Rope (song)
"Rope" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Foo Fighters | ||||
from the album Wasting Light | ||||
Released | March 1, 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2010 | |||
Studio | Dave Grohl's residence (Encino, Los Angeles) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:19 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Foo Fighters singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Rope" on YouTube |
"Rope" is a song by American rock band Foo Fighters, the second track on their seventh studio album, Wasting Light (2011). Like the rest of the album, it was written by all band members and produced by the band alongside Butch Vig. The song originated during the tour supporting Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007), the band's sixth studio album. A demo version was recorded after the tour ended in 2008. Some acts that have been noted as influences on the song include Rush and Led Zeppelin.
"Rope" was released as the lead single of Wasting Light on March 1, 2011, through
Composition
"Rope" had its origins during the
The song's unusual rhythms and angular chords have a distinct influence from Rush[3] as well as Led Zeppelin's album Presence, which Grohl declared "may be my favorite album of theirs".[1][4] The main progression of chords is a flat seventh, a fourth and a minor third, warranting guitarist Chris Shiflett to comment that "What my guitar is doing over the bass makes no sense in a way. It does, but you don't know how." The intro is a sequence of minor sevenths with a suspended fourth, going from B minor to D, which Shiflett stated was "kind of illogical, in a way, to your ear",[4] and Grohl himself compared to Television and Mission of Burma.[1] The delay on the intro was induced manually given the album was produced without digital instruments, with producer Butch Vig synchronizing it with the click track through a drum machine and a shake tambourine.[5]
Release
The single premiered on radio on February 23, 2011 and was officially released on March 1, 2011.[6][7] The song was only released as a download single and no physical CD single was actually released. However, a 12-inch vinyl single was released on May 9, 2011.[8]
Canadian electronic producer deadmau5 produced a remix of the song that was released separately as part of the deadmau5 Mix Edits EP. It was made available digitally on April 14.[9] The Foo Fighters performed the remix version at the 54th Grammy Awards with deadmau5, along with "Walk".
The first televised performance of the single was part of a Foo Fighters set at the 2011 NME Awards, at which the band was present for Dave Grohl to collect the 'Godlike Genius' award.[10]
Music video
The music video, directed by Grohl, was shot entirely in VHS,[11] and shows the Foo Fighters performing inside a white cube set built inside a soundstage in Los Angeles. The "tight, claustrophobic space" was inspired by Grohl's garage, where Wasting Light was recorded.[12] The first verse and chorus of the song simply show the band performing, while the second verse and chorus show the band as silhouettes, and the instrumental bridge and final chorus shows lights of various colors flashing within the cube.
The music video made its worldwide premiere live from a MTV.com contest winner's house in Los Angeles, CA. An MTV and fan interview from the same house was conducted after the premiere, followed by a Twitter "question and answer" portion.[13]
Critical reception
"Rope" was well received by critics. On its review of the song, Rolling Stone said the single "rides lower to the ground that the usual Foos anthem, especially during the gnarled-guitar fire-fight at the end, without undercutting the modern-rock heroism that's become one of the few reliable guitar-based brands on contemporary radio."[14] Billboard described the song as having "a meaty guitar lick that sounds ripe for Rock Band, a rip-roaring extended instrumental solo and a few choice "Yow!"s from frontman Dave Grohl",[15] praising the "raw, hard-hitting focus" and concluding that "'Rope' makes the listener feel like it's 1995 all over again."[16]
"Rope" was nominated for "Best Rock Track" at the
Chart performance
The song is only the second in history to debut atop the
Track listing
- Download
- "Rope" – 4:19
- 12-inch vinyl
- "Rope" (deadmau5 Mix) – 3:06
- "Rope" – 4:19
- Download – deadmau5 Mix [edit][20]
- "Rope" (deadmau5 Mix) [edit] – 3:06
Personnel
- Foo Fighters
- Dave Grohl – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Chris Shiflett – lead guitar
- Pat Smear – rhythm guitar
- Nate Mendel – bass guitar
- backing vocals
- Additional Personnel
- keyboards
- Drew Hester - cowbell
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[39] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[40] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[41] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ a b c Foo Fighters "The Pretender" and "Rope" Lesson, Photo Gallery and New Special-Edition Magazine Archived 2016-01-31 at the Wayback Machine guitarworld.com. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ^ Paul Brannigan (December 2010). "Kerrang's 50 albums you need to hear in 2011 - Foo Fighters (Interview)". Kerrang!.
- ^ "Foo Fighters Premiere High-Octane Single Rope". MTV.
- ^ a b Hey. What's That Buzz?, Guitar World fooarchive.com. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ^ Rope Burns! soundvisionmag.com. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ^ Cross, Alan (February 7, 2011). "This IS the New Foo Fighters Single (Video)". ExploreMusic. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
- ^ "Foo Fighters debut new single 'Rope'". NME.com. IPC MEDIA. February 23, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
- ^ "Foo Fighters Rope - Sealed UK 12" vinyl single (12 inch record / Maxi-single)". eil.com. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
- ^ Search For: "Foo Fighters" beatport.com. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ^ Foo Fighters rock Wembley Arena for NME Awards Big Gig nme.com. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- ^ Foo Fighters Go VHS For Brand-New 'Rope' Video mtv.com. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ^ Dave Grohl Says Foo Fighters' 'Rope' Video Is 'Claustrophobic' mtv.com. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ^ Foo Fighters Announce 'Rope' Video Premiere, Woodies Performance mtv.com. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ^ Foo Fighters "Rope" rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ^ Foo Fighters Unveil Rip-Roaring 'Rope' Single, 'Wasting Light' Art billboard.com. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ^ Foo Fighters, "Rope" 2 November 2013.
- ^ Bieber, Glee, And Everything And Everyone Awesome Get Teen Choice Awards Noms. Peep the List! teen.com. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ^ 'Deadmau5 Day' Declared in Las Vegas billboard.com. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ^ Foo Fighters' 'Rope' Hangs A No. 1 Debut On Rock Songs billboard.com. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ^ Rope (deadmau5 Mix) [Edit] - Single Foo Fighters itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
- ^ ARIA Top 100 Singles – Week Commencing 18th April 2011 pandora.nla.gov.au. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
- ^ "Foo Fighters – Rope" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- Ultratip. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- Ultratip. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ^ "CZ - Radio - Top 20 Modern Rock - Foo Fighters - Rescued" (in Czech). IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ "Foo Fighters – Rope" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ^ "Foo Fighters - Mexico Ingles Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ISBN 9789000331000. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
- ^ "Foo Fighters – Rope" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ "Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ "Decade-End Charts: Hot Rock Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
- ARIA. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
- ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Foo Fighters – Rope" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ "British single certifications – Foo Fighters – Rope". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 27, 2022.