Ongoing History Daily: The “Everlong” vocal mystery

July 21, 2022 Alan Cross 1 Comment

If you’re a fan of the Foo Fighters, you might have wondered “What the heck is Dave Grohl whispering about in the song ‘Everlong,’ one of the singles from The Colour and the Shape? Is there some kind of hidden message in all that? That’s a very good question.

Here’s the definitive answer.

Dave wanted to create some creepy mystery in that part of the song, so he was recorded whispering three different things. On the first track, he’s reading from some kind of love letter. On the second pass, he’s quoting from a technical manual. And just to confuse things further, he reads a story that involves the father of one of the technicians who was working in the studio. Then everything was mixed together to create something very creepy but totally indecipherable–and totally meaningless.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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