91: Foo Fighters - Best Of You

The ultimate test of a rock song is, in my view, how it sounds when driving on a warm summer's afternoon. If it comes on the radio, do you feel an irresistible urge to wind down the windows and sing along at the top of your lungs?

'Best Of You' fits the bill in spades. From the moment Dave Grohl admits "I've got another confession to make", this is one song that never lets up. I'm sure it was no coincidence that the band chose 'Best Of You' as the lead single from fifth album, 'In Your Honor'. After major success with the previous multi platinum-selling album, 'One By One', the band must have felt the pressure to release something BIG to herald the arrival of their new long player.



There's nothing especially fancy about 'Best Of You'. It's white collar rock from a white collar band, efficient, rousing and catchy. The "wooooooooah woooooah" of the bridge is about as exciting as the song gets.... and yet... somehow, it just feels right. Five albums into a career may be a little late for it, but perhaps, with the release of 'Best Of You', Foo Fighters finally had a declared mission statement, a call to arms. And if not... well, they still have the consolation of a massive-selling single (their biggest seller to date), and a live-show staple. Those of us who had the pleasure of seeing them at Wembley Stadium in the summer of 2008 can testify to that much - the sound of 80,000 people roaring "the best, the best, the best, the best of you" sent a tingle down the spine. Instant classic.