"Next Year" is a song released as the last single from the third Foo Fighters' album ''

There Is Nothing Left to Lose ''There Is Nothing Left to Lose'' is the third studio album by American rock band Foo Fighters, released on November 2, 1999, through Roswell and RCA Records. It marked the first appearance of drummer Taylor Hawkins, and is often seen as a depa ...

''.

History

A shorter version (running at just 3:21 compared to the original's 4:36) was released as a single in 2000 and was used in the music video. Backup vocals were added, and it does not include the outro present in the original album version.

Style

SPIN Magazine ''Spin'' (stylized in all caps) is an American music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione, Jr. Now owned by Next Management Partners, the magazine is an online publication since it stopped issuing a print edition in 2012. Histor ...

'' proclaimed the song "a

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romance (love), romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn m ...

in the “ Wonderwall” sense", remarking that the band are "at their loveliest when aping peak-popularity

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. It produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music and to the ...

''Ed'' theme song

The opening of "Next Year" was used as the theme song for the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

'' Ed'' (2000–2004). The show's creators, Rob Burnett and

Jon Beckerman Jon Beckerman is a producer, director and writer best known for his projects with Rob Burnett. He was born in 1969. He graduated from Shady Side Academy in 1987 and Harvard University in 1991. Career Jon's biggest success has been working with Ro ...

(formerly of the '' Late Show with David Letterman)'' used the song despite knowledge of production company

Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2006), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Par ...

's insistence that they own the rights to the show's theme song. "Next Year" was thus ultimately replaced by

Clem Snide Clem Snide is an alt-country band featuring Eef Barzelay (guitar, vocals), Brendan Fitzpatrick (bass) and Ben Martin (drums). History "Clem Snide" is a character in several novels by William S. Burroughs, including ''Naked Lunch'', ''The Ticket ...

's "Moment in the Sun" during the second season. As a result of outcries from Burnett and Beckerman, however, Viacom relented and "Next Year" returned as the theme song in the third and fourth seasons.

Music video

The video, directed by

Phil Harder Philip Harder is a music video director and commercial director represented by Bob Industries in Santa Monica, California.Bobcentr ...

, shows the band in a remake of the

Apollo 11 Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, ...

moon mission and incorporates heavy use of

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

stock footage. They experience zero-gravity in the space capsule (where they conduct experiments and perform the song with instruments), land on the moon, plant a Foo Fighters flag, and return to Earth where they are welcomed back as heroes during a ticker-tape parade. Many moments and images of the

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...

era are re-enacted, such as the band meeting President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

, bassist

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 ...

golfing on the moon (a nod to

Alan Shepard Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot, and businessman. In 1961, he became the second person and the first American to travel into space and, in 1971, he beca ...

during Apollo 14), and depictions of Vietnam war protests. The video ends with a portrait of the band in the style of a traditional astronaut crew photo. This bears a strong resemblance to the cover of

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

's '' Best of Led Zeppelin'' compilation.

Track listing

CD1 dark cover:
(Also comes with the first 6 months of a 2001 poster calendar) #"Next Year" #" Big Me" (acoustic radio performance, 2 Meter Sessions, Netherlands 22 November 1999) #"Next Year" (acoustic radio performance, 2 Meter Sessions, Netherlands 22 November 1999) CD2 light cover:
(Also comes with the second 6 months of a 2001 poster calendar) #"Next Year" #" Baker Street" (

Gerry Rafferty Gerald Rafferty (16 April 1947– 4 January 2011) was a Scottish singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was a founding member of Stealers Wheel, whose biggest hit was "Stuck in the Middle with You" in 1973. His solo hits in th ...

cover) Enhanced CD-ROM, includes "Next Year" video Australia CD: #"Next Year" #"Next Year" (Dave Way remix) #"

Monkey Wrench The monkey wrench is a type of adjustable wrench, a 19th century American refinement of 18th-century English coach wrenches. It was widely used in the 19th and early 20th century. It is of interest as an antique among tool collectors and is sti ...

" (Melbourne, Australia on 1 February 2000) 7 inch: #"Next Year" #"Next Year" (Acoustic Radio Performance, 2 Meter Sessions, Netherlands 22 November 1999) Japan EP #"Next Year" #"

Have a Cigar "Have a Cigar" is the third track on Pink Floyd's 1975 album ''Wish You Were Here''. It follows " Welcome to the Machine" and on the original LP opened side two. In some markets, the song was issued as a single. English folk-rock singer Roy Harp ...

" ( Pink Floyd cover) #"Make a Bet" #"Floaty" (Acoustic Radio Performance, 2 Meter Sessions, Netherlands 22 November 1999)) #"Monkey Wrench" (Melbourne, Australia on 1 February 2000) Netherlands Live in Holland, part two #"Next Year" (Dave Way remix) #" My Hero" (Live at the Melkweg 29 February 2000) #" For All the Cows" (Live at the Melkweg 29 February 2000) #"Monkey Wrench" (Live at the Melkweg 29 February 2000)

Chart positions

References

{{authority control 2000 singles Foo Fighters songs Song recordings produced by Adam Kasper Songs written by Dave Grohl 1999 songs Songs written by Nate Mendel Songs written by Taylor Hawkins RCA Records singles Rock ballads Music videos directed by Phil Harder