I’m supposed to categorize this post as just a part of my Listen blog series, but I also added the number 30’s Roman numeral equivalent to the post title because:
- I would like this post to be the 30th normal Diary post, and…
- It aligns with the Foo Fighters’ 30th anniversary this year. (They celebrated it last June 26 and July 4 [the UK and US release dates of the first Foos studio album, respectively], and I celebrated it with a Foos music marathon.)
Anyway, after almost two and a half years of writing in The Diary, and because of the aforementioned 30th anniversary of my favorite band, I think it’s time for me, The Deranged Writer, to list down my top six favorite Foo Fighters songs of all time.
Note: While writing this entry, I had a hard time picking my top four to six (and below that) because they have changed through the years, and it will change for sure. But I’m definitely certain about my top three.
6. No Way Back
Damn it. Writing number six is already a difficult task! But then, a question popped into mind: “What is a Foo Fighters song that you can dedicate to your friends?”
And then the first thunderous chords of “No Way Back” played in my head!
“No Way Back” is the second track of Disc 1 of Foo Fighters’ fifth studio album In Your Honor, and it’s such a great lightning rock follow-up to the already-loud title track. Plus, it’s also a great soundtrack for friendship. I can imagine myself running around the city with my closest friends as the song plays in my mind.
Pleased to meet you, take my hand
There is no way back from here
Pleased to meet you, say your prayers
There is no way back from here
But I don’t care
No way back from here
Also, I know I have not been a great friend to some, but I’m willing to try again and again, and “No Way Back” is the Foos theme song for that, too.
5. The Neverending Sigh
A day after The Undertaker celebrated his 25th WWE anniversary at Survivor Series in 2015, the Foo Fighters released a free digital EP called Saint Cecilia EP, and I said to myself, “Wait. What? A free Foo Fighters EP after Taker’s 25th? Count me in!”
Side note: I love it when I connect at least two of my fandoms. From The Undertaker to Foo Fighters? Excellent.
Anyway, when I heard the entire Saint Cecilia EP, I was blown away. Sonic Highways is a great Foo Fighters album and a lovely tribute to American music, but the free EP that was released after sounds like a more reinvigorated Foos after Wasting Light. For starters, the title track sounds so good that it became a part of my pre-church playlist. (Yes, I have a pre-church playlist. And a Catholic trivia: Saint Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians.)
But, for me, what really stands out is the last track, “The Neverending Sigh”. At first, I got worried about the title because it reminded me of my anxiety disorder. What got me through that worry is the Foos’ streak of having great closers, and when I heard “The Neverending Sigh”, I was proven right! What an excellent banger. And strangely, over time, it became my go-to Foos song when I’m at least on the verge of anxiety.
Also, I really love this particular verse:
Damn the luck, blessed be
Heaven, what’s come over me?
Admittedly, I have not listened to “The Neverending Sigh” more than any of the Foos songs on this list, but it’s one of my favorite Foo Fighters songs of all time because it is such a great closing track for an album, and it also helped improve my mental health in a weird way.
4. Another Round
“Hey, Dewey. What is your favorite acoustic Foo Fighters song?”
Other than the acoustic version of “Everlong” (something I will talk about later), it’s “Another Round” (track four from the acoustic side of the Foo Fighters’ In Your Honor).
Side note: Track four of In Your Honor’s acoustic side is my fourth favorite Foos song. What a coincidence!
Of all the acoustic songs from In Your Honor (and perhaps from the entire Foos catalogue), “Another Round” stands out so much because it sounds so soft and soothing to my ears, heart, and soul, and then it took it to a whole new, bittersweet level with Danny Clinch’s harmonica solo.
One more reason I love “Another Round” is that it’s one of my soundtracks of 2010, a relevant year in my life if we are going to talk about my heart and my mental health. When I was listening to it 700+ times that year (thanks for tracking that, Last.fm), it reminded me of an unrequited love that led to one of my first noted bouts with depression. Admittedly, that is also why I listened to it less after 2011. But when I have moved on from that particular sad story years later, and now I listen to it with fresher ears and a stronger heart, it feels so nice to have more rounds of “Another Round”.
3. Walk
If I were to choose the best cathartic Foo Fighters song, it would be “Walk”. Let me explain:
The Foo Fighters’ seventh studio album, Wasting Light (released in 2011), is the first Foos album I have anticipated to be released since I became a die-hard fan of the band and Dave Grohl in particular. (I will reveal to you the song that made me become such a fan on my top song on this list.) And when I heard the first track for the first time—the ferocious “Bridge Burning”—I knew and felt that the album was going to be special. And I was right. From “Bridge Burning” down to the regretful “I Should Have Known”, it was a rollercoaster of emotions while I reflected along the way.
But when I finally heard the 11th and final track, “Walk”, for some strange reason, I started crying from hearing the first few chords. They sound like stars sparking for the first time in the darkness—something I desperately want to see because I was also going through a mental health crisis. And when I continued listening and paid attention to the lyrics (notably, the chorus and the bridge), more tears fell.
Learnin’ to walk again
I believe I’ve waited long enough
Where do I begin?
Learnin’ to talk again
Can’t you see I’ve waited long enough?
Where do I begin?
Since then, “Walk” became my go-to Foo Fighters song when I need catharsis and healing, when I need to let it all out and cry. And years later… in fact, recently, when I prayed my most important prayer to God, out of the blue, I added a line from “Walk’s” bridge, and I feel good after praying it.
Lord, please hold me longer…
“‘to keep alive, a moment at a time.”
So, yes, that’s why, of all the cathartic songs in the Foo Fighters’ catalogue, “Walk” is the best among them.
Extra note: I’m supposed to share the original music video of Foo Fighters’ “Walk” (the one that is inspired by the movie Falling Down). But for this post, I will share the one directed by Phil Hodges for the Foos’ “This Video Sucks” contest to emphasize the song’s healing power. (Well, at least it heals me.)
2. Everlong
One of the few Facebook comments I will never forget is about a non-Foo Fighters fan’s opinion on “Everlong”, the band’s signature song.
I’m not a huge Foo Fighters fan, but “Everlong” is a great love song.
If I were to share a Foo Fighters song to someone who has not listened to a single song from them, it would be “Everlong”. That commenter is right. “Everlong” is a great love song, and love is universal, so I would recommend it to anyone who is not familiar with my favorite band. “Everlong” has the most exciting rock instrumentals and the most profound lyrics that capture love as it is felt in the moment.
I mean, just look at the chorus:
If everything could ever feel this real forever
If anything could ever be this good again
The only thing I’ll ever ask of you
You gotta promise not to stop when I say when
She sang
How can you get more romantic than that? In my opinion, “Everlong” deserves to be a part of any best-love-song list in existence.
And what is more romantic than “Everlong”? The acoustic version of it. The gentle acoustic guitars and Dave Grohl’s singing voice on this version place the lovely lyrics at the forefront, and you will appreciate every line even more.
Anyway, yes, “Everlong” is the Foo Fighters’ signature song and their best love song. But in my opinion, their best non-love and best overall song would be my top favorite…
1. The Pretender
Finally, we have reached the top, and if you have been reading my blog since The Diary’s start or perhaps you know me through my socials and in real life, you should know that not only “The Pretender” (the first track and single from the Foos’ sixth studio album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace [released in 2007]) is my favorite Foo Fighters song of all time, it is simply my favorite song of all time.
I already expressed my love for “The Pretender” in my first Listen post, but I will reiterate here. From the somber, orchestral intro down to the final, raw blast of the chorus and outro, the conflict-themed song is rock music perfection. And since hearing such perfection on that fateful train ride in 2008, it has become my favorite song ever. It turned me from a casual Foos fan into a die-hard one. It became my opening theme song/alarm clock tune. Sometimes, it’s also my closing theme song. (Either I listen to the original version or the instrumental one.)
And most especially, when I’m in a difficult situation, when I fight the forces stronger than I am, “The Pretender” is my battle anthem. The chorus just speaks—screams, rather—for itself.
What if I say I’m not like the others?
What if I say I’m not just another one of your plays?
You’re the pretender
What if I say I will never surrender?
And those are the reasons “The Pretender” is my top Foo Fighters song of all time.
Run It Back
Now, let me list my top six Foo Fighters songs ever one more time (in reverse order):
6. No Way Back
5. The Neverending Sigh
4. Another Round
3. Walk
2. Everlong
1. The Pretender
So, are you also a Foo Fighters fan—die-hard or casual? If you are a fan, what are your favorite songs from their discography? If you’re not a fan, are you kidding me? But yeah, let me know in the comments section below.
And damn. Maybe I should write fewer Minute Warning posts and more of these lists, right?
Anyway, see you in the next post, and happiest 30th anniversary to my all-time favorite band, Foo Fighters!
Mark my f’n words,
The Deranged Writer
Ω
Header image: Lara Peixoto of Pexels. Foo Fighters logo by Foo Fighters.
Updated on July 10, 2025, September 12, 2025, and November 22, 2025.
The Diary of The Deranged Writer 
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