a glimpse of their own rock idols. Take Dave Grohl, for example. While he’s now celebrated as the frontman of Foo Fighters and the iconic drummer for Nirvana, he was once just a starry-eyed teenager admiring the legends who shaped the musical world he aspired to join.
It’s a rite of passage that every music hero of today spent their youth trying to find their own idols. Finding an artist or band to guide your musical development is like a religious experience that all must face before becoming bonafide music lovers.
Grohl has frequently credited numerous bands with shaping his artistic journey. Unsurprisingly, John Bonham, the powerhouse drummer of Led Zeppelin, was a name scrawled across the back of a young Grohl’s schoolbooks. The Beatles and David Bowie also left an indelible mark on his development, while Prince stands out as another formative influence. However, there’s one song that Grohl says truly changed his life—and it’s not the track you might expect.
Musicians are often asked to note the heroes of their youth. It provides a new avenue for fans of the said artist to explore — after all, what better sonic sommelier could one ask for? — but it also gives us a chance to take our minds back to the history of a rock star. For Grohl, the song that changed his life is so neatly rooted in his personality, that it seems as though the story fell from Hollywood heaven. Or, at thievery least, was transmitted across the airwaves into the eardrums of one of the finest rock heroes of modern times.
Speaking with People in 2020, Grohl shared his love of music and how it all started with one turn of the dial. “I discovered music listening to AM radio in my mom’s Ford,” recalls Grohl to the publication. “It was stuff like 10cc, Carly Simon, Helen Reddy. We would drive around Virginia and sing along. I’d sing the main melody, and she would sing the harmony.”
“We didn’t have a lot of money; my mother was a public school teacher,” he continues, elucidating on an experience many of us have shared. “On the weekends, she would bring home a record player from the school, and we would listen to it. I’d go to the local record store and buy music. I’d earn money mowing lawns and then buy music with it.”
“My first record was a K-Tel collection called 20 Original Hits by the Original Stars. It had people like KC and the Sunshine Band on it.” However, none of the bands on this smorgasbord of seventies charm can claim to have changed the soon-to-be drummer’s life. That accolade goes to a somewhat unusual instrumental track.
“There was one song called ‘Frankenstein’ by The Edgar Winter Group,” explained Grohl. The tune is not one you’d expect to find on your local record store shelves. “It’s an instrumental, and it was amazing. It really changed my life. I listened to it, and suddenly, I was seeing music, not just hearing it. The record became my prized possession.”
The song may not mean much to you written down, but we’d wager that you’ve almost certainly heard the 1972 song before. The kind of ubiquitous heavy metal riff that rages on through the TV timeline forever, ‘Frankenstein’ is chock full of big beats, hefty riffs and a lead keyboard line that can make your spine shake. For a young boy to hear this kind of sound emanating from his record player must’ve been a real thrill. For Dave Grohl to hear and see it, reverberating around his skull had a profound impact.
So, kick up the volume, transport yourself to the 1970s, pretend you’re twiddling the dial of an AM radio and let The Edgar Winter Group bring you ‘Frankenstein’ in all its glory. Who knows, maybe you’ll start two of the best bands in modern rock history, too.
