The Pretender is the most popular song by Foo Fighters. It was released on 21st August 2007 as the first single from the album ‘Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace‘.
Dave Grohl was one hell of a talented musician. He was initially the drummer for the rock band ‘Nirvana’ and then became the founder of the ‘Foo Fighters’. He was the principal song writer, guitarist and the lead singer for the group.
After the demise of Kurt Cobain and the end of Nirvana, no one thought Dave would go on to form his own legacy as a musician but he did. He can do basically everything when it comes to producing rock music.
The Pretender took the world by a storm when it was released. It was a protest song which had a lot of people wondering as to what Dave was actually referring to.
Song Meaning
Dave Grohl spoke about the meaning behind the song in an interview claiming that the overall theme was based on political unrest and the general population getting screwed.
He claimed he didn’t want to give away any specifics and wanted people to relate to it in their own way.
That’s the thing with lyrics, you never want to give away specifics, because it’s nice for people to have their own idea or interpretation of the song.
But, you know, everyone’s been fucked over before and I think a lot of people feel fucked over right now and they’re not getting what they were promised, and so something to do with that.
Dave Grohl
Dave was voicing the opinions of the general population and the universal disappointment they were feeling at the time.
The question though remains ‘Who is the pretender’. Dave was referring to something very specific. Who is keeping people in the dark?
A lot of things come to mind like the government, the people who seek to control the world and run their agendas, corporate groups etc.
While a lot of people are majorly ignorant about how the control takes place, there are several people who have seen through the lies. They are tired of conforming to rules and regulations and are fighting back against the tyranny.
The song is a reflection of how the rebels are feeling and how they aim to break the system.
It was a message to the world to wake up and fight for themselves because no one else will.
