Dave Grohl, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Ellie Goulding, Dua Lipa, and many more have teamed up for a virtual cover of Foo Fighters’ hit “Times Like These”. The collaboration was orchestrated by BBC Radio 1 Stay Home Live Lounge as a way to unite musicians while raising money.
Proceeds from the charity single will benefit BBC’s Children in Need, Comic Relief, and the World Health Organization’s COVID-19-Solidarity Response Fund. Of course, “Times Like These” is a pretty fitting cover song for the surreal scenario that is this current global pandemic. Perhaps that’s why such a range of all-star artists agreed to come together for it, including Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins, Rita Ora, 5 Seconds of Summer, Hailee Steinfeld, Royal Blood, Sean Paul, Rag’n’Bone Man, Sigrid, Biffy Clyro, Sam Fender, Bastille, and Zara Larsson.
For some, like Rita Ora, “Times Like These” has personal meaning as well. “I’ve always found this song to be quite powerful,” she told Rolling Stone. “While I was recording I found myself hearing the song in a whole new way and it just hit so differently with everything we are all experiencing. It really resonated with me on another level, and I feel a much deeper connection with it now. I hope everyone who listens feels the same.”
Dua Lipa told the magazine that she joined this collaborative charity single to add a bit of gratitude and good karma into the world. “Appreciating the little things in life has been key for me,” she told Rolling Stone, “and I hope this cover is a little bit of joy and hope for those who listen.”
Update: Watch a music video for the all-star cover below.
Dave Grohl has stayed busy in quarantine trying to help keep everyone else entertained, which is a very Dave Grohl thing to do. He performed at Elton John’s “Living Room Concert for America”. He’s created a quarantine playlist for every mood imaginable. But perhaps his biggest way of helping is through his “True Short Stories” Instagram series, where he recounts run-ins with Pantera, laid-back jams with Prince, and hilarious 4th of July memories.
As we ring in 2020, it’s pretty wild to look back and realize just how far Foo Fighters have come from their early days. They’ve released nine albums over the course of their career, and now they’re gearing up for another. According to Grohl himself, Foo Fighters finished recording a new record and they will start prepping the rollout details soon. It will serve as their 10th album overall (!) and follows 2017’s Concrete and Gold.