In the wake of Nirvana’s sudden end, Dave Grohl could have easily gone in any musical direction he wanted. While he thought he had lost his desire to play music after Kurt Cobain’s tragic passing, Grohl felt that music would eventually help him heal from the pain, picking himself back up by recording various songs in a studio near his house. Even though Grohl had the opportunity to keep playing drums for the rest of his life, he took a chance and walked away with one of the greatest comeback stories in rock history with Foo Fighters.
Making the first album out of a handful of songs he had written while still in Nirvana, Grohl played every single note on the debut. After putting a band together featuring ex-Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear and William Goldsmith, and Nate Mendel of Sunny Day Real Estate, the first incarnation of the group was born, going out on the road playing the tracks from Grohl’s first cassette.
Even though the band were still a major experiment at this stage, there was no question that everything coming out of them would be Grohl’s vision. Since this would be their effort, Grohl was known to be particular about what he wanted when recording the album The Colour and the Shape.
Working with longtime Pixies producer Gil Norton, the pressure was on the rest of the members to play to the best of their ability whenever the red light came on. Although the album would become one of the group’s finest, it would do a number on Goldsmith’s confidence, eventually quitting the band after Grohl decided to erase his drum parts from the record and replace them with his own.
Granted, Grohl’s job in the band wouldn’t be a walk in the park, either. After a recent breakup with his fiance, much of the album features lyrics dissecting the frontman’s state of mind, reminiscing about his euphoria on songs like ‘Everlong’ while making bittersweet ballads like ‘Walking After You’.
Even though Grohl admitted to stepping up his game on the record, he wasn’t nearly as kind to the record before, recalling, “Last time the lyrics were obscure for a good reason. They were nonsense. A few songs meant a lot, but for the most part, I just needed a vocal track. In no way do I consider myself a clever lyricist or even a lyricist. I can’t even write fucking postcards.”
With Norton’s help, Grohl would eventually come out of his shell, working diligently to find just the right word combination that rolled off the tongue nicely. Even though some pieces remained a bit obscure, like the massive rager ‘Enough Space’, this was the first time fans got to hear the inside of Grohl’s mind, talking about the turmoil that comes with falling out of love and the fear of what could happen after he’s separated from his lover.
In the years since its release, Grohl has seen the brighter side of the band’s debut, thinking that it made for decent imagery rather than holding together as a coherent whole. Even though not every song on their first album makes the most sense, the words are the perfect way to get into Grohl’s headspace after watching his musical world shatter.
