The General Journal

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The General Journal

The General Journal

“The Colour and the Shape:” A Colo(u)rful Review

“The Colour and the Shape” is the Foo Fighters’ second album, and in many peoples opinions their absolute best album. It has become one of the most popular albums of all time.
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Rayce Mackey

In 1994 the legendary Seattle rock band called the Foo Fighters was formed. It was created as a one man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Dave Ghrol (lead vocals, guitar) then accumulated the rest of the team, consisting of Nate Mendel (bass), Chris Shifflet (guitar), Pat Smear (guitar), and Josh Freese (drummer). In 1995 they released their debut album, “Foo Fighters.” Two years later they released their second album, “The Colour and the Shape.” It was very popular during its debut and still is. As of now, it’s their second most popular album. The three uncontested best songs on the album are “February Stars,” “My Hero,” and “Everlong.”  All the other songs are good in my opinion—besides the song “Wind Up.” Personally, this was my least favorite song, and I think the album could have been better without it. All I could hear during the song was just incoherent yelling, and I did not appreciate it. Although “Wind Up” was lackluster, it was the only bad song on the album. Everything else is absolutely amazing. 

The three best songs on the album are “February Stars,” “My Hero,” and “Everlong.” In my opinion, the third best is “February Stars.” “February Stars” is a song that talks about developing feelings for a close friend who does not feel the same. “Hanging on/Here until I’m gone/Right where I belong/Just hanging on.” This verse is talking about having to stay in the same spot you’ve been in instead of moving on anywhere. 

The second best is “My Hero.”  “My Hero” is a song referencing Kurt Cobain’s suicide. “Kudos, my hero/ Leavin’ all the mess/ You know my hero/The one that’s on/ There goes my hero/ Watch him as he goes/There goes my hero/He’s ordinary.” When Dave Grohl says this, he is saying thank you to everything Kurt Cobain has done for him and is also speaking about dealing with Cobain’s death. 

The best song on the album is “Everlong.” “Everlong” is without a doubt the best song on the album. In 2006, Grohl told an interviewer that “Everlong” was a song about being in love with someone so much to the point where “when you sing along with them you would harmonize perfectly.” In the lyrics, “Hello/ I’ve waited here for you/Everlong/Tonight, I throw myself into/And out of the red/Out of her head, she sang/ Come down and waste away with me/Down with me/Slow, how you wanted it to be/I’m over my head/Out of her head, she sang,” This is talking about how the protagonist of the song had been waiting for a woman for a long time, and when Grohl finally met this woman, their relationship took off. “Come down and waste away with me.” This means for the two people to become united together and waste away together. 

I personally feel that “The Colour and the Shape” is the best Foo Fighters’ album of all time, and nothing else can compete with it. All the music on it, besides “Wind Up,” is absolutely amazing and are all works of art.

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About the Contributor
Rayce Mackey
Rayce Mackey, Staff Writer
Rayce Mackey is a 14-year-old freshman. He has just recently joined Journalism, and this semester will be his first. Rayce is 5’10, and he lives with his parents and three younger brothers. He also lives with his dog, Tito. His favorite food is a footlong from Subway. The footlong he prefers is made of Italian herb and cheese bread, ham, cucumbers, salt, pepper, and mayonnaise. Rayce is one of the best Lethal Company players of all time: he is in the top 3% of players out of the millions currently playing. Rayce is also very good at Fortnite. He has won several small cash cup tourneys, but that was before he took his break. He is currently waiting for his old skill to come back. Rayce is currently watching shows like "Snowfall," "You," and "Beef." His favorite teacher has been Ms. Kelley Zipp, because she was, he said, “my first AP teacher and she's cool.” Rayce usually spends his days brainlessly following his friend, Peyton. According to Rayce, “Peyton is basically my benevolent king. He’s honestly bomb.” This is Rayce’s first year at Heritage, and he is very excited.