But Here We Are: An Album Review

By: Emily Eade 

But Here We Are by Foo Fighters was the band's first album after the passing of their longtime drummer, Taylor Hawkins. This album is the raw response to everything the band has endured in the last year. The band's eleventh studio album expresses the true testament to the healing powers of music, friendship, and family. 

The album starts with the song “Rescued”. This song is the lead single and is about trying to move on and needing rescue after the untimely passing of Hawkins. The feeling that inspired this song can be seen expressed through the lyrics, “To be rescued tonight, rescue me tonight.” These lyrics show that Hawkins may have passed in real life, but the rest of the band died with him, at least on the inside. This is Dave Grohl’s way of saying he’s waiting for someone or something to make him feel alive again. 

“Under You” is the second song off the album and second single. This song starts with a powerful connection between the instruments and the lyrics. Grohl uses this song to express that the band is recovering from the loss of Hawkins and how life feels without him. The lyrics express the pain that they are undergoing. This can be seen through the lyrics, “Someone said I’ll never see your face again. Part of me just can’t believe it's true. Pictures of us sharing songs and cigarettes. This is how I’ll always picture you.” It can be seen that Grohl is accepting the passing of his best friend little by little. It pains him that he will never be able to create more memories with the person he loves so much, but he will always be surrounded by the good memories he had created with Hawkins. 

“The Glass” is the fifth song off the album and is about a feeling of separation after losing someone. The soft, slow-paced song, seem’s as if Grohl is trying to say something so fragile has come between you, you can feel them there, but can never see them again. This can be seen through the lyrics, “There is something between us. Between me and you. There is something between us. I see right through, I see right through.” The ninth song of the album is “The Teacher''. This song is a moody, melancholic dive into Grohl’s mind. This song was written after the loss of his mother, which happened shortly after the passing of Hawkins. Although Grohl's mother taught him a great deal, nobody could ever teach him how to deal with grief. This was Grohl’s way to find guidance to overcome this pain. 

But Here We Are is a very emotional album, not only for the band but also for the listeners. It is a way to express the grieving process and help others get through the pain alongside the band. This album is raw and heart wrenching, expressing the suffering of losing someone you love.