Long Road to Ruin
Encyclopedia
"Long Road to Ruin" is the second single
from the Foo Fighters
' sixth studio album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
(2007). The music video was released on November 1, 2007, with the single released on December 3, 2007. The video features an appearance by actress Rashida Jones
, and was directed by Jesse Peretz
, who had previously collaborated with the band for "Big Me
", "Learn to Fly
", "The One
", and "Low
".
chart for seven consecutive weeks and reached number two on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
in late 2008. It peaked at number 89 on the Billboard Hot 100
. The song's number-one position on the Modern Rock chart, gave the Foo Fighters a record-setting feat by becoming the first act to reach number one on the chart in each of four consecutive years.
In the United Kingdom, "Long Road to Ruin" peaked in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart and number one on the UK Rock Chart.
(General Hospital
in particular), and is essentially a "show within a show
". As seen in the opening credit sequence, the Foo Fighters portray the actors who in turn portray the show's characters. Grohl plays "Davy Grolton", who stars as the main doctor, "Hansom Davidoff". Drummer Taylor Hawkins
plays "Ty Hawkstone" ("Les Groper", Davidoff's womanizing colleague). Guitarist Chris Shiflett
plays "Christopher Mishomotohama" ("Little Jimmy", a severely injured child). Bassist Nate Mendel
plays "Ned Bender" ("Saul Goode", the show's shady antagonist). Actress Rashida Jones
guest stars as "Racinda Jules" ("Susan Belfontaine", the doctor's love interest).
In order to avoid confusion with the soap opera (also entitled "Long Road to Ruin") and the "real world", the scenes in the soap opera have brown tones to make it more vintage, while the real world retains normal color. There are various accidents and rifts on-stage (a fight between the cast, Grolton inadvertently hitting Jules in the face). Backstage, Grolton's cast mates read a magazine about him becoming a rock star, and later place his debut album on a dartboard and throw darts at it. Upset, Grolton goes outside, only to find screaming teenage girls who want his autograph. After wiping away tears, he accommodates and interacts with them.
The video then cuts to a concert in a mall where he fronts "The Davy Grolton Band" and performs the song. The band is also portrayed by the other Foo Fighter members, in attire appropriate of the era. The scene is inter-cut with flashbacks about Jules. While singing, he sees her amidst the audience filled with the ravenous girls, but she leaves after realizing he has spotted her. He ends the performance to give chase with the fans behind him, but when he finally finds her, she has driven off. Grolton becomes hysterical before continuing his pursuit.
The video is interspersed throughout with scenes of Grolton driving in a car, wistfully singing the song. The final scene has him intentionally driving off a cliff in a typical 1970s television or movie death scene, with the vehicle bursting into flames during the fall. In what is likely an intentional continuity error, Grolton is clearly in an open-top Jaguar E-Type
, while the crash footage depicts what appears to be a 1990s Porsche 911
.
An alternative version of the video, consisting of the Davy Grolton Band performance in its entirety, is available on Entertainment Weekly
s website, and available to buy on iTunes
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewVideo?id=273049633&s=143444.
At the end of the "White Limo" music video, it shows the same crash scene as the "Long Road to Ruin" video although they were driving a limo.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from the Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
' sixth studio album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
The album debuted at the top of the UK album chart, selling 135,685 albums in its first week. The album also went platinum in its first week in both Australia and New Zealand. In the U.S., it entered the Billboard 200 album chart at #3, selling 168,000 copies in its first week, and has since been...
(2007). The music video was released on November 1, 2007, with the single released on December 3, 2007. The video features an appearance by actress Rashida Jones
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones is an American film and television actress, comic book author, screenwriter and occasional singer. She played Louisa Fenn on Boston Public and Karen Filippelli on The Office as well as roles in the films I Love You, Man and The Social Network...
, and was directed by Jesse Peretz
Jesse Peretz
Jesse Peretz is an American bass guitar player, feature film director, and Grammy-Award winning music video director.-Life and career:...
, who had previously collaborated with the band for "Big Me
Big Me
"Big Me" is the fourth major single, released in 1996, by the Foo Fighters from their self-titled debut album Foo Fighters. Although it never charted on the Billboard Hot 100, the song became a crossover hit for the band on pop radio during the spring of 1996, when it reached #13 on the Billboard...
", "Learn to Fly
Learn to Fly
For other results, see Learning to fly."Learn to Fly" is the first single from the Foo Fighters' third album There Is Nothing Left to Lose. It was released on two different singles in the UK in 1999...
", "The One
The One (Foo Fighters song)
"The One" is a song by the Foo Fighters, released as a single in 2002. It appeared as on the movie soundtrack album for Orange County. The retail single itself was only released in Australia, however it was made available by import in the US and UK. Promotional singles for radio airplay were sent...
", and "Low
Low (Foo Fighters song)
"Low" was the third single to be released from the Foo Fighters' fourth album One by One, released in 2002. It was released on two main discs in 2003.The song was used in a TV commercial for Best Buy featuring office workers becoming rowdy....
".
Commercial release
"Long Road to Ruin" topped the Billboard Modern Rock TracksModern Rock Tracks
Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs...
chart for seven consecutive weeks and reached number two on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
in late 2008. It peaked at number 89 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The song's number-one position on the Modern Rock chart, gave the Foo Fighters a record-setting feat by becoming the first act to reach number one on the chart in each of four consecutive years.
In the United Kingdom, "Long Road to Ruin" peaked in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart and number one on the UK Rock Chart.
Track listings
- 2-track CD
- "Long Road to Ruin"
- "Seda"
- Maxi CD
- "Long Road to Ruin"
- "Keep the Car Running" (Arcade Fire cover, live from BrightonBrightonBrighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
18 August 2007) - "Big MeBig Me"Big Me" is the fourth major single, released in 1996, by the Foo Fighters from their self-titled debut album Foo Fighters. Although it never charted on the Billboard Hot 100, the song became a crossover hit for the band on pop radio during the spring of 1996, when it reached #13 on the Billboard...
" (Live from Wal-Mart Soundcheck) - "Long Road to Ruin" (video)
- "Long Road to Ruin"
- "Holiday in CambodiaHoliday in Cambodia"Holiday in Cambodia" was the second single by the American punk band Dead Kennedys. The record was released in May 1980 on Alternative Tentacles with "Police Truck" as the b-side...
" (Dead KennedysDead KennedysDead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
cover, Live from MTVMTVMTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
Video Music Awards 2007, Featuring Serj TankianSerj TankianSerj Tankian is a Lebanese-born Armenian-American singer–songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist, playwright, record producer, poet, and political activist...
)
Music video
The music video of the song is a comedic spoof of a stereotypical 1970s-era hospital soap operaSoap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
(General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
in particular), and is essentially a "show within a show
Story within a story
A story within a story, also rendered story-within-a-story, is a literary device in which one narrative is presented during the action of another narrative. Mise en abyme is the French term for a similar literary device...
". As seen in the opening credit sequence, the Foo Fighters portray the actors who in turn portray the show's characters. Grohl plays "Davy Grolton", who stars as the main doctor, "Hansom Davidoff". Drummer Taylor Hawkins
Taylor Hawkins
Oliver Taylor Hawkins is an American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band Foo Fighters....
plays "Ty Hawkstone" ("Les Groper", Davidoff's womanizing colleague). Guitarist Chris Shiflett
Chris Shiflett
Christopher Aubrey "Chris" Shiflett is best known as the lead guitarist for the rock band Foo Fighters as well as the punk rock cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. He is the younger brother of musician Scott Shiflett.-Career:Shiflett joined Foo Fighters after the release of their third...
plays "Christopher Mishomotohama" ("Little Jimmy", a severely injured child). Bassist Nate Mendel
Nate Mendel
Nathan Gregor "Nate" Mendel is an American bassist for the bands Foo Fighters, The Jealous Sound, Sunny Day Real Estate, and The Fire Theft.-Biography:...
plays "Ned Bender" ("Saul Goode", the show's shady antagonist). Actress Rashida Jones
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones is an American film and television actress, comic book author, screenwriter and occasional singer. She played Louisa Fenn on Boston Public and Karen Filippelli on The Office as well as roles in the films I Love You, Man and The Social Network...
guest stars as "Racinda Jules" ("Susan Belfontaine", the doctor's love interest).
In order to avoid confusion with the soap opera (also entitled "Long Road to Ruin") and the "real world", the scenes in the soap opera have brown tones to make it more vintage, while the real world retains normal color. There are various accidents and rifts on-stage (a fight between the cast, Grolton inadvertently hitting Jules in the face). Backstage, Grolton's cast mates read a magazine about him becoming a rock star, and later place his debut album on a dartboard and throw darts at it. Upset, Grolton goes outside, only to find screaming teenage girls who want his autograph. After wiping away tears, he accommodates and interacts with them.
The video then cuts to a concert in a mall where he fronts "The Davy Grolton Band" and performs the song. The band is also portrayed by the other Foo Fighter members, in attire appropriate of the era. The scene is inter-cut with flashbacks about Jules. While singing, he sees her amidst the audience filled with the ravenous girls, but she leaves after realizing he has spotted her. He ends the performance to give chase with the fans behind him, but when he finally finds her, she has driven off. Grolton becomes hysterical before continuing his pursuit.
The video is interspersed throughout with scenes of Grolton driving in a car, wistfully singing the song. The final scene has him intentionally driving off a cliff in a typical 1970s television or movie death scene, with the vehicle bursting into flames during the fall. In what is likely an intentional continuity error, Grolton is clearly in an open-top Jaguar E-Type
Jaguar E-type
The Jaguar E-Type or XK-E is a British automobile, manufactured by Jaguar between 1961 and 1975. Its combination of good looks, high performance, and competitive pricing established the marque as an icon of 1960s motoring...
, while the crash footage depicts what appears to be a 1990s Porsche 911
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
.
An alternative version of the video, consisting of the Davy Grolton Band performance in its entirety, is available on Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s website, and available to buy on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewVideo?id=273049633&s=143444.
At the end of the "White Limo" music video, it shows the same crash scene as the "Long Road to Ruin" video although they were driving a limo.
Chart positions
| Chart (2007/2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
38 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
42 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
79 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... Singles Chart |
21 |
| Portugal Singles Chart | 41 |
| Swedish Top 60 Singles Chart | 23 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
35 |
| UK Rock Chart UK Rock Chart The UK Rock Chart usually refers to the Top 40 Rock Singles and the Top 40 Rock Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company from physical record sales in British retail outlets with larger than average genrespecific sales.... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
89 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 2 |