Sonic Highways

A love letter to the history of American music, told city by city.

Sonic Highways is a 2014 American documentary miniseries directed by Dave Grohl and written by Mark Monroe, made concurrently with Foo Fighters' eighth album of the same name. Broadcast on HBO, Grohl described the project as "a love letter to the history of American music." Each of the eight episodes explores the musical history of a different American city through interviews by Grohl, with the band incorporating what they learned into writing and recording a new song in or near that city. The series debuted on October 17, 2014.

Last updated 2026-09-28 from the source article.

Quick Facts

Artist

Foo Fighters

Released

10 November 2014

Recorded

September 2013 – July 2014

Genre

Alternative rock
hard rock
post-grunge
rock and roll

Label

Roswell; RCA

Producer

Foo Fighters; Butch Vig

Facts from the source article.

Background

After the success of Grohl's 2013 documentary film Sound City, he told Billboard he wanted to do something similar. He explained, "After making Sound City, I realized that the pairing of music and documentary works well because the stories give substance and depth to the song, which makes for a stronger emotional connection. So I thought, 'I want to do this again, but instead of just walking into a studio and telling its story, I want to travel across America and tell its story.'" On May 15, 2014, it was announced that the Foo Fighters' eighth album would be released in fall 2014, and that the band would commemorate the album and their 20th anniversary with the TV series. Each song on the new album was recorded in a different city, featuring "local legends" on each song and lyrics inspired by the "experiences, interviews and personalities that became part of the process."

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1	Something from Nothing (featuring Rick Nielsen)	4:49
2	The Feast and the Famine (featuring Peter Stahl and Skeeter Thompson)	3:50
3	Congregation (featuring Zac Brown)	5:12
4	What Did I Do? / God as My Witness (featuring Gary Clark, Jr.)	5:44
5	Outside (featuring Joe Walsh and Chris Goss)	5:15
6	In the Clear (featuring the Preservation Hall Jazz Band)	4:04
7	Subterranean (featuring Ben Gibbard)	6:08
8	I Am a River (featuring Tony Visconti and Kristeen Young)	7:09
Total length		42:08

Track listing from the source article.

Did You Know?

Each of the eight episodes ends with a music video featuring animated lyrics in the background.
The band collaborated with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band in New Orleans, leading to a live performance with Trombone Shorty.