Let It Die (Foo Fighters song) explained

"Let It Die" is the fourth single from the Foo Fighters' sixth album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. It was only released as a promotional single in 2007 and no physical retail single was released. It was, however, available commercially as a digital downloadable single.^[1]

Track listing

The single has currently only been released as an iTunes exclusive digital download, listed as a digital EP.All songs by Foo Fighters, except where noted.

1. "Let It Die" – 4:05
2. "Keep the Car Running" (Arcade Fire cover) – 3:25
3. "If Ever" – 4:14
4. "Come Alive" (demo version) – 5:30

Meaning

The song's meaning was hinted in a Canadian Television interview. It was mentioned that it was about personal fights between people, and those people breaking apart, and that the fights are meaningless overall.^[2] Further speculation leads to Grohl's forbearance between Courtney Love, and Kurt Cobain (Grohl's former bandmate from Nirvana and Love's husband)'s relationship, drug use, and financial arrangements. Grohl indirectly admitted to the song being about Courtney Love in an interview in 2007.^[3]

Live performances

The song was a staple on the Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace tour. It was also played often on the Wasting Light tour but was dropped in 2012. It was not played again until the Concrete and Gold tour in 2017, where it has been played occasionally.^[4]

Personnel

Personnel adapted from Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace liner notes^[5]

Foo Fighters

• Dave Grohl – vocals, rhythm guitar
• Chris Shiflett – lead guitar
• Nate Mendel – bass
• Taylor Hawkins – drums

Additional Personnel

• Pat Smear - additional rhythm guitar
• Rami Jaffee - keyboards
• Drew Hester - percussion

Chart positions

Weekly charts

Chart (2008)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot Singles Sales[6]	3
Venezuela Pop Rock (Record Report)[7]	11

Year-end charts

Chart (2008)	Position
Canada Rock (Radio & Records)[8]	3
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[9]	1
US Mainstream Rock Songs (Billboard)[10]	19

Notes and References

1. Web site: Foo Fighters - Let It Die at Discogs . Discogs.com . June 24, 2012.
2. Web site: YouTube . Dave Grohl talks about Kurt Cobain . . February 21, 2008 . June 24, 2012.
3. Web site: Dave Grohl finally opens up about Courtney Love. Nme.com . September 17, 2007 . June 24, 2012.
4. Web site: Let It Die by Foo Fighters song statistics . Setlist.fm. 29 November 2021.
5. Web site: Echoes, Silence, Etc .
6. Web site: https://www.billboard.com/biz/search/charts?f[0=ts_chart_artistname%3AFoo%20Fighters&f[1]=itm_field_chart_id%3A353&f[2]=ss_bb_type%3Achart_item&type=2&artist=Foo%20Fighters Foo Fighters - Hot Singles Sales search results]. Billboard.com. August 23, 2016.
7. Web site: Pop Rock . Spanish . Record Report . September 6, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080910210812/http://www.recordreport.com.ve/publico/?i=poprock . September 10, 2008 . unfit.
8. 2008: The Year In Music. Radio & Records. January 8, 2024.
9. Web site: Alternative Songs – Year-End 2008. Billboard. September 6, 2018.
10. Web site: Mainstream Rock Songs – Year-End 2008. Billboard. September 6, 2018.