This Is a Call

This was one of the first songs Dave Grohl wrote after his Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain was found dead. The months following Cobain's suicide were very difficult for Grohl, not just because he had lost a dear friend, but because he lost his musical direction and inspiration. Thanks to a great deal of encouragement from his friends, he found his musical voice and set to work on his solo project that would become Foo Fighters. Grohl, who was the drummer in Nirvana, wrote this song on his own, played every instrument on it, and did the vocals. Released as the first Foo Fighters single, the song was an emphatic statement by Grohl and proof that he could carry a musical project on his own. This was no small feat considering he was doing the work - lyrics, vocals, guitar - that Cobain had once handled for him.

According to Dave Grohl, the verses are nonsense, which is something he did intentionally because he had too much to express. His other motivation for writing gobbledygook verses ("fingernails are pretty, fingernails are good...") was to keep listeners from misinterpreting them, since he knew his words would be scrutinized in context with the death of Cobain. Grohl says that while the verses mean nothing, the chorus means everything, as he is saying goodbye to his past with the line, "This is a call to all my past resignations." Said Grohl: "It's just sort of like a little wave to all the people I ever played music with, people I've been friends with, all my relationships, my family. It's a hello, and in a way a thank you."

This song became an anthem for Foo Fighters and remained in their setlist throughout their career. Paul Brannigan's 2011 biography of Dave Grohl is titled This Is A Call after the song.