The 14 heaviest Foo Fighters songs

From early hardcore punk rarities to thrash metal and blockbuster rock anthems...

The heaviest Foo Fighters songs
Author: Scott ColothanPublished 28th May 2023

Formed essentially as a Dave Grohl solo venture six months after Kurt Cobain’s untimely death in 1994 before evolving into a fully-fledged band, it didn’t take long for Foo Fighters to become one of the biggest rock acts on our humble planet.

Not usually associated with the darker side of the rock genre, over the past quarter-of-a-Century the Foos have in fact unleashed a number of songs that are surprisingly heavy; from stoner rock riff juggernauts to caustic, blood-vessel busting hardcore punk numbers to more melodic chart-denting hits with a bruising edge.

Foo Fighters

Of course, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Foo Fighters like darker, heavier and more frenetic musical sounds – Dave Grohl for one started his career with hardcore punks Scream and launched the heavy metal side-project Probot in the early noughties. Guitarist Pat Smear was a founding member of punk band the Germs and, of course, performed with Nirvana, while Chris Shiflett was in the punk band No Use for a Name.

Following the sad passing of Taylor Hawkins, the band spoke of how they will be a 'different band' going forward, going on to dedicate their 11th album 'But Here We Are' to Taylor, as well as Dave's mum, Virginia Hanlon Grohl. To celebrate their legendary music catalogue, from early hardcore punk rarities to thrash metal to blockbuster rock anthems, Planet Rock presents the 14 heaviest Foo Fighters songs of all time - WARNING: some contain explicit language.

The 14 heaviest Foo Fighters songs:

14) Foo Fighters - 'La Dee Da' (2017)

One of the standout moments on 2017 album ‘Concrete and Gold’, ‘La Dee Da’ is the sound of Foo Fighters in full beast mode. Highly reminiscent of their 1995 heavy opus ‘Wattershed’, ‘La Dee Da’ starts all fuzzy distorted riffs before it gradually builds in intensity, heaviness and general magnificence. Extra kudos too for Dave’s caustic SCREAMS!

13) Foo Fighters - 'Walking A Line' (2002)

Dave Grohl has stated in interviews that ‘Low’ is the most Queens of the Stone Age-esque Foo Fighters tune he’s ever recorded, but we’d argue that title belongs to ‘One by One’ bonus track ‘Walking A Line’.

Penned while Dave was balancing his Foos career with playing drums for QOTSA, ‘Walking A Line’ is relentless stoner rock juggernaut that’s powered by muscular, chugging riffs and pummelling drums. Deliciously heavy if a tad one-dimensional and repetitive.

12) Foo Fighters - 'The Pretender' (2007)

Buoyed by instantly infectious lines like 'What if I say I'm not like the others?', ‘The Pretender’ became an instant Foos classic when it was unleashed to the world back in 2007. A monumental rock track that sees Foos play to their strengths, it starts off restrained and melodic before a whirring riff kicks things up a gear as the song builds in heaviness and intensity.

Unlike other tracks on ‘Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace’ that took several weeks to record, ‘The Pretender’ was laid down in just a day. Thematically, Dave says the track’s meaning is open to interpretation but also alluded to the fact it could have political undercurrents, "Everyone's been fed over before and I think a lot of people feel fed over right now and they're not getting what they were promised, and so (the song has) something to do with that."

11) Foo Fighters - 'Enough Space' (1997)

Propelled by a meaty bassline, the pulsating track has shades of Pixies’ ‘Tame’ in the screechy “SPAAAAAAAAACEEEE!!” bits and Nirvana’s caustic ‘Nevermind’ track ‘Stay Away’ from some six years earlier. A no nonsense and electrifying rock anthem, the ‘Enough Space’ lyrics were inspired by the 1993 surrealist comedy Arizona Dream starring Johnny Depp.

10) Foo Fighters - 'All My Life' (2002)

A regular set opener at recent Foo Fighters tours that immediately gets the crowd pumped, 'All My Life' was born from an instrumental track, as Dave explained to Kerrang! a few years back, "At first it was really dissonant and noisy. The middle section sounded like 'Wipe Out' (by the Surfaris). It was just nuts!

"We recorded the instrumental and I had no idea how I was gonna sing it. Again, that was another one that our manager said, ‘That's the song!’ And we said, ‘Really? You think that's the one people will like?’"

Towering, anthemic, riff heavy and packed with lyrics that (allegedly) allude to oral sex, ‘All My Life’ is not only one of Foo Fighters’ heaviest songs but it’s also amongst one of their best.

9) Foo Fighters - 'Stacked Actors' (2000)

Just like ‘Run’ some 17 years later, ‘Stacked Actors’ is sonically a song of light and shade. Opening with muscular, Kyuss-esque stoner rock guitars, it quickly switches to a melodic and softly sung segue before Dave’s spitting distain for thespian types grows in intensity and he blasts: 'Stack dead actors / Stacked to the rafters / Line all up the b*stards / All I want is the truth', amidst a cavalcade of riffs.

Despite holding the title as one of the nicest blokes in rock, Dave still has his gripes, as he explains, "I wrote 'Stacked Actors' about everything that is fake and everything that is plastic and glamorous and unreal, so if that pertains to anyone that comes to mind then there you go. It's about having nothing better to do than trying to be other people, it really grossed me out. Actors, just in general make me f***ing sick."

8) Foo Fighters - 'Wattershed' (1995)

Inspired by Dave’s undying love for hardcore and old school punk, the title of ‘Wattershed’ references influential Minutemen bassist/vocalist Mike Watt. Aurally nodding to a number of Dave’s influences, the largely nonsensical lyrics compliment the somewhat cathartic and adrenaline-pumping music perfectly.

Interestingly, ‘Wattershed’ is one of only four songs on ‘Foo Fighters’ (the album) that was penned after Nirvana came to an end.

7) Foo Fighters - 'Run' (2017)

Surprise released to the world in June 2017, the lead ‘Concrete and Gold’ single lulls the listener into a false sense of the security in the opening 40 seconds thanks to Dave’s delicate guitar notes and hushed vocals.

Fully embracing the quiet/loud dynamic, ‘Run’ soon explodes into a face-meltingly-heavy hard rock behemoth, with crushing riffs, thunderous drums and alternating melodically sung/screaming vocals from Dave. Definitely the hardest Foos track since ‘White Limo’ six years earlier, ‘Run’ even scooped the Best Rock Song gong at the Grammy Awards ahead of Metallica’s ‘Atlas, Rise!’

6) Foo Fighters - 'White Limo' (2011)

Arguably one of the most metal songs Foo Fighters have ever penned, the ‘Wasting Light’ offshoot is an absolute behemoth of a track. Abrasive riffs from Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett are melded with Taylor Hawkins’ pummelling beats and screeching, gutteral howls from Dave Grohl that are highly reminiscent of Nick Oliveri’s vocals on Queens of the Stone Age’s Rated R track ‘Tension Head’.

The fact that Foo Fighters had the audacity to release this as a single can only be commended. Oh, and extra kudos for drafting in the late-great Lemmy for the video too!

5) Foo Fighters - 'Weenie Beenie' (1995)

‘Weenie Beenie’ is a heady brew of gargantuan riffs and heavily distorted, gloriously erratic vocals from Dave that (once again) have shades of Pixies frontman Black Francis’ trademark madcap yelps circa the ‘Doolittle’ era.

Dave was critiqued for the words “one shot nothing” in the song as some claimed it alluded to Kurt Cobain’s death, however Dave actually wrote the track in 1991.

4) Foo Fighters - 'Podunk' (1995)

One of Foo Fighters’ earliest tracks appearing as b-side to ‘This Is a Call’ in June 1995, ‘Podunk’ couldn’t be any more different than the anthemic and radio-friendly a-side. Thrashy, raw and with highly distorted vocals from Dave, the hardcore track very much adheres to the cliché that it sounds like it was recorded in a garage.

Although the lyrics are indecipherable, the song title itself refers to a hypothetical small town regarded as dull or insignificant.

3) Foo Fighters - 'The Colour & The Shape' (1997)

Despite sharing the same title, ‘The Colour & The Shape’ never made it onto Foo Fighters’ second studio album (except on an expanded 10th anniversary 2007 reissue) and instead appeared as a b-side to ‘Monkey Wrench’.

More reminiscent of ‘Weenie Beenie’ and Nirvana’s ‘Tourette’s’ & ‘Territorial Pissings’ than the other songs on ‘The Colour & The Shape’, it’s fast, volatile, screamy and second only to ‘FFL’ in its heaviness.

2) Dream Widow - 'March of the Insane' (2022)

In February 2022, a mysterious video was uploaded to Foo Fighters’ YouTube channel featuring the blistering thrash metal track ‘March of the Insane’ by an enigmatic band called Dream Widow. In Foo Fighters’ horror movie Studio 666, Dream Widow are a deceased fictional band who haunt Studio 666 and threaten the completion of Foo Fighters' new album and the very lives of the band members.

It later transpired that Dream Widow was in fact a Dave Grohl solo venture and he unleashed the ferocious eight-track album ‘Dream Widow’ in March to coincide with the movie’s release that showcased his penchant for darker sounds.

Much like the rest of the ‘Dream Widow’ record, ‘March of the Insane’ sounds like it was recorded by Lucifer himself and is packed with proper horrorshow lyrics delivered in a Grohl’s guttural growl.

1) Foo Fighters - 'FFL (Fat F---ing Lie)' (2005)

Harking back to Dave Grohl’s hardcore punk days with Scream more than 15 years earlier, fearsome ‘Best of You’ b-side ‘FFL’ is a high-octane musical blitzkrieg of spitting, expletive-strewn vocals and deliciously raw riffs.

Hard-hitting throughout its frenetic two-and-a-half minutes, the blistering track ends satisfyingly with a blood-vessel-bursting scream from Dave. It’s little wonder that ‘FFL’ is a firm favourite amongst keen Foo Fighters aficionados.

Dave Grohl through the years:

1991 - Dave Grohl with Nirvana

Nirvana's Dave Grohl, Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic in a toilet in 1991. Where else?!

September 1992 - Dave Grohl with Nirvana

Nirvana's Dave Grohl, Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic backstage at the MTV Video Awards in 1992

December 1993 - Dave Grohl with Nirvana

Nirvana perform at MTV Live and Loud in December 1993.

June 1994 - Dave Grohl at the MTV Movie Awards

Dave Grohl at Sony Studios in Culver City, California, United States in June 1994 - the year he formed Foo Fighters in the wake of Kurt Cobain's death.

November 1995 - Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl performs in Brixton in November 1995.

July 1996 - Foo Fighters at the Phoenix Festival

Dave Grohl performs with the Foo Fighters at Phoenix Festival, Stratford Upon Avon, in 1996.

June 1997 - Tibetan Freedom Concert

Foo Fighters perform at Tibetan Freedom Concert in New York in 1997.

1998 - Dave Grohl in Australia

Just a photo of Dave Grohl with a dolphin on holiday in the Gold Coast, Australia in 1998.

November 1999 - Dave Grohl works as a cashier

Dave Grohl works as a cashier at Tower Records to support their album release in 1999.

October 2000 - Foo Fighters at The Bridge School Benefit

Foo Fighters perform at The Bridge School Benefit held in the Shoreline Amphitheater, California. Lovely hat!

August 2001 - Dave Grohl at V Festival

The Foo Fighters perform at V Festival in 2001.

December 2002 - Foo Fighters at MTV New Year's Eve Pajama Party

Foo Fighters perform at MTV New Year's Eve Pajama Party at the MTV Times Square studios in New York City. December 31, 2002. Nice glasses Dave!

October 2003 - Dave Grohl and his wife Jordyn Blum

Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters and wife Jordyn Blum during Spike TV Presents The 2003 GQ Men of the Year Awards.

May 2004 - Rock in Rio Lisboa

The Foo Fighters performing at the Rock in Rio Festival in Lisbon in 2004.

December 2005 - Foo Fighters at Earls Court, London

Foo Fighters performing live at Earls Court, London in December 2005.

June 2006 - The O2 Silver Clef Awards

Foo Fighters pose with Brian May at The O2 Silver Clef Awards in 2006.

July 2007 - Dave Grohl at the Britain Live Earth Concert

Dave Grohl performing with the Foo Fighters at Britain Live Earth Concert in 2007.

February 2008 - Dave Grohl at the pre-Grammy Awards

Dave Grohl performs at the pre-Grammy Awards party in 2008.

October 2009 - Dave Grohl with the Foo Fighters on VH1 Storytellers

Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters performs on VH1 Storytellers on 28th October 2009.

March 2010 - Dave Grohl at the 25th Independent Spirit Awards

Dave Grohl poses with Glenn Five, Steve 'Lips' Kudlow and Robb Reiner of Anvil.

February 2011 - Foo Fighters play Wembley Arena

The Foo Fighters perform at Wembley Arena in 2011.

January 2013 - Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters at the Sound City film premiere in Los Angeles in 2013.

October 2014 - Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways

Rami Jaffee, Nate Mendel, Taylor Hawkins, Dave Grohl, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear attend the premiere of HBO's Foo Fighters Sonic Highway, in New York in 2014.

June 2015 - Foo Fighters play Rock Am Ring festival

Foo Fighters perform at the music festival Rock Am Ring in Mendig, Germany in 2015.

February 2016 - Grammy Awards

Dave Grohl with the Foo Fighters at the Grammy Awards in February 2016.

June 2017 - Foo Fighters play at Glastonbury Festival

Foo Fighters storm Glastonbury Festival in 2017.

October 2018 - Foo Fighters' Cal Jam 18

Dave Grohl performing with the Foo Fighters at the Cal Jam 18 Pop-Up Event at the Hollywood Palladium, LA.

November 2019 - Dave Grohl on Sesame Street

Mr Grohl appeared on the 50th anniversary episode of Sesame Street, singing a joyous, rock-tinged tune called 'Here We Go Song' with Big Bird and Elmo as various iconic backdrops from across the USA appeared on the green screen. Of course, Dave is no stranger to Jim Henson's creations as he once had a drum-off with Animal from The Muppets.

August 2019 - The Foo Fighters' tenth album

In August 2019, drummer Taylor Hawkins confirmed that the Foo's latest album would be coming in 2020, telling RockSound: "From what I've heard from our fearless leader Dave Grohl, he has a lot of demos that he's worked on and I think we'll start, once this tour is over. I think not too soon after that we'll start the process of putting the songs together as a band."


The band's tenth studio album 'Medicine at Midnight' was later released in 2021, after being pushed back due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

May 2020 - Foo Fighters' tenth studio album gets postponed

In May 2020, Dave Grohl announced that the Foo Fighters' tenth studio album was being put on hold for the time being, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Speaking about the album to Q Magazine, Dave said: "We've kind of shelved it for now to figure out exactly when it's going to happen."

February 2021 - Foo Fighters tenth album 'Medicine at Midnight' is released

In February 2021, the Foo Fighters finally released their tenth studio album 'Medicine at Midnight'. After the release of the album was postponed from 2020, the band amped up the excitement with the release of three singles - 'Shame Shame', in November 2020, 'No Son of Mine', on New Year's Day 2021 and 'Waiting on a War' in January 2021.


The album flew to the Number 1 spot on the UK Albums Chart.

May 2021 - Dave appears in a documentary with his mum

Dave appeared in From Cradle To Stage, a documentary he made with his mum about the mothers of famous rock stars. The series on Amazon Prime saw Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds, Pharrell Williams, Miranda Lambert, Brandi Carlisle, Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello and Rush's Geddy Lee all interviewed.

May 2021 - Foo Fighters are inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

In their first year of eligibility, 25 years after the release of their debut album 'Foo Fighters', the band were officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in May 2021.

June 2021 - 26 years of Foo Fighters

Sadly, the Foo Fighters had to cancel their 25th anniversary tour dates back in 2020 for obvious reasons. The band didn't let that keep them down, however, rescheduling the dates to 2021 and celebrating '26 years of rock'.

October 2021 - Release of 'The Storyteller'

2021 was a busy year for Dave Grohl as he also wrote a book, 'The Storyteller' where he shares stories from a 'life lived loud'. It was released on 5th October.

February 2022 - Foo Fighters' Studio 666 premiere

Dave attended the premiere for Foo Fighters' horror/comedy Studio 666. The film was based on a story written by Dave Grohl, and was directed by BJ McDonnell (pictured).
The grisly horror comedy follows the Foo Fighters as they move into an Encino mansion to record their 10th album.

March 2022 - Death of Taylor Hawkins

Dave long-time bandmate and close friend Taylor Hawkins tragically passed away at the age of 50 in March 2023. In a statement issued to their social media channels, Foo Fighters said: 'The Foo Fighters family is devastated by the tragic and untimely loss of our beloved Taylor Hawkins. His musical spirit and infectious laughter will live on with all of us forever. Our hearts go out to his wife, children and family, and we ask that their privacy be treated with the utmost respect in this unimaginably difficult time.'

June 2022 - Dave pays tribute to Taylor at Glastonbury

Dave appeared as a special guest during Sir Paul McCartney's headline slot at Glastonbury 2023 in his first live appearance since Taylor's death. At the end of the performance, Grohl pointed to his right hand, which was emblazoned with Taylor Hawkins' initial 'T'.

June 2023 - Foo Fighters release 'But Here We Are'

The Foos released their 11th album 'But Here We Are' in June 2023, which was dedicated to Taylor and also Dave's mum, Virginia Hanlon Grohl, who had sadly passed away in August 2022. The album reached Number 1 in the UK charts.

June 2023 - The Foos perform a surprise set at Glastonbury

Foo Fighters performed a surprise set on The Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury under their pseudonym The Churnups. Glastonbury unveiled its full 3,000-strong line-up a month before the event, listing a mystery band called The Churnups - who turned out to be the Foos. Following 'The Pretender', Dave said: "Hi! You guys knew it was us this whole f---ing time! Well it's nice to see your face again, it's been a long time."

September 2023 - Dave guests on new album by his former hardcore punk band Scream

44 years after their formation in Washington DC in 1979, Scream unleashed their sixth album 'DC Special' on Friday 10th November 2023 - with Dave signed up as one of the guest performers on the first record in 30 years by his former hardcore punk band.

October 2023 - Paying tribute to 'hometown hero' Taylor Hawkins at Foo Fighters gig

At the Foo Fighters' headline performance at Ohana Festival in October 2023, Dave paid an emotional tribute to his late bandmate, Taylor Hawkins. Ohana Festival is held annually at Dana Point in Southern California just seven miles down the road from Laguna Beach where Taylor Hawkins was raised after moving with his family from Texas aged four. "He is, indeed, the hometown hero of this show," he declared, adding: "It's a trip. I came down here with him every once in a while (and) hung out at the house he grew up in. It was weird because I never really understood Taylor Hawkins until I f---ing came to Laguna. And then I was like 'Oh, yeah, OK, I get it. That's who you are!'"

March 2024 - Dave has the time of his life at final U2 Sphere gig

Video footage of Dave having a truly beautiful day at U2's final gig at the $2.3 billion Sphere venue in Las Vegas went viral in March 2024, as a wholesome 32-second clip of Grohl fanboying during penultimate song 'Beautiful Day' racked up millions of views on social media. Truly lost in the moment, Dave sings every word to the track as he gleefully dances and fist pumps.

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