Everlong

Infobox Single
Name = Everlong


Artist = Foo Fighters
from Album = The Colour and the Shape
Released = August 18, 1997
Format = CD
Recorded = 1997 at Grandmaster Recorders in Hollywood, CA
Genre = Alternative rock
Length = 4:10
Label = Roswell, Capitol
Producer = Gil Norton
Last single = "Monkey Wrench"
(1997)
This single = "Everlong"
(1997)
Next single = "My Hero"
(1998) "Everlong" is the second single released from the Foo Fighters' second album "The Colour and the Shape", released in 1997.

Background and production

The song itself was conceived when Grohl returned home to Washington, DC following the initial recording sessions for the album. It was eventually recorded as part of the second set of sessions, which took place at Grandmaster Recorders in January-February 1997.

During the instrumental break, three indecipherable tracks whispered by Grohl can be heard. The exact wordings are unknown, but according to the official Foo Fighters newsgroup FAQ, the source materials are a love letter, a technical manual, and a story about a studio technician's father. [ [http://faqs.cs.uu.nl/na-dir/music/foo-fighters/part4.html Foo Fighters FAQ, V. 7.0 [4/4 ] ] Grohl himself has only confirmed the use of the technical manual.Fact|date=December 2007

Versions

Although the song is normally performed with electric guitars, vocalist/guitarist Dave Grohl's solo acoustic variation gained popularity after an impromptu rendition on Howard Stern's radio show in 1997.

A different acoustic version of this song concludes the 2006 live CD and DVD "Skin and Bones".

A muzak version of the chorus appears in the opening and closing scenes of band's music video for "Learn to Fly," from the subsequent album "There Is Nothing Left to Lose". In the "Monkey Wrench" video a muzak version of "Big Me" is featured.

Video

The expressionistic, satirical video for the song was directed by Michel Gondry. The running time of the video exceeds that of the original version of the song, so in order to accommodate this, the final chorus is followed by a brief interlude consisting of the last few seconds of the song played backwards, then followed by a repeat of the chorus. This version is used only for the video.

Although Taylor Hawkins appears in the video as the drummer, Dave Grohl actually plays the drum track on the original album recording, as Hawkins had not yet joined the band.

Plot summary

The video starts with a shot of two mysterious men heading towards a house and a view of the inside of the house with pictures of a happy couple all over the walls (played by Grohl as the man and Hawkins in drag as the woman). The scene ends in the bedroom with the couple sleeping in bed, and we begin to enter the dreams of each (which are all presented in desaturated colors, while the "reality" bedroom scenes are in black and white).

The Grohl character's dream takes place in a party (populated by people in punk fashion) in which he and the Hawkins character (in attire perhaps based on Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen) encounter two ill-intentioned men dressed like Teddy Boys (played by Pat Smear and Nate Mendel).

The video then transitions to Hawkins' dream (strongly reminiscent of "The Evil Dead)", where she is sitting alone in a shabby cabin deep in a dark forest while Grohl gathers logs outside. Hawkins is dressed in pig tails and a "Save the Whales" sweater, while Grohl sports a modest haircut and striped sweater. A hand suddenly reaches out from under the floorboards, frightening Hawkins.

The scene switches back to Grohl's dream, where Hawkins is harassed by the two men. As Grohl witnesses this he becomes angry and his right hand swells to an enormous size. He uses the hand to push away Smear and slap Mendel around as the party-goers watch in horror. He then beats up Smear, and both villains are shown on the floor before disintegrating in a flash of light. The two reawaken separately in the Hawkins dream, with Mendel in a basement, and Smear in the forest.

Back in the Grohl dream, Grohl and Hawkins flee from the party into a gray room filled only by a giant black rotary phone. As the phone deafens the couple with its ring, Grohl climbs it and tries in vain to lift the receiver. In "reality," he is awakened by his own bedside phone, which he answers only to realize that Hawkins is on the other end, calling from her own dream.

There, Hawkins is shown blocking the entrances in the cabin as the two villains try to break in, while an unaware Grohl continues gathering logs. Hawkins then frantically dials a phone, and the scene is intercut with shots of Hawkins (in the dream) and Grohl (in reality) communicating by phone.

After the villains successfully bind Hawkins to a chair, Grohl forces himself to fall asleep again in order to rescue her. He initially finds himself in another dream, lying in a bed with several women who have their legs spread over him. He then finds himself back in the Hawkins dream, with the legs turning into the logs. Some drop to the ground and leave him with two logs connected by a chain, resembling nunchaku. He runs up to the door of the house to find Smear (with a giant axe) and Mendel (with a chainsaw) about to kill Hawkins. Grohl brandishes the log nunchaku, and then drops them as his hand swells again. He beats up Smear while Hawkins sneaks away to grab a pan which she uses to knock Mendel out. The two exchange loving smiles before walking out and throwing the unconscious attackers into a small pond.

The video transitions back to the couple asleep in bed. The camera pans over to reveal the two villains standing over them ominously before coming out of their disguises. The alarmed couple wakes up, and the four group members finish playing the song together with their instruments in the bedroom as themselves.

In the "How I Convinced Dave Grohl to Make That Video" chapter of the book that accompanied a DVD of his music videos, Gondry explains the difficulties he had. These included not being able to show a woman in bed with Grohl due to his then-girlfriend's jealousy (which is why Hawkins plays that role), as well as Smear worrying about the negative impact his character could have on his image. Gondry also states that the video represents different fantasies - for men, the use of violence to save a woman, and for women, the act of being rescued.

ingle: Track listing

CD1:
#"Everlong"
#"Drive Me Wild" (Vanity 6 cover)
#"See You (Live Manchester Apollo 25th May 1997)"CD2:
#"Everlong"
#"Requiem" (Killing Joke cover)
#"I'll Stick Around (Live Manchester Apollo 25th May 1997)"

Chart positions

Popular culture

*The song was performed by the Foo Fighters on the May 15, 1997 episode of "The Late Show with David Letterman". They were asked back to the show to perform the song again on February 21, 2000, Letterman's first day since returning from heart surgery. Letterman introduced them as "my favorite band, playing my favorite song."
*In the sitcom "Friends", "Everlong" is played at the last scene in Monica and Chandler's wedding (as the camera zooms in to Rachel)
*The films "Little Nicky" and "Orange County" both feature the song's acoustic version.
*In 2005, pitcher Bronson Arroyo, then with the Boston Red Sox, included a cover of "Everlong" on his album "Covering the Bases". The cover features avid Red Sox fan Stephen King reading a passage (presumably written for the song itself) during the song's breakdown.
*The song is featured in the hit video games Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour.

Accolades

* Ranked #45 in "Kerrang!" magazine's "100 Greatest Rock Tracks Ever" (1999)
* Ranked #39 in "Kerrang!" magazine's "100 Greatest Singles of All Time" (2002) (The magazine's editor complained about the song's position, claiming it to be "The best track ever to be imprinted onto plastic")
* Ranked #22 in "Stylus" magazine's "100 Music Videos of All Time" (2006)

References

External links

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