"I'll Stick Around" is the second single released by Foo Fighters from their 1995 self titled debut album '' Foo Fighters''.

Background

The song's lyrics are about

Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, her career has spanned four decades. She rose to prominence as ...

. "I don't think it's any secret that 'I'll Stick Around' is about Courtney," Dave Grohl said in 2009. "I've denied it for fifteen years, but I'm finally coming out and saying it. Just read the fucking words!" The song has been labeled grunge,

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

, and

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and c ...

Music video

The video for this song was the first Foo Fighters

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

and was directed by

Jerry Casale Jerry Joseph Casale (September 27, 1933 – February 9, 2019) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for three teams between 1958 and 1962. Listed at , 200 lb., he batted and threw right-handed. Early life Casale was ...

, who was a member of and directed videos for Devo. Casale said he was chosen due to Devo's well-known surreal music videos, which would fit Grohl's request for a "non-video video", done for just $60,000. The video shows the band performing the song in a room with a paper background while lights strobe and a giant spore floats around them (the spore, described by Casale as "Foo Ball", was inspired by the

foo fighter The term ''foo fighter'' was used by Allied aircraft pilots during World War II to describe various UFOs or mysterious aerial phenomena seen in the skies over both the European and Pacific theaters of operations. Though ''foo fighter'' initia ...

phenomenon that named the band, and its original conception was a "bloated, charred, inflated girl representing

Courtney Courtney is a name of Old French origin, introduced into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It has two quite distinct interpretations: firstly, the surname may be locational, from places called Courtenay in the regions of Loiret and Gât ...

", but as Grohl's management vetoed the idea, it was replaced by an "3D

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

virus 'sic''based on medical models from '' Scientific America'' 'sic''magazine"). This is interspersed with footage of Dave Grohl eating chess pieces (an idea by the singer himself, done with "frame by frame stop-action animation") and brushing his teeth with what appears to be a switchblade. The video also appeared in '' Beavis and Butt-Head''.

Other versions

*A live version recorded on May 25, 1997 at the

Manchester Apollo The O2 Apollo Manchester (known locally as The Apollo and formerly Manchester Apollo) is a concert venue in Ardwick Green, Manchester, England. It is a Grade II listed building, with a capacity of 3,500 (2,514 standing, 986 seats). History The ...

was released as a B Side to the CD2 version of the

Everlong "Everlong" is a song by American rock group Foo Fighters. It was released in August 1997 as the second single from their second studio album, ''The Colour and the Shape'' (1997). The song reached number three on the US ''Billboard'' Alternativ ...

single. * "Weird Al" Yankovic included "I'll Stick Around" in his polka medley "The Alternative Polka", from ''

Bad Hair Day ''Bad Hair Day'' is the ninth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on March 12, 1996. It was also Yankovic's last studio album for the Scotti Brothers label before it was purchased by Volcano Records in 1999 and his final studio album t ...

''.

Personnel

Musicians on the album * Dave Grohl –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

, bass, drums Musicians in the music video * Dave Grohl –

Nate Mendel Nathan ‍Gregor ‍Mendel (born December 2, 1968) is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist for the rock band Foo Fighters, as well as a former member of Sunny Day Real Estate. He has also worked with musical acts The Jealous So ...

– bass *

Pat Smear Georg Albert Ruthenberg (born August 5, 1959), better known by his stage name Pat Smear, is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead guitarist and co-founder of Los Angeles-based punk band The Germs and for being a rhythm guita ...

–

William Goldsmith William Goldsmith (born July 4, 1972) is an American drummer best known as a member of Sunny Day Real Estate and former member of Foo Fighters. Currently drumming for Assertion, he has toured with Mike Watt and IQU, performed on many recordings ...

– drums

Track listings

UK promo CD/ US promo CD # "I'll Stick Around" 7" Red Vinyl single / Cardsleeve CD Single # "I'll Stick Around" # "How I Miss You" UK CD single/12" vinyl single # "I'll Stick Around" # "How I Miss You" # "Ozone" (

Ace Frehley Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley (; born April 27, 1951) is an American musician, best known as the original lead guitarist and co-founding member of the hard rock band Kiss. He invented the persona of The Spaceman (a.k.a. Space Ace) and played wit ...

cover) Japanese CD Maxi-Single # "I'll Stick Around" # "How I Miss You" # "Ozone" (

cover) # "

For All the Cows "For All the Cows" (1995) is the third major single released by Foo Fighters from their self-titled debut album '' Foo Fighters''. It was only released in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Music Kevin McKeough commented that the song fl ...

" (live at the Reading Festival, August 26, 1995)" # "Wattershed" (live at the Reading Festival, August 26, 1995)"

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1995 singles Foo Fighters songs Songs written by Dave Grohl American power pop songs