Song of the day for July 4, 2024

For All The Cows by the Foo Fighters is today’s featured song.

On this day in 1995, Foo Fighters released their self-titled debut. At the time, it was simply a solo project of Dave Grohl’s, written and recorded entirely by the former Nirvana drummer. While Grohl never had grand plans for the recordings (they were a cathartic practice for the musician, following the death of Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain), the demos reached A&R execs at Capitol Records. Foo Fighters was released to broad critical acclaim and commercial success, leading Grohl to assemble a band and embark on a new path as a frontman.

During the recording of this album, Grohl was invited by Tom Petty to perform with The Heartbreakers on Saturday Night Live one month later. The performance was followed by an invitation to be a full-time member of the Heartbreakers, but once Petty heard about the Foo Fighters, he instead encouraged Grohl to move on with this solo project. Grohl soon recruited a full band, which included bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith of the recently disbanded Sunny Day Real Estate, as well as Nirvana touring guitarist, and former Germs member, Pat Smear.

Upon its release, Foo Fighters earned positive reviews, praising its songwriting and performances, and was also a commercial success, becoming the band’s second-best-selling album in the United States. It also peaked within the top five of charts of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.