Wheels (Foo Fighters song)

2009 single by Foo Fighters

"Wheels"

Single by Foo Fighters
from the album  Greatest Hits
Released| September 29, 2009
Recorded| 2009
Genre|

* Alternative rock
* heartland rock

Length| 4:38
Label|

* Roswell
* RCA

Songwriter(s)|

* Dave Grohl
* Taylor Hawkins
* Nate Mendel
* Chris Shiflett

Producer(s)| Butch Vig
Foo Fighters singles chronology
| "Let It Die"
(2008)  | "Wheels"
(2009)  | "Rope"
(2011)

|
|

"Wheels" is a single by American rock band Foo Fighters. The single premiered on radio on September 23, 2009, though it was officially released six days later.

## Background

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The song had its live premiere at the White House as part of an Independence Day celebration honoring military service members.

The song "Wheels", alongside the song "Word Forward", was recorded for the band's Greatest Hits album with producer Butch Vig. Both songs were written during the Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace tour and had their first versions recorded at Grand Master Studios in Hollywood in 2008,[1] later being recorded at the Foo Fighters's own Studio 606 in Los Angeles. Lead vocalist Dave Grohl invited Vig to work on the songs while at a party, and the successful outcome led Grohl to invite him to produce the band's next album Wasting Light.[2]

## Reception

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### Critical

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Benjamin Sheehan from Billboard magazine says: "The song has a Weezer-meets-The Fray vibe, and it flies out of the gate with feedback-laden riffs, well-timed stutter stops and a gentle balance of electric and acoustic guitars. Four-chord loops nicely underscore Grohl's frustration as he mourns life's failure to meet his expectations. Grohl sings during the opening verse, 'I wanted something better, man/I wished for something new'. For an act of this stature and talent, it's hard not to agree just a little".[3] Alternatively, Pitchfork described the song as: "particularly aggravating, sounding something like a half-hearted attempt at a country-rock crossover."[4]

### Commercial

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The song debuted at #73 on the Billboard Hot 100, which was their highest charting Billboard Hot 100 single since their 2007 hit "The Pretender". The song topped the Hot Rock Songs charts for two consecutive weeks.[5]

## Music video

[edit]

A music video was directed by Sam Brown, featuring the band performing in an old warehouse. The video premiered in the early hours of October 1, 2009 on AMTV.[6]

## Track listing

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No.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Wheels"| 4:38
2.| "Word Forward"| 3:49

## Charts

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### Weekly charts

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| Chart (2009)  | Peak
position

|

Australia (ARIA)[7] | 21
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[8] | 36
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] | 19
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[10] | 22
Canada Rock (Billboard)[11] | 1
Finland Download (Latauslista)[12] | 24
Germany (GfK)[13] | 42
Japan Hot 100 (Billboard)[14] | 43
Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[15] | 18
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[16] | 19
Netherlands (Mega Top 50)[17] | 19
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] | 45
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] | 13
Quebec Airplay (ADISQ)[20] | 22
Scotland (OCC)[21] | 17
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[22] | 24
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] | 48
UK Singles (OCC)[24] | 22
US Billboard Hot 100[25] | 72
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[26] | 1

### Year-end charts

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| Chart (2009)  | Position

|

US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[27] | 42
Chart (2010)  | Position
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[28] | 30

## Certifications

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Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Australia (ARIA)[29] | Platinum  | 70,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[30] | Gold  | 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] | Silver  | 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Paul Brannigan (December 2010). "Kerrang's 50 albums you need to hear in 2011 - Foo Fighters (Interview)". Kerrang!.
2. ^ Dave Grohl Reunites With Krist Novoselic and Butch Vig, Rolling Stone
3. ^ "New Music Releases, Music Reviews, Album Releases & Song Releases". Billboard.com. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
4. ^ "Foo Fighters: Greatest Hits". Pitchfork.
5. ^ "Retrieved on October 8, 2009". Billboard.com. June 4, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
6. ^ "Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
7. ^ "Foo Fighters – Wheels". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
8. ^ "Foo Fighters – Wheels" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
9. ^ "Foo Fighters – Wheels" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
10. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
11. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
12. ^ "Foo Fighters: Wheels" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
13. ^ "Foo Fighters – Wheels" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
14. ^ "Foo Fighters - Artist - Billboard Japan" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
15. ^ "Foo Fighters - Mexico Ingles Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
16. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Foo Fighters" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
17. ^ Arens, Bart; Kruize, Edgar; Adams, Ed (2013). Mega Top 50 presenteert: 50 Jaar Hitparade. Netherlands: Spectrum. p. 335\. ISBN 9789000331000. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
18. ^ "Foo Fighters – Wheels" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
19. ^ "Foo Fighters – Wheels". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
20. ^ "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec" (PDF) (in French). BAnQ. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 29, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
21. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
22. ^ "Foo Fighters – Wheels". Singles Top 100. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
23. ^ "Foo Fighters – Wheels". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
24. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
25. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
26. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
27. ^ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
28. ^ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
29. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
30. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Foo Fighters – Wheels". Radioscope. Retrieved December 17, 2024. Type Wheels  in the "Search:" field.
31. ^ "British single certifications – Foo Fighters – Wheels". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 24, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* v
* t
* e

Foo Fighters

* Dave Grohl
* Nate Mendel
* Pat Smear
* Chris Shiflett
* Rami Jaffee

* William Goldsmith
* Franz Stahl
* Taylor Hawkins
* Josh Freese

Studio albums|

* Foo Fighters
* The Colour and the Shape
* There Is Nothing Left to Lose
* One by One
* In Your Honor
* Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
* Wasting Light
* Sonic Highways
* Concrete and Gold
* Medicine at Midnight
* But Here We Are

EPs|

* Five Songs and a Cover
* Songs from the Laundry Room
* Saint Cecilia
* Foo Files

Live albums|

* Skin and Bones

Compilations|

* Greatest Hits
* Medium Rare
* The Essential Foo Fighters

Videos|

* Everywhere but Home
* Skin and Bones
* Live at Wembley Stadium

Singles|

* "Exhausted"
* "This Is a Call"
* "I'll Stick Around"
* "For All the Cows"
* "Big Me"
* "Alone + Easy Target"
* "Monkey Wrench"
* "Everlong"
* "My Hero"
* "Walking After You"
* "Learn to Fly"
* "Stacked Actors"
* "Generator"
* "Breakout"
* "Next Year"
* "The One"
* "All My Life"
* "Times Like These"
* "Low"
* "Have It All"
* "Best of You"
* "DOA"
* "Resolve"
* "No Way Back"/"Cold Day in the Sun"
* "Miracle"
* "The Pretender"
* "Long Road to Ruin"
* "Cheer Up, Boys (Your Make Up Is Running)"
* "Let It Die"
* "Wheels"
* "Rope"
* "White Limo"
* "Walk"
* "Arlandria"
* "These Days"
* "Bridge Burning"
* "Something from Nothing"
* "The Feast and the Famine"
* "Congregation"
* "What Did I Do? / God as My Witness"
* "Outside"
* "Saint Cecilia"
* "Run"
* "The Sky Is a Neighborhood"
* "The Line"
* "Shame Shame"
* "No Son of Mine"
* "Waiting on a War"
* "Making a Fire"
* "Love Dies Young"
* "Rescued"
* "Under You"
* "Show Me How"
* "The Teacher"
* "The Glass"
* "Today's Song"

Other songs|

* "Friend of a Friend"
* "Marigold"
* "I Am a River"

Concert tours|

* Wasting Light Tour
* Sonic Highways World Tour
* Concrete and Gold Tour
* Everything or Nothing at All Tour

Associated acts|

* Nirvana
* Late!
* Tenacious D
* Sunny Day Real Estate
* Germs
* Scream
* Probot
* Killing Joke
* Queens of the Stone Age
* Viva Death
* Nine Inch Nails
* Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders
* The Fire Theft
* Jackson United
* Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
* No Use for a Name
* Them Crooked Vultures
* The Birds of Satan
* The Wallflowers

Films|

* Back and Forth
* Sonic Highways
* Studio 666

Related|

* Discography
* Songs
* Awards and nominations
* Members
* 24 Hours of Foo
* Roswell Records
* Hail Satin

* Category

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work
* MusicBrainz release group

|

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