Hot on the heels of “No Son of Mine,” Foo Fighters unleash another dose of Medicine at Midnight in the form of “Waiting on a War.” In stark contrast to the bludgeoning “final f*ck you to 2020” (UPROXX) of its predecessor, “Waiting on a War” is a sprawling melodic opus that gradually builds to a patented FF rave-up.
If “Waiting on a War” seems to have an especially emotional heft to its lyrics, well, that’s because it does. Dave Grohl recounts the personal anecdote that inspired the song:
Last fall, as I was driving my daughter to school, she turned to me and asked, “Daddy, is there going to be a war?” My heart sank as I realized that she was now living under the same dark cloud that I had felt 40 years ago.
I wrote “Waiting on a War” that day.
Everyday waiting for the sky to fall. Is there more to this than that? Is there more to this than just waiting on a war? Because I need more. We all do.
This song was written for my daughter, Harper, who deserves a future, just as every child does.
Celebrate Grohl’s birthday tonight, January 14, with Foo Fighters’ network TV debut performance of “Waiting on a War” on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.
Medicine at Midnight (out February 5th on Roswell Records/RCA Records) is produced by Greg Kurstin and Foo Fighters, engineered by Darrell Thorp and mixed by Mark “Spike” Stent, and packs the following nine songs into a tight-ass 37 minutes:
Making a Fire
Shame Shame
Cloudspotter
Waiting on a War
Medicine at Midnight
No Son of Mine
Holding Poison
Chasing Birds
Love Dies Young
Foo Fighters are Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear, and Rami Jaffee.