Times Like These (song)

Song information

The lyrics discuss how Dave Grohl felt "like I wasn't entirely myself" during the three-month hiatus the Foo Fighters entered following the tense and unsatisfying first recording sessions for One by One, as well as his uncertaintity about the future of the band. The lyric "I'm a new day rising" is a reference to the album New Day Rising by Hüsker Dü, one of Grohl's favorite groups.

"Times Like These" is in D Mixolydian mode and the section that begins at 0:13 is in 7/4 time. The chorus of the song is also grouped in bars of 3 rather than the regular bars of 4.

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 but generally it enjoyed great success on rock and alternative radio just like the original electric version.

Music videos

All 3 versions were made available via the DVD release "Low/Times Like These"(2003):

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 video was shot on the Mojave River Bridge in Victorville, CA and shows the band 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. The actions of the participants would suggest that their motivations and intentions are to cast off the material trappings of society which prohibit them from living freely.

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. A continuity error occurs at the end: when the house falls apart, the roof is missing.

Some 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. It has only been made officially available through this release.

Track listings

1. "Times Like These"
2. "A Life of Illusion" (Joe Walsh cover)
3. "Planet Claire" (The B-52's cover) (Live at New York City, New York, 31 Oct 2002 with Fred Schneider)

Enhanced Section ("Nice Hat")
Enhanced Section ("Back Slapper")

1. "Times Like These"
2. "Normal"
3. "Learn to Fly" (Live in Los Angeles, California, 22 Oct 2002)

Enhanced section ("Japanese Grunge")

1. "Times Like These"
2. "A Life of Illusion" (Joe Walsh cover)
3. "The One"
4. "Normal"
5. "Planet Claire" (The B-52's cover) (Live in New York City, New York, 31 Oct 2002 with Fred Schneider)
6. "Learn to Fly" (Live at Los Angeles 22 Oct 2002)

1. "Times Like These"
2. "A Life of Illusion" (Joe Walsh cover)

Notable live performances

In media

The acoustic version of this song was used in episode 21 of season 4 of One Tree Hill during the graduation scene, which is also when Haley's water breaks.

This is also used as the theme song for a video montage showing memorable past goals at Turf Moor for all of Burnley FC's home games from 2009 to the present.

It was used by George W. Bush for his 2004 re-election campaign without the band's knowledge. "That was weird," Grohl remarked. "And to me it just seemed like a pretty good example of how completely out of touch he was. You read those lyrics: they're about hope and love and compassion. And look at his administration: war and fear and death. It was laughable. You couldn't have picked a worse song. That's why I jumped on the John Kerry campaign. I thought, 'I guess the right thing to do is to go play the song where it's needed – where it makes sense.'"

The acoustic version was used at the end of episode 21 ("Coalition of the Willing") of the American television series Jericho.

The acoustic version was used by the Calgary Flames during their 2003–04 NHL season cup run, for their opening.

It was released as a Rock Band and Rock Band 2 DLC track on Xbox Live and PSN on December 23, 2008.

It was featured in the 2003 film American Wedding.

The song and the acoustic version were both featured in the 2012 ESPY Awards in a montage to commemorate the past 20 years in sports.

"Times Like These" was featured in the 2007 annual WWE Tribute to the Troops.

Cover versions