Times Like These (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Times Like These


Artist = Foo Fighters
from Album = One by One
Released = January 6, 2003
Format = CD
Recorded = May 2002
Genre = Alternative rock
Length = 4:26
Label = Roswell, RCA
Producer =
Chart position =
Reviews =
Last single = "All My Life"
(2002)
This single = "Times Like These"
(2003)
Next single = "Low"
(2003)
Misc =

"Times Like These" is the second single released from the Foo Fighters' fourth album "One by One". It was released on two main discs in 2003. It is in 4/4 time but includes 7/4 irregular time signature timing in the main riff. The chorus of the song is also grouped in bars of 3 rather than the regular bars of 4. The song is sometimes listed by its full original title, "Times Like These (One-Way Motorway)." The lyric "I'm a new day rising" is a reference to the album "New Day Rising" by Hüsker Dü, one of Dave Grohl's favorite groups.

After the album version ended its run on the charts, a solo acoustic version of the song performed by Grohl was released and had some success on pop and adult contemporary radio. The entire band performed a version of the song with jazz pianist Chick Corea during the Grammy Awards in 2004.

Both of the band's official live DVD releases, 2003's "Everywhere but Home" and 2006's "Skin and Bones", feature acoustic performances of the song.

The song was used by George W. Bush for his 2004 re-election campaign without the band's knowledge. When Grohl found out about it, it prompted him and the rest of the band to get more politically active, and they helped John Kerry's campaign as a result. [ [http://www.mtv.com/chooseorlose/headlines/news.jhtml?id=1492201 Think MTV | Activism, Community, Politics, Education, Sexual Health and Other Issues ] ]

Track listings

CD1:
#"Times Like These"
#"Life of Illusion" (Joe Walsh cover)
#"Planet Claire" (Live, featuring Fred Schneider of The B-52's)
#Enhanced Section ("Nice Hat")
#Enhanced Section ("Black Slapper")

CD2:
#"Times Like These"
#"Normal"
#"Learn to Fly" (Live)
#Enhanced Section ("Japanese Grunge")

Japanese EP:
#"Times Like These"
#"Life of Illusion"
#"The One"
#"Normal"
#"Planet Claire" (Live, featuring Fred Schneider of The B-52's)
#"Learn to Fly" (Live)

Chart positions

Music videos

Version 1

Directed by Liam Lynch. The band is shown performing the song against changing backgrounds, consisting mainly of brightly colored kaleidoscopic forms similar to those found in music visualization, giving the video a psychedelic, hopeful, joyful mood. In the end, the backgrounds blink out to reveal that the band are performing against a greenscreen in a studio. This version is often referred to as the "UK version" and received little airplay in the US as the band ultimately opted to film another video shortly afterwards.

Version 2

Directed by Marc Klasfeld. The band is shown performing the song on location, below and in front of a bridge. A girl wanders onto the bridge and eventually tosses her Game Boy Advance at them. Gradually, more and more people arrive at the bridge and start throwing other inanimate objects (including appliances, instruments, and furniture) behind and around the oblivious band members. The items never hit any of them, though they come close, and the motivations and intentions of the people are never made clear.

Two cars are then simultaneously dropped off the bridge and behind the band, resulting in clouds of smoke and fire. This is followed by an entire house (only with walls and roof) being dropped onto the band by a crane, and the walls falling onto the ground without anyone getting hurt. This scene is reminiscent of a similar one featured in Buster Keaton's silent comedy, Steamboat Bill Jr. A continuity error occurs at the end: when the house falls apart, the roof is missing.

Many of the extras featured in the video were fans selected through the band's official web site.

Version 3

A music video was produced for the acoustic version. It consists solely of clips of Grohl recording the song's vocal, guitar, and piano tracks in the studio. It was co-directed by Grohl and Bill Yukich.

Trivia

* The song was played in space as a wake-up call for Space Shuttle Mission STS-118 on 16 August, 2007 (day 9 of the mission). It was the first Foo Fighters wake-up call played on that mission.
* The song was the opening song for the NHL's Calgary Flames during the 2003-2004 NHL season, when the Flames made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
* The song was the Opening song for the AFL 2007 Finals Series. The song was played while all 8 teams in the finals featured 3 current players talking to the player of same position and same team (Hamish McIntosh/Corey McKernan).
* The song is used as the opening theme of nightly Irish sports show Sports Tonight (Ireland)
* The song was played during the episode The Birth and Death of the Day of One Tree Hill
* The song was played in season 4 of One Tree Hill, when the characters graduate high school.
* The acoustic version of the song was played in episode 21 of Jericho, "Coalition of the Willing" as Jericho's residents gather and prepare for an invasion from the neighboring town of New Bern.
* The song was played as the theme of Fox Soccer Report for the 2006-2007 season.
* The song was covered by Glen Campbell on his 2008 album Meet Glen Campbell and features his trademark sound - a baritone guitar with tremolo.
* The song was sang by Wes Car in Australian Idol '08

References

External links

*YouTube|WG294M_kYWM