5 Deep Cuts from Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters are decades into their career and still their fans are as fervent as they were in the earliest days of their career. Frontman Dave Grohl rose from the ashes of Nirvana and created a band equally as influential in the rock space. Foo Fighters have many a hit to their name. They have been filling massive venues for pretty much the extent of their tenure. Their anthems have been sung by boisterous crowds the world over.

But, what about the songs that didn’t make it into a concert setlist or a greatest hits album and have fallen into obscurity since their release? We found five of those songs and detailed them, below.

1. “M.I.A”

Foo Fighters showcased a softer side with the album There Is Nothing Left To Lose. If you didn’t know any better, you’d sooner attribute the album’s closer, “M.I.A,” to a band like Third Eye Blind. But of course, any confusion is cleared up when Grohl’s vocals come in—not to mention Taylor Hawkins’ unmistakable, anthemic drum line that introduces the chorus.

It’s not typically Foo fodder, but it’s a worthy listen all the same.

Yeah, you won’t find me, I’m goin’ M.I.A.
Tonight I’m leaving, goin’ M.I.A.
Gettin’ lost in you again is better than being numb

2. “My Poor Brain”

Now we will get back to the typical Foo Fighters tempo with “My Poor Brain.” The track opens with a mind-bending swell of guitars and whistles. The song breaks in the first verse, slowing things down and creating space for Grohl’s vocal line. In the chorus, the band kicks things back into high gear with a beat that demands head-banging and chanting along. “My Poor Brain” is the blueprint for the Foo Fighters’ magic.

This a blackout
Don’t let it go to waste
This is a blackout
I wanna detonate

When you are so far
I’m falling apart
Lose all my sonar
You jam my radar

3. “Good Grief”

“Good Grief” is quintessential ’90s, grungy rock. Grohl’s vocals are bathed in a wall of sound while he sings, Handed down the crown / Given the jewels and the answers of May / The thought of being ousted / Comes and goes. He is nearly drowned out, but his vocals still manage to ground all the wiry guitars and driving drums that are battling it out around him.

Pissed out all the vowels
Always the blues and a delicate smile
Missed all of the sideways
Gull and noun
Gull and noun
Chills and petty Band-Aids wrapped around

4. “White Limo”

Like “Good Grief,” “White Limo” is an onslaught of guitars and drums, but instead of Grohl’s vocals being light and timid, he is screaming out the lyrics with force. The song whines and screeches with distorted melodies and unrelenting drum hits. The track finds the Foos with their metal dial turned all the way up.

Hey, it has somethin’ you want to try and buy yourself
Hey, it has somethin’, it goes ’round and ’round again
Go, go, you should’ve never wasted your lung
Go, go, and the ride was shared

5. “Marigold”

“Marigold” is the only song recorded by both Nirvana and Foo Fighters. The Foo Fighters delivered a cover version of the In Utero track at a show in 2006 and subsequently featured it on a live album titled Skin And Bones. Though the Nirvana version will forever be the signature rendition of the track, it’s made much more sentimental by Grohl and his trip down memory lane with this cover.

He’s there in case I won it all
He’s scared ’cause I want
He’s scared in case I want it all
He’s scared ’cause I want

All in all the clock is slow
Six colour pictures all in a row
Of a marigold

 Photo by Marcelo Hernandez/Getty Images