"Something from Nothing" is a song by American
rock band
Foo Fighters from their eighth studio album Sonic Highways. It was released as the album's lead single on October 16, 2014.[1] Recorded at
Steve Albini's
Electrical Audio studio, the song was influenced by the
Chicago music scene.
"Something from Nothing" has been regarded as an
alternative rock[2] and
hard rock[3] song. According to Daniel Kreps of the Rolling Stone magazine, the lyrics of the song "Here lies a city on fire... it started with a spark, and burned into the dark" seem to be inspired by the
Great Chicago Fire (1871).[4]
"Something from Nothing" is "a ferocious, at times even hypnotic, rocker with hints of
funk,
psychedelia, and
Dave Grohl's signature monster growl."[5] It features soaring guitar that is reminiscent of Chicago-based alternative rock band
The Smashing Pumpkins; and at one point, borrows heavily from the riff of
Dio's heavy metal song "
Holy Diver".[4] The song starts with muffled guitar, and subsequently builds up to "non-stop ferocious
rock 'n' roll" in its fourth minute,[6] and "an ear-shattering outro lined with scorching guitar riffs."[5]
Recording
"Something from Nothing" was recorded at Albini's Electrical Audio studio in Chicago.[4][7] The song features guitarist
Rick Nielsen of the rock band
Cheap Trick as Chicago City's "guest of honor."[8]
Music video
The music video aired at the end of the Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways "Chicago" episode. It shows the band performing at Electrical Audio while 2D animated lyrics appear in the background throughout the video. The video also features appearances by
Rick Nielsen and
Rami Jaffee.[9][10]
Commercial performance
"Something from Nothing" debuted at number five on the BillboardRock Airplay chart, as well as at number 12 and number 16 on Billboard's
Alternative Songs and
Mainstream Rock charts respectively.[11] It soon rose to number one on all three charts. "Something from Nothing" is also the twenty-fifth Foo Fighters' single to make the top 75 on the
UK Singles Chart,[12] and the twenty-seventh Foo Fighters' single to make the top 100 on the
Australian Singles Chart.[13]