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This Is a Call

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"This Is a Call"
Single by Foo Fighters
from the album Foo Fighters
B-side"Winnebago" (US)
"Podunk" (UK)
ReleasedJune 19, 1995 (1995-06-19)
Genre
Length
  • 3:52
  • 3:45 (live at Downing)
Label
Songwriter(s)Dave Grohl
Producer(s)
Foo Fighters singles chronology
"This Is a Call"
(1995) 		"I'll Stick Around"
(1995)

"This Is a Call" is a song by American rock band Foo Fighters, released as the lead single from the band's 1995 self-titled debut album. Released in June 1995, it is one of many songs Dave Grohl wrote and performed on the album when Foo Fighters was a one-man band.

Origins

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"This Is a Call" is one of the few songs on the Foo Fighters' debut album that does not date from Dave Grohl's days with Nirvana. It was a new song written in mid-1994, months after Kurt Cobain's death. Grohl married his long-time girlfriend Jennifer Youngblood and wrote the song while on honeymoon in Ireland, "In that summer of 1994 I'd travelled a lot; I think I wrote 'This Is A Call' in Ireland. When I got back I booked five days in a recording studio, which seemed like an eternity, and I did the whole first Foo Fighters album in five days".[4]

Lyrics

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Dave Grohl said about the song: "The chorus says 'This is a call to all my past resignation'. 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."[5]

"'This Is A Call' just seemed like a nice way to open the album, y'know, 'This is a call to all my past resignations...' I felt like I had nothing to lose, and I didn't necessarily want to be the drummer of Nirvana for the rest of my life without Nirvana. I thought I should try something I'd never done before and I'd never stood up in front of a band and been the lead singer, which was fucking horrifying and still is!"[4]

Release and reception

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On June 19, 1995, "This Is a Call" was serviced to US alternative radio and was issued commercially in the United Kingdom as a 7-inch single, 12-inch single, and CD single.[6][7] The following month, the song debuted at number 12 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and rose to a peak of number two the following month.[8][9] The song also charted at number five on the UK Singles Chart.[10]

No music video was made for the song; however, the band played the song live on the Late Show with David Letterman in mid-1995. It was the band's first national television performance.

Other versions

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Track listings

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UK 7-inch single; French and Japanese CD single

  1. "This Is a Call"
  2. "Winnebago" (Grohl, Turner)

UK 12-inch and CD single

  1. "This Is a Call"
  2. "Winnebago"
  3. "Podunk"

Dutch and Australian CD single; New Zealand cassette single

  1. "This Is a Call"
  2. "Winnebago"
  3. "Podunk (Cement Mix)"
  • "Podunk (Cement Mix)" is seemingly the same mix and version as the standard version of "Podunk". The reason for this is unknown.

Personnel

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[26] Gold 35,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Partridge, Kenneth (July 4, 2015). "Foo Fighters' Self-Titled Debut at 20: Classic Track-by-Track Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  2. ^ Guarino, Mark (October 18, 2014). "REVIEW: Foo Fighters at Cubby Bear a back-to-roots moment for Dave Grohl". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  3. ^ Bradley, Larry (November 4, 2014). "The 1990s: Foo Fighters - "This is a Call". The Alternative Jukebox. Cassell. p. 204. ISBN 978-1-84403-789-6.
  4. ^ a b "Foo Fighters: Kerrang! June '06". www.fooarchive.com.
  5. ^ "Foo Fighters : Dave Grohl's Guide To Every Song". www.fooarchive.com.
  6. ^ "New Music for June". Radio & Records. No. 1096. May 26, 1995. p. 78.
  7. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. June 17, 1995. p. 31.
  8. ^ "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. July 8, 1995. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Foo Fighters Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  10. ^ a b "Foo Fighters: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  11. ^ "Foo Fighters – This Is a Call". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  12. ^ "ARIA Alternative Charts Top 20". ARIA Report. No. 286. August 6, 1995. p. 12. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  13. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2768." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  14. ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 8516." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  15. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. July 8, 1995. p. 12. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  16. ^ "M & M Charts Airplay EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media. Music & Media. July 22, 1995. p. 21. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  17. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (23.9 '95 – 29.9 '95)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). September 23, 1995. p. 20. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  18. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Foo Fighters" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  19. ^ "Foo Fighters – This Is a Call" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  20. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – This Is a Call". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  21. ^ "Foo Fighters – This Is a Call". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  22. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  23. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  24. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  25. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1995". ARIA. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  26. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
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