Foo Fighters Rocking Performance of Band on the Run

Photo: By Jo [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Paul McCartney released his Band On The Run album in 1974. The title track of that album has been viewed by many fans and critics as one of the best compositions and recordings of Paul McCartney’s solo career. At the 17th Annual Grammy Awards, the single “Band on the Run,”won a Grammy for the “Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus.” The song sold over a million copies and hit No.1 on the Billboard Top 100. With all the success the song enjoyed on so many levels, it would make for a rather intimidating selection for bands to cover. However, The Foo Fighters are not the type of band to be easily intimidated.

In 2007, BBC Radio 1 celebrated its 40th anniversary by releasing a tribute album. The album was a compilation of various artists all recording one song each that would represent the 40-year career of BBC Radio One. For the year 1974, the Foo Fighters recorded a version of Paul McCartney’s “Band on the Run.”

After the recording of Band on the Run, the Foo Fighters performed that song for Paul McCartney and President Obama in 2010 at the White House in Washington D.C. The performance was in tribute to Paul McCartney who was being honored with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. During the performance, Dave Grohl said to Paul McCartney who was sitting in the audience, “Paul, you’re definitely my hero,” then turned to President Obama and added, “Mr. President…you’re my other hero.”

We have included both the studio version and live performances here of the Foo Fighters versions of “Band on the Run.” When listening to both versions, some may be surprised at the marked differences between the studio and live versions. However, the one similarity between both versions is the Foo Fighters’ intensity that the band brings to the material. On the record, the recording is brilliantly recorded with attention to the smallest details in the keyboards and string lines. The vocal harmonies are beautifully sung and pay tribute dearly to Paul McCartney’s original vocal performance. At the White House, the band stripped down the production but played with an intense emotional edge that the Foo Fighters have always been noted for.

Not many bands could pull off recording a version of Paul McCartney’s Grammy Award Winning song. The Foo Fighters did it twice.

Updated October 31, 2023

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