"Times Like These" is a song by American rock band Foo Fighters. It is the fourth track from their fourth album One by One, and was released as its second single in 2003.

Composition

The lyrics discuss how Dave Grohl felt "like I wasn't entirely myself" during the three-month hiatus the Foo Fighters entered following the tense and unsatisfying first recording sessions for One by One, as well as his uncertainty about the future of the band. The lyric "I'm a new day rising" is a reference to the album New Day Rising by Hüsker Dü, one of Grohl's favorite groups. "Times Like These" is in D Mixolydian mode and the section that begins at 0:13 is in 7/4 time. The chorus of the song is also grouped in bars of 3 rather than the regular bars of 4. The intro starts in 8/4 time for 4 bars, then switches to 7/4 for 8 bars and then 3 bars of 8/4 again before leading into the first verse, which is also in 8/4. It is set at 145 BPM. After the album version ended its run on the charts, a solo acoustic version of the song performed by Grohl was released. The acoustic version had some success on pop and adult contemporary radio; generally, it enjoyed great success on rock and alternative radio just like the original electric version.

Music videos

Two music videos were made for the studio version of the song and a third music video was made for an acoustic version of the song. All three versions were made available via the DVD release "Low/Times Like These"(2003):

Version 1

Directed by Liam Lynch. The band is shown performing the song against changing backgrounds, consisting mainly of brightly colored kaleidoscopic forms similar to those found in music visualization, giving the video a psychedelic, hopeful, joyful mood. In the end, the backgrounds blink out to reveal that the band are performing against a greenscreen in a studio. This version is often referred to as the "UK version" and received little airplay in the US as the band ultimately opted to film another video shortly afterward.

Version 2

Directed by Marc Klasfeld. The video was shot on the Rainbow Bridge in Victorville, CA (15597 Mineral Rd, Victorville, CA) and shows the band performing the song on location, below and in front of a bridge. A girl wanders onto the bridge and eventually tosses her Game Boy Advance at them. Gradually, more and more people arrive at the bridge and start throwing other inanimate objects (including appliances, instruments, and furniture) behind and around the oblivious band members. The items never hit any of them, though they come close. The actions of the participants would suggest that their motivations and intentions are to cast off the material trappings of society which prohibit them from living freely. Two cars (a Chevrolet Camaro and an MGB) are then simultaneously dropped off the bridge and behind the band, resulting in clouds of smoke and fire. This is followed by an entire house (only with walls and roof) being dropped onto the band by a crane, and the walls falling onto the ground without anyone getting hurt. Some of the extras featured in the video were fans selected through the band's official web site.

Acoustic version

A music video was produced for the acoustic version. It consists solely of clips of Grohl recording the song's vocal, guitar, and piano tracks in the studio. It was co-directed by Grohl and Bill Yukich.

Live performances

In media

The acoustic version of this song was used in episode 20 of season 4 ("The Birth and Death of the Day") of One Tree Hill during the graduation scene, which is also when Haley's water breaks. This is also used as the theme song for a video montage showing memorable past goals at Turf Moor for all of Burnley FC's home games from 2009 to the present. It was used by George W. Bush for his 2004 re-election campaign without the band's knowledge. "That was weird," Grohl remarked. "And to me it just seemed like a pretty good example of how completely out of touch he was. You read those lyrics: they're about hope and love and compassion. And look at his administration: war and fear and death. It was laughable. You couldn't have picked a worse song. That's why I jumped on the John Kerry campaign. I thought, 'I guess the right thing to do is to go play the song where it's needed – where it makes sense.'" The acoustic version was used at the end of episode 21 ("Coalition of the Willing") of the American television series Jericho. The acoustic version was used by the Calgary Flames as their opening during the team's 2003–04 NHL season cup run. It was released as a Rock Band and Rock Band 2 DLC track on Xbox Live and PSN on December 23, 2008. It was featured in the 2003 film American Wedding. The song has also been featured in the trailer for the 2006 sports-comedy The Benchwarmers. The song and the acoustic version were both featured in the 2012 ESPY Awards in a montage to commemorate the past 20 years in sports. The song was featured in the 2007 annual WWE Tribute to the Troops. The Washington Nationals Radio Network plays part of the track as the bridge to the post-game show after any game the Nationals win. The Seattle Kraken of the NHL use the song when they win games at Climate Pledge Arena.

Track listings

Enhanced Section ("Nice Hat") Enhanced Section ("Back Slapper") Enhanced section ("Japanese Grunge")

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

Live Lounge Allstars charity single

As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, BBC Radio 1 organised the "biggest ever" Live Lounge cover version as part of their Stay at Home project. The track was produced by Fraser T. Smith and was performed by the charity supergroup Live Lounge Allstars. Each member recorded and filmed their contribution to the song from their respective households in order to encourage social distancing. The song was released on 23 April 2020 and the video premiered as part of The Big Night In telethon. Among various charities worldwide, profits from the single will primarily go to Children in Need and Comic Relief, as well as WHO's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. Within 12 hours of the song's initial release, it gained 43,000 digital downloads and entered the top 5 on the UK Singles Chart. The song reached number 1 on its second week, earning 66,000 chart sales (78% of which were downloads). This song also became the first song produced by BBC Radio 1 to top the chart, and the first BBC release to reach number one since "Perfect Day" in 1997. A lyric video of the cover version was released on 29 April 2020.

Artists

The song was performed by the following artists (in alphabetical order):

Vocals

• AJ Tracey • Anne-Marie • Ben Johnston (of Biffy Clyro) • Celeste • Chris Martin (of Coldplay) • Dan Smith (of Bastille) • Dave Grohl (of Foo Fighters) • Dermot Kennedy • Dua Lipa • Ellie Goulding • Grace Carter (chorus) • Hailee Steinfeld (chorus) • Jess Glynne • Luke Hemmings (of 5 Seconds of Summer) • Mabel • Mike Kerr (of Royal Blood) • Paloma Faith • Rag'n'Bone Man • Rita Ora • Simon Neil (of Biffy Clyro) • Sam Fender • Sean Paul • Sigrid • Yungblud • Zara Larsson

Instruments

Charts

Certifications

Other notable covers