This Is a Call
"This Is a Call" | ||||
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Single by Foo Fighters | ||||
from the album Foo Fighters | ||||
B-side | "Winnebago" (US) "Podunk" (UK) | |||
Released | June 19, 1995 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Dave Grohl | |||
Producer(s) |
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Foo Fighters singles chronology | ||||
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"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
[edit]"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".[3]
Lyrics
[edit]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."[4]
"'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!"[3]
Release and reception
[edit]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.[5][6] 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.[7][8] The song also charted at number five on the UK Singles Chart.[9]
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
[edit]- A live version recorded on June 15, 1996, at the Golden Gate Park as part of the Tibetan Freedom Concert was released on the "Free Tibet" DVD.
- Another version recorded at the following year's version of the festival on June 7, 1997, at the Downing Stadium was released on the Tibetan Freedom Concert live album.
Track listings
[edit]UK 7-inch single; French and Japanese CD single
- "This Is a Call"
- "Winnebago" (Grohl, Turner)
UK 12-inch and CD single
- "This Is a Call"
- "Winnebago"
- "Podunk"
Dutch and Australian CD single; New Zealand cassette single
- "This Is a Call"
- "Winnebago"
- "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
[edit]- Dave Grohl – guitars, vocals, bass, drums
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
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Year-end charts[edit]
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Certifications
[edit]Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[25] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
[edit]- ^ Partridge, Kenneth (July 4, 2015). "Foo Fighters' Self-Titled Debut at 20: Classic Track-by-Track Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Foo Fighters: Kerrang! June '06". www.fooarchive.com.
- ^ "Foo Fighters : Dave Grohl's Guide To Every Song". www.fooarchive.com.
- ^ "New Music for June". Radio & Records. No. 1096. May 26, 1995. p. 78.
- ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. June 17, 1995. p. 31.
- ^ "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. July 8, 1995. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ a b "Foo Fighters Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ a b "Foo Fighters: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ "Foo Fighters – This Is a Call". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ "ARIA Alternative Charts Top 20". ARIA Report. No. 286. August 6, 1995. p. 12. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2768." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 8516." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. July 8, 1995. p. 12. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
- ^ "M & M Charts Airplay EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media. Music & Media. July 22, 1995. p. 21. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
- ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (23.9 '95 – 29.9 '95)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). September 23, 1995. p. 20. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Foo Fighters" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ "Foo Fighters – This Is a Call" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – This Is a Call". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ "Foo Fighters – This Is a Call". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1995". ARIA. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 16, 2023.