You've heard 'All My Life' on the radio a million times. You've drunkenly belted out 'Everlong' at your pub's karaoke night at least twice. Now it's time to acknowledge the Foo Fighters' hidden gems.
It was pretty gutting news when the Foo Fighters announced a hiatus after the incredible 'Wasting Light'. But now the boys are back together, back in the studio, and are set to release their eighth album this November.
To celebrate all these great Foo-related developments – keep in mind it's also the band's 20th anniversary – we looked back at their entire body of work and picked out the band's most underrated songs.
#5 – 'The Deepest Blues Are Black'
It may not have the energetic, punk-influenced sound of faster Foo Fighters tracks like 'Monkey Wrench' and it may not have the harder, roaring vibe of classics like 'The Pretender' and 'All My Life', but that doesn't mean you should dismiss 'The Deepest Blues Are Black'. It's definitely more along the lines of a rock ballad as opposed to the hard rock the Foo Fighters are generally known for, but that really works in its favour; the track proves that the Foo Fighters are capable of experimenting with a softer, melodic sound and still strike gold.#4 – 'New Way Home'
Sometimes I'll listen to an album and imagine how its songs would work as the soundtrack to my life. 'The Colour And The Shape' has some great tracks in that sense. For example, fan favourites 'Everlong' and 'My Hero' are ideal for long, introspective walks or sinking a few pints at a pub on my own. Then there's 'New Way Home', a track living in the shadow of some of the Foo Fighters' biggest hits.Very few songs make me feel like dancing, but 'New Way Home' manages to do exactly that. The song exudes a positive energy, perfectly suiting moments of celebration or victory. Whether you're heading into town after graduation, or driving your son home after his first footy win, or simply having a good time with mates, chuck on 'New Way Home' and tell me you don't feel like punching the air the whole way through.
#3 – 'Come Back '
A lot of the Foo Fighters fans I talk to seem to turn their noses up at anything from the album 'One By One'. Sure, it had excellent tracks like 'All My Life' and 'Times Like These', but even the Foo Fighters themselves give the album a collective thumbs-down. Which is a shame, because in doing so they're failing to acknowledge the great 'Come Back'.Much like 'The Deepest Blues Are Black', the sound of 'Come Back' is quite different to the usual Foo suspects; despite the grungy, grinding chorus, the verse is more sombre and the lyrics are more poetic than the usual Foo stuff, resulting in the perfect way to deliver an emotional suckerpunch through your ear canals.
#2 – 'M.I.A.'
'Learn To Fly'? 'Stacked Actors'? Yeah, they're alright, but the best song off the album 'There Is Nothing Left To Lose' is clearly 'M.I.A.' Unlike many of the other entries on this list, 'M.I.A.' definitely has more of the “classic” Foo sound, with the optimistic kind of feel present in 'New Way Home'. The two tracks also share the role of being the closing tracks on their respective albums, which makes for an interesting listening experience; I'll play 'There Is Nothing Left To Lose' from start to finish, get to 'M.I.A.', remind myself it's the best song of the lot, and subsequently find myself confused as to why it was never released as a single.#1 – Home
In this list, I've said a lot about all these hidden gems in the Foo Fighters discography that sound different from what we normally expect from those lads. However, 'Home' is in a league of its own. For the majority of the track, the only instrument accompanying Grohl's voice is his piano, showcasing just how talented and multifaceted the man can be; simply put, when Grohl isn't bellowing against a hectic guitar riff, his voice is downright beautiful. And when the violin joins in at the halfway mark? Bueno.Interestingly, it's also the album's closing track. Seriously, what's the deal with the Foo Fighters always sticking their best work at the very end? Saving the best for last, I presume?
What do you think? Did we nail it, or do you beg to differ? Let us know in the comments.
