"Waiting on a War" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Foo Fighters. It was released as the third single off of their tenth album '' Medicine at Midnight''.

Background

The song was first released on January 14, 2021, as the third single from their tenth studio album, '' Medicine at Midnight'', after "

Shame Shame "Shame Shame" is a song by American rock band Foo Fighters. The song is from the band's tenth studio album, '' Medicine at Midnight''. It was released as the album's first single on November 7, 2020. Background Foo Fighters' singer and guitarist ...

" and "

No Son of Mine "No Son of Mine" is a song by British rock group Genesis, released as the lead single from their 14th album, '' We Can't Dance'' (1991). The song reached 6 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 12 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (the band's first ...

". The date was chosen to celebrate frontman Dave Grohl's 52nd birthday. The band debuted the song live on '' Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' on the same date.

Themes and composition

Lyrically, the song was described as the Foo Fighters' modern approach to a "

Give Peace a Chance "Give Peace a Chance" is an anti-war song written by John Lennon (originally credited to Lennon–McCartney), and recorded with the participation of a small group of friends in a performance with Yoko Ono in a hotel room in Montreal, Quebec, C ...

" type song, with Grohl pondering the possibility of a dark future. The lyrical content was inspired by bleak conversation Grohl had had with his own daughter Harper Grohl, in 2019, which reminded him of his own worries about the world: Grohl later explained that he himself had feared the effect of

the Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term ''cold war'' is used because the ...

while growing up in Washington DC. Upon the completion of the song, Grohl felt it was one of the best songs the band had ever written. The song was described as an "acoustic-driven tune" and "aching

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

" that "explodes with rock fury in the home stretch". Most of the song is composed primarily of Grohl singing over an acoustic guitar, bass, and drums, and strings, before building in intensity in its second half, and moving into an energetic, full-band rock sound with

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

s for the last minute. The song was noted to have a more traditional Foo Fighters sound than prior singles from the album.

Music video

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 ...

directed by Paola Kudacki was released for the song on January 19, 2021. It features the band performing mixed with cinematic shots of young people whose carefree outlook on life is threatened by ominous-looking adults who have brown paper bags over their heads.

Reception

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' singled the song out as the standout track on ''Medicine at Midnight''.

Personnel

Foo Fighters * Dave Grohl – lead vocals, acoustic guitar *

Taylor Hawkins Oliver Taylor Hawkins (February 17, 1972 – March 25, 2022) was an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters, with whom he recorded eight studio albums between 1999 and 2021. Before joining the band in 1997, he ...

– drums *

Rami Jaffee Rami Jaffee (born March 11, 1969) is an American musician. He is best known as the keyboardist for the rock band Foo Fighters, whom he initially joined in a touring and session capacity in 2005. Jaffee has contributed to six of the band's studi ...

– keyboards *

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 guitar * Chris Shiflett – guitar *

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 ...

– guitar Production *

Greg Kurstin Gregory Allen Kurstin (born May 14, 1969) is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2017 and 2018, and written and produced four songs ...

– producer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Awards

References

{{Authority control 2020 songs 2021 singles Foo Fighters songs Grammy Award for Best Rock Song RCA Records singles Song recordings produced by Greg Kurstin Songs written by Dave Grohl Songs written by Nate Mendel Songs written by Pat Smear Songs written by Taylor Hawkins Songs written by Chris Shiflett