Last Friday, April 14, my favorite band in the world, Foo Fighters, released a new single from their upcoming twelfth studio album, Your Favorite Toy, and it’s titled “Of All People.” As per tradition (mine anyway), I listened to the new song more than once, and I loved the fast, aggressive punk sound that reminded me of a shorter version of “White Limo” (a loud gem from one of my favorite Foos albums, Wasting Light). But after the fifth listen, I had to hit pause because my lyric interpretation almost blew a fuse in me, and not in a good way.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Dave Grohl wrote “Of All People” after meeting a drug dealer whom he hadn’t seen in a very long time. He shares:
I hadn’t seen them in 30 years, and they’re alive, healthy, and sober. I was so happy that this person survived, while at the same time, I was devastated, because of all of the people I know that we’ve lost to exactly that drug (heroin).
I was so fucking angry, but at the same time so grateful to see them alive and well. Again, a conversation within myself, feeling so conflicted and divided. When I read the lyrics back, I mentioned them to my therapist: is this survivor’s guilt?
Looking back at the lyrics after learning Mr. Grohl’s explanation, it’s more existential than I thought (especially that he lost many friends over the years, notably his Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain and the Foos’ long-time drummer Taylor Hawkins). But frankly, my initial interpretation was more about resentment. I was forcefully reminded of the demons who have destroyed a few connections that I treasured dearly. After all these years, they’re still walking freely, while I’m still feeling the aftereffects of the burned bridges, and being reminded of them almost blew a fuse in me.
To quote the one line from “Of All People” that stabbed a knife in my heart:
How can you live happily ever after?
Not every song will bring hope as bright as sunshine like “Walk”. Some will just hit you right in the face and force you to confront the ghosts and demons in your life, and that happened when I heard “Of All People.” For the first time in years, my favorite band made me silently enraged through their music. And while my own resentment softened when I learned Mr. Grohl’s introspection (even if it’s also heavy), and I have another way to reframe the song now, somehow that quiet anger is still within me.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is why Foo Fighters’ “Of All People” is my Song of the Moment.
See you in the next post.
Header image: Andrew Schwark of Pexels. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.
The Diary of The Deranged Writer 