The Sky Is a Neighborhood

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"The Sky Is a Neighborhood"
Single by Foo Fighters
from the album Concrete and Gold
ReleasedAugust 23, 2017 (2017-08-23)
Genre
Length4:04
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Greg Kurstin
Foo Fighters singles chronology
"Run"
(2017) 		"The Sky Is a Neighborhood"
(2017) 		"The Line"
(2018)
Music video
"The Sky is a Neighborhood" on
YouTube

"The Sky Is a Neighborhood" is a song by American

Alternative Songs
chart.

Background

The song was one of the last written and recorded for the band's ninth studio album,

Frontman Dave Grohl, inspired by the night sky in Hawaii, wrote what would become "The Sky Is a Neighborhood",[2] and recorded the track over the course of a single afternoon.[3] The song was first publicly premiered at a live acoustic show by Grohl and drummer Taylor Hawkins in May 2017,[4] at The Fillmore in San Francisco.[5] The full band first performed the song live at a show in Iceland the following month.[4][6] The final studio version was released as the album's second single on August 23, 2017.[7][8]

Themes and composition

The name and phrase "The Sky Is a Neighborhood" originated from Grohl's lifelong hobby of

Neil DeGrasse Tyson.[2] Grohl explained:

It basically talks about the atoms that comprise life on Earth and make up the human body are traceable to the beginnings of our universe. Stars that go unstable and collapse and explode and just scatter their guts, their fundamental ingredients of life are all over the universe and forming solar systems and stars orbiting planets have the ingredients for life itself. And when you look up at the night sky, you realize that you're not only part of the universe, but the universe is part of us. It really moves me.[2]

Rolling Stone described the song as "Grohl [narrating] a sleepless night worrying about the state of the planet".[9] Some journalists noted that the line "Trouble to the right and left/ Who's side are you on?" sounded like an allusion to the political unrest found since the 2016 United States presidential election,[10][11] a theme that Grohl had said had influenced him during the album's writing process.[12]

Grohl told

[Rolling] Stones-esque blues ballad",[14] while NPR described it as "a soulful stomp that turns psychedelic."[15]

Music video

The

sci-fi/fantasy setting with the involvement of young children.[15]

Reception

The song was generally well received commercially and critically. As of September 2017, the song had peaked at number seven on the

2018 Brit Awards where they won the award for International Group.[20]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Concrete and Gold liner notes.[21]

Guest musicians

  • Alison Mosshart – backing vocals
  • Rachel Grace – violin
  • Ginny Luke – violin
  • Thomas Lea – viola
  • Kings Bacik – cello

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[42] Gold 35,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[43] Gold 40,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[44] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Greene, Jayson (18 September 2017). "Foo Fighters Concrete and Gold". Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Dave Grohl Talks Directing daughters for new Foo Fighters video rollingstone.com. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  3. ^ "Foo Fighters head for space with The Sky Is A Neighborhood video". Classic Rock Magazine. 2017-08-23. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Watch Dave Grohl's Kids Star in Foo Fighters' 'The Sky Is a Neighborhood' Video rollingstone.com. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  5. ^ Foo Fighters debut new song "The Sky is a Neighborhood" at acoustic show consequence.net. Retrieved August 23, 2017
  6. ^ Kreps, Daniel (June 17, 2017). "Watch Foo Fighters Premiere New Song 'Lah Di Da' at Iceland Festival". Rolling Stone.
  7. ^ a b c "Foo Fighters Drop Video for New Song 'The Sky Is a Neighborhood'". Ew.com. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  8. ^ Foo Fighters unleash new single/video "The Sky Is a Neighborhood" consequence.net. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  9. ^ Grow, Kory (July 27, 2017). "Dave Grohl on How Foo Fighters Made New LP With Pop Producer". Rolling Stone.
  10. ^ "Sky Is a Neighborhood". Vulture.com. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  11. ^ Kohn, Daniel (2017-09-17). "Foo Fighters: Concrete and Gold Review". Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
  12. ^ "Dave Grohl on how Donald Trump inspired Foo Fighters' new album". Nme.com. August 31, 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  13. ^ WATCH: Foo Fighters Unveil Sky Is A Neighborhood Video radiox.co.uk. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  14. ^ Camp, Zoe (September 19, 2017). "Review: Foo Fighters - 'Concrete and Gold'". Spin.
  15. ^ a b "Strange Things Are Afoot In Foo Fighters' 'The Sky Is A Neighborhood' Video". Npr.org. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  16. ^ "Foo Fighters – "The Sky Is A Neighborhood" Video". August 23, 2017.
  17. ^ "Foo Fighters Play a Spooky Rooftop Gig in 'The Sky Is a Neighborhood Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  18. ^ Raible, Allan (2017-09-15). "Review: The Foo Fighters' 'Concrete and Gold' is reliable, but without a catchy single". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
  19. ^ Rosenberg, Axl (2017-08-23). ""The Sky is a Neighborhood": Foo Fighters Release New Song + Video Starring Dave Grohl's Daughters". MetalSucks. Retrieved 2018-08-05.
  20. ^ Legaspi, Althea (February 22, 2018). "See Foo Fighters Perform 'The Sky Is a Neighborhood' at Brit Awards". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  21. ^ Concrete and Gold (booklet). RCA Roswell. 2017.
  22. Ultratip
    . Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  23. Ultratip
    . Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  24. ^ "Canada All Format (Foo Fighters)". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  25. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  26. ^ "Foo Fighters: The Sky Is a Neighborhood" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  27. ^ "Foo Fighters - Mexico Ingles Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  28. Mega Charts
    . September 9, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  29. ^ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 4, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  30. ^ "Foo Fighters – The Sky is a Neighborhood". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  31. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
  32. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker – Vecka 38, 22 september 2017". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  33. ^ "Schweizer Airplay Charts 38/2017 - hitparade.ch". hitparade.ch. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  34. ^ "Foo Fighters: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  35. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  36. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  37. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  38. ^ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  39. ^ "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  40. ^ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  41. ^ "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  42. ARIA
    . Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  43. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Foo Fighters – The Sky Is a Neighborhood". Music Canada. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  44. ^ "British single certifications – Foo Fighters – The Sky Is a Neighborhood". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
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