Everlong

"Everlong"
Single by Foo Fighters
from the album The Colour and the Shape
Released	August 18, 1997
Format	CD
Recorded	1997 at Grandmaster Recorders in Hollywood, CA
Genre	Alternative rock, post-grunge
Length	4:10 (Music video: 4:50)
Label	Roswell, Capitol
Writer(s)	Dave Grohl
Producer(s)	Gil Norton
Certification	Gold (RIAA)[1]
Foo Fighters singles chronology
"Monkey Wrench" (1997) "Everlong" (1997) "My Hero" (1998)
Audio sample file info · help Alternate covers CD2 Australian Limited Edition

"Everlong" is the second single released from Foo Fighters' second album The Colour and the Shape, released in 1997.

History

"Everlong" was written against the background of the break-up of Dave Grohl's first marriage to photographer Jennifer Youngblood. Having returned home to Virginia for Christmas 1996, Grohl turned the initial riff into a complete song and wrote the lyrics after falling for a new woman, "That song's about a girl that I'd fallen in love with and it was basically about being connected to someone so much, that not only do you love them physically and spiritually, but when you sing along with them you harmonize perfectly.".^[2]

Music video

The music video for "Everlong" was nominated for Best Rock Video at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.

The surreal, satirical video for the song was directed by Michel Gondry. The running time of the video exceeds that of the original version of the song; this version is used only for the video. Although Taylor Hawkins appears in the video as the drummer, Dave Grohl actually plays the drum track on the original album recording, as Hawkins had not yet joined the band. The music video is, in part, a parody of the film The Evil Dead.

Other versions

A live version appears on the Live at Wembley Stadium DVD which was released in 2008.

Although the song is normally performed with electric guitars, vocalist/guitarist Dave Grohl's solo acoustic variation gained popularity after an impromptu rendition on Howard Stern's radio show in 1997. The band has performed it acoustically then and an acoustic performance concludes their 2006 live CD and DVD Skin and Bones. Additionally, an acoustic version of Everlong was released on Foo Fighters' 2009 Greatest Hits album.

The song is American comedian and talk show host David Letterman's favorite song, and so is regularly played by the house band, Paul Shaffer, and the CBS Orchestra on his Late Show. On his first night back on air after heart surgery, Letterman had Foo Fighters on his show, introducing them by saying, "Here they are, ladies and gentlemen—my favorite band playing my favorite song—Foo Fighters!" Dave Grohl, in the middle of performing the song, welcomed Letterman back to television.

Usage in media

"Everlong" has been featured in the music-themed video games Rock Band 2, Rock Band Unplugged, Guitar Hero World Tour (which is exportable to other games) and Rocksmith 2014. It is also included in Rock Band for the iOS.

In popular culture, the song was used in Friends episode "The One with Monica and Chandler's Wedding", when the characters Chandler and Monica get married, and in Daria episode "Lane Miserables", while Daria watches from a window as Trent and Monique walking away. "Everlong" was also used in Martin Scorsese's 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street.

Track listings

UK CD1 (blue cover)

1. "Everlong"
2. "Drive Me Wild" (Vanity 6 cover)
3. "See You (Live Manchester Apollo May 25, 1997)"

UK CD2 (grey cover)

1. "Everlong"
2. "Requiem" (Killing Joke cover)
3. "I'll Stick Around (Live Manchester Apollo May 25, 1997)"

Australian CD single, Australian limited edition maxi-single digipack with bonus poster and Netherlands slimbox CD single

1. "Everlong"
2. "Down in the Park" (Gary Numan cover)
3. "See You" (acoustic)

Netherlands card sleeve CD single

1. "Everlong"
2. "Down in the Park

Promo (black cover)

1. "Everlong"

UK Limited Blue Vinyl Edition (blue cover)

1. "Everlong"
2. "Drive Me Wild" (Vanity 6 cover)

Charts and certifications

Accolades

• Ranked #45 in Kerrang! magazine's "100 Greatest Rock Tracks Ever" (1999)
• Ranked #39 in Kerrang! magazine's "100 Greatest Singles of All Time" (2002)
• Ranked #22 in Stylus magazine's "100 Music Videos of All Time" (2006)
• Ranked #28 in VH1'S "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs"^[10]
• Ranked #9 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of All Time (2009)^[11]
• Ranked #48 in NME's "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years" (2011)^[12]

Personnel

• Dave Grohl - vocals, lead guitar, drums
• Pat Smear - rhythm guitar
• Nate Mendel - bass guitar
• William Goldsmith - drums on the b-side "Down in the Park"

References

1. ↑ RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - Foo Fighters singles. RIAA.com.
2. ↑ Morat. June 2006. Kerrang!. How Dave Grohl Will Light Up Your Summer - How To Write A Rock Anthem
3. ↑ Foo Fighters - Australian Singles Chart Top 50. australiancharts.com. Retrieved on Jan 20, 2013.
4. ↑ Foo Fighters - Everlong - New Zealand Singles Chart. charts.org.nz. Retrieved on Jan 20, 2013.
5. ↑ Foo Fighters - UK Singles Chart. officialcharts.com. Retrieved on Jan 20, 2013.
6. ↑ Foo Fighters - Radio songs chart billboard.com Retrieved 09 April, 2013.
7. ↑ Foo Fighters - Everlong - Alternative Songs Chart (Modern Rock) billboard.com. Retrieved 18 August, 2013.
8. ↑ Foo Fighters - Billboard Awards allmusic.com. Retrieved 18 August, 2013.
9. ↑ "American single certifications – Foo Fighters – Everlong". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 08 April 2013.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
10. ↑ "spreadit.org music". Retrieved February 7, 2009. 
11. ↑ Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time 2009
12. ↑ "150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years". Nme.Com. Retrieved 2011-11-08. 

External links

• "Everlong" Official music video on YouTube