Cloudspotter

Album: Medicine at Midnight (2021)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Burn me right down like a house on fire
    Cloudspotter


    A "cloudspotter" (not to be confused with a cloudbuster, which Kate Bush sang about) is someone who is constantly looking for the storm clouds, even when it's sunny. Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl describes this song as, "an anthem for the pessimist." He explained to OK magazine. "I'm the type of person that says, 'OK, let's figure this out,' if I'm presented with a problem. A cloudspotter is somebody who finds the conflict or difficulty in everything and has no hope. It's kind of a twisted love song for someone with this pessimistic, negative outlook on everything."
  • The song has a late '60s/early '70s rock vibe with a striking cowbell and a Jimi Hendrix-esque guitar riff. Grohl even references one of his lyrics in the pre chorus:

    Refuse me while I kiss the sky

    This is a nod to Hendrix's "Excuse me while I kiss the sky" line from "Purple Haze."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Cheerleaders In Music Videos

Cheerleaders In Music VideosSong Writing

It started with a bouncy MTV classic. Nirvana and MCR made them scary, then Gwen, Avril and Madonna put on the pom poms.

Shaun Morgan of Seether

Shaun Morgan of SeetherSongwriter Interviews

Shaun breaks down the Seether songs, including the one about his brother, the one about Ozzy, and the one that may or may not be about his ex-girlfriend Amy Lee.

Real or Spinal Tap

Real or Spinal TapMusic Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson of Jethro TullSongwriter Interviews

The flautist frontman talks about touring with Led Zeppelin, his contribution to "Hotel California", and how he may have done the first MTV Unplugged.

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Dar Williams

Dar WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

A popular contemporary folk singer, Williams still remembers the sticky note that changed her life in college.