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Big Me

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"Big Me"
Single by Foo Fighters
from the album Foo Fighters
ReleasedFebruary 25, 1996
RecordedOctober 1994
Genre
Length2:13
LabelRoswell/Capitol
Songwriter(s)Dave Grohl
Producer(s)
  • Barrett Jones
  • Dave Grohl
Foo Fighters singles chronology
"For All the Cows"
(1995) 		"Big Me"
(1996) 		"Alone + Easy Target"
(1996)
Music video
"Big Me" on YouTube

"Big Me" is the fourth single by Foo Fighters from their self-titled debut album.[5] Released in the spring of 1996, the song became a crossover hit for the band on pop radio, when it reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay.[6]

Music video

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The song became well known for its music video, which parodies Mentos advertisements, turning them into commercials for "Footos," with the "Freshmaker" slogan being rendered as "The Fresh Fighter".[7] The concept came from director Jesse Peretz, who had originally pitched the idea to another band, and the Foo Fighters accepted the concept because, according to Dave Grohl, "We had some difficulty finding a treatment that would suit the song, which is this short, tongue-in-cheek, ridiculously candy-coated pop tune. We didn't want to make this big, pretentious portrait video. We wanted to make fun of ourselves and the song." The video, which was entirely filmed on location in Sydney Central Business District, McMahons Point, Kirribilli, North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia,[8] debuted on MTV on February 14, 1996, and quickly became a Buzz Bin clip.[9] It was eventually nominated for 5 MTV Video Music Awards at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards, winning only "Best Group Video".

The video's success led to many fans throwing Mentos at the band whenever they played the song live.[10] For an extended period of time, the band did not play the song live due to this, as Grohl cited: "We did stop playing that song for a while because, honestly, it's like being stoned. Those little … things are like pebbles – they hurt." The band only started to change its mind after Weezer started performing "Big Me" during the Foozer tour both bands did together.[11][12]

2019 Record Store Day re-release

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The "Big Me" single was re-released on a 3-inch vinyl for Record Store Day on April 13, 2019.[13] The single is one of several 3-inch Record Store Day re-issues that is playable on special miniature record players.[13]

Singles

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CD single
  1. "Big Me"
  2. "Floaty (BBC Evening Session Recording 23 November 1995)"
  3. "Gas Chamber (BBC Evening Session Recording 23 November 1995)" (Angry Samoans cover)
  4. "Alone + Easy Target (BBC Evening Session Recording 23 November 1995)"
7" White Vinyl
  1. "Big Me"
  2. "Floaty (BBC Evening Sessions Recording 23 November 1995)
  3. "Gas Chamber (BBC Evening Sessions Recording 23 November 1995) (Angry Samoans cover)
Maxi CD single
  1. "Big Me"
  2. "Winnebago"
  3. "How I Miss You" (features Dave Grohl's sister Lisa on bass[10] and Mike Nelson on drums)
  4. "Podunk"
  5. "Ozone" (Ace Frehley cover)
  6. "For All the Cows" (live at the Reading Festival, August 26, 1995)
  7. "Wattershed" (live at the Reading Festival, August 26, 1995)
3” Record Store Day 2019 Exclusive Single
  1. “Big Me”

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[34] Gold 35,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[35]
Sales since 2005 		Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Awards

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Year Award Results
1996 MTV Award for Best Group Video Won

References

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  1. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (October 10, 2015). "Foo Fighters Play With Ben Kweller and Gary Clark Jr., Talk New Songs at Austin City Limits". Spin. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  2. ^ Guarino, Mark (October 18, 2014). "REVIEW: Foo Fighters at Cubby Bear a back-to-roots moment for Dave Grohl". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  3. ^ Law, Sam (July 3, 2020). "The 20 Greatest Foo Fighters Songs - Ranked". Kerrang!. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  4. ^ O’Brien, Jon (September 18, 2017). "The 10 Best Foo Fighters Songs". Paste. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  5. ^ "Foo Fighters – Big Me". Discogs. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  6. ^ "Foo Fighters - Hot 100 Airplay Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  7. ^ Peretz Has Lighthearted Approach, Billboard
  8. ^ "The stories behind every Foo Fighters video". 5 October 2016.
  9. ^ Foo Fighters Make 'Big', Fresh Clip, Billboard
  10. ^ a b Foo Fighters Dictionary
  11. ^ Q&A With Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, Associated Press
  12. ^ Don't Throw Mentos - Foo Fighters, Big Me Live
  13. ^ a b Iahn, Buddy (18 January 2019). "Foo Fighters Headlining DirectTV Saturday Night". themusicuniverse.com. The Music Universe. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  14. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 21 Jul 1996". ARIA. Retrieved April 16, 2020 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The HP column displays the highest position.
  15. ^ "ARIA Alternative Charts Top 20". ARIA Report. No. 322. April 21, 1996. p. 12. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  16. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2990." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  17. ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9197." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  18. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. April 13, 1996. p. 23. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  19. ^ "M & M Charts Airplay EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media. Music & Media. April 20, 1996. p. 28. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  20. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (4.5 '96 – 10.5 '96)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). May 4, 1996. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  21. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Big Me". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  22. ^ "Foo Fighters: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  23. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  24. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  25. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  26. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  27. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  28. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  29. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  30. ^ "Alternative 96 of 1996" (PDF). Radio & Records. Radio & Records. December 13, 1996. p. 104. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  31. ^ "Airplay Monitor Best of '96: Modern Rock Tracks" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 4, no. 53. December 27, 1996. p. 24. Retrieved December 26, 2023. Alternative Airplay was previously called Modern Rock Tracks
  32. ^ "Airplay Monitor Best of '96: Top 40" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 4, no. 53. December 27, 1996. p. 30. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  33. ^ "Airplay Monitor Best of '96: Mainstream Rock Tracks" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 4, no. 53. December 27, 1996. p. 23. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  34. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  35. ^ "British single certifications – Foo Fighters – Big Me". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
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