For over 50 years, the influence of The Beatles has permeated every generation of rock and roll. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to suggest that every guitar-driven band since the inception of Beatlemania has taken inspiration from the Fab Four, and Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters are no exception.
With his roots in grunge, Grohl and his various collaborators have often veered further into darker territory than The Beatles’ experimentation with psych and pop. Still, the influence of The Beatles can be felt in his music. “If it weren’t for The Beatles, I would not be a musician. It’s as simple as that,” he once wrote in an accompanying note for the Tomorrow Never Knows compilation.
“From a very young age I became fascinated with their songs, and over the years have drowned myself in the depth of their catalogue,” he continued, “Their groove and their swagger. Their grace and their beauty. Their dark and their light. The Beatles seemed to be capable of anything”.
Grohl is one of few Beatles enthusiasts to turn his fan status into a collaborative relationship. In 2017, he delivered the ninth studio record from Foo Fighters, Concrete and Gold. The record included a special feature from Paul McCartney on ‘Sunday Morning’, perhaps unexpectedly, on drums.
After drafting a melody and asking Taylor Hawkins to pen some lyrics, Grohl recruited the Beatles songwriter to provide percussion. In his recollection of the collaborative inception, the Nirvana drummer made it sound like easy work. He explained to PBS, “I was like, ‘Hey man, you want to play drums on a new song on our record?’ And he texted back, he was like, ‘You’ve always got crazy ideas!’”
This crazy idea, in particular, pulled through, and McCartney joined them in the studio. According to Grohl’s memory of the session, the Beatle enjoyed it just as much as they did, enthusing, “He’s got a real swing to it! And the greatest part was watching him do it because he’s got this huge smile on his face. He was so into it when he was playing!” He even extended the six-minute song to double its duration.
The final version of ‘Sunday Morning’ is a subdued grunge soundscape with lyrics riddled with anxiety and desperation. Over McCartney’s masterful drumming (recorded in just two takes), Hawkins asks, “Are you a little afraid? A little alone? A little exhausted?” Though it’s certainly not a Beatles song, it’s easy to imagine McCartney sat behind the drumset.
Listen to ‘Sunday Morning’, the Foo Fighters song that features Paul McCartney on drums, below.
