Everlong by Foo Fighters

By Ron Powers

In 1997, Foo Fighters carved out one of alternative rock’s defining moments with “Everlong,” the second single from their breakthrough album The Colour and the Shape. Written by Dave Grohl during a period of personal upheaval, the song channels the rush of new love into a surging wall of guitars and melodic urgency. Peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Alternative chart and quickly becoming a staple of the band’s catalog, “Everlong” fused grunge grit with an almost dreamlike sense of intimacy, its layered production and emotional core striking a rare balance between raw confession and anthemic release. What began as a spontaneous riff evolved into a signature track that continues to resonate as both a love song and a defining statement of late-’90s rock.

Things get started with Dave Grohl playing two note chords on his Gibson DG-335 using a soft pick attack. He uses the neck pickup of the guitar to achieve the round warm tone and the pick attack helps create a chime-like texture in the guitar sound. Next, heavily overdriven guitar chords are struck and left ringing out by Pat Smear while Grohl, who also recorded drums for this song, picks up the pace with a 16th note pattern on the hi-hats. Finally, the intro music shifts into a full band arrangement composed of heavily distorted guitars, bass, and full drum kit, raising the energy to a full-blown rock song.

Moving into the first verse the guitars switch up their rhythm pattern alternating between palm muted and open chord strikes. Meanwhile, the drums and bass maintain the steady foundation established during the intro music. This straightforward rock band arrangement sets the stage for Dave Grohl’s Breathy and Dreamlike vocal delivery and poetic lyrics. As the verse winds down, the band shifts into a pre-chorus lifting the energy significantly with crash cymbals and tension building guitars while Grohl switches his vocal delivery to his signature rock growl.

As the band explodes into the chorus, we hear Grohl singing from the heart delivering the lines, “If everything could ever feel this real forever / If anything could ever be this good again”. After each of these lines, blazing drum fills are added creating an energetic attack in the music. The Guitars also change things up for the chorus with a new chord progression allowing the vocal melody to shift into fresh new territory. Coming out of the chorus we hear an interesting mix of guitar spikes along with “do do do’s” sung by Louise Post of Veruca Salt who happens to be the person “Everlong” is about.

Currently, the Foo Fighters are supporting the release of their 12th studio album with stadium concerts booked into next year. If you would like tickets, you can find them through the band's website. If you’re interested in listening to “Everlong”, or any of the Foo Fighters extensive catalog of music, you can find it on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and most other places music is streamed or sold. To learn more about the Foo Fighters, follow them on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X.

Ron Powers