Learn to Fly

Release and reception

The "Learn to Fly" single was released as a two disc CD set in the UK and Australia, as well as in Europe, and promotional singles were also released in other countries such as the US for radio play. In the US it was the band's first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 charting at number 19, and was the band's first #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. It is also their highest charting on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart along with the 1996 hit "Big Me", reaching number 13.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Jesse Peretz and won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video.

The music video for the song takes place on an commercial airliner, parodying the movie Airplane!, and by extension, the films Airport 1975 and its sequel Airport '77. Two airline mechanics (played by Jack Black and Kyle Gass from Tenacious D) smuggle and hide their narcotic known as "World Domination brand 'Erotic' Sleeping Powder" in the coffee-maker. This ends up incapacitating everyone who drinks the coffee. The take-off sequence, in addition to the crew members hiding ulterior criminal motives, are a near shot-by-shot homage to the film Airport '77. The band, having avoided the coffee (choosing liquor instead), mirroring Karen Black's role in Airport 1975, find themselves forced to land the plane. For the video, each band member (Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, and Taylor Hawkins) portrays himself as well as several other roles, including an FBI agent who arrests the two mechanics.

2015 tribute video

On July 30, 2015 a video was published on YouTube of 1,000 Italian musicians in Cesena, Italy all playing and singing the song in unison, followed by a plea for the Foo Fighters to come play a concert in Cesena. By August 16 it had gained more than 33 million views.

On July 31 Dave Grohl responded, in Italian, thanking the makers for "the beautiful video" and adding "Thank you so much. We're coming, I swear. We'll see each other soon." On November 3, 2015, in response, Foo Fighters performed 27-song concert in Cesena for approximately 3,000 people, starting their set with Learn to Fly.

In August 2015, nearly 16 years after its initial release, the single entered the Austrian Singles Chart at number 69 and the Swiss Singles Chart at number 41.

The group assembled for the stunt have performed subsequently under the name Rockin' 1000, and have been described as the "biggest band in the world."

Other versions

A live version recorded in Sydney Australia on January 24, 2000 was released on the Australian "Generator" single and CD 1 of Breakout.

Track listing

1. "Learn to Fly"
2. "Iron and Stone" (The Obsessed cover)
3. "Have a Cigar" (Pink Floyd cover)

1. "Learn to Fly"
2. "Make a Bet"
3. "Have a Cigar" (Pink Floyd cover)

1. "Learn to Fly"

7in Vinyl

1. "Learn to Fly

2. "Have a Cigar" (Pink Floyd cover)

Personnel