Learn to Fly

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For other uses, see Learn to Fly (disambiguation).

"Learn to Fly"
Single by Foo Fighters
from the album There Is Nothing Left to Lose
B-side
ReleasedOctober 18, 1999
RecordedSpring 1999
Studio
Genre
Length3:56
Label
Songwriters
Producers
Foo Fighters singles chronology
"Walking After You"
(1998) 		"Learn to Fly"
(1999) 		"Stacked Actors"
(2000)
Music video
"Learn to Fly" on YouTube

"Learn to Fly" is a song by American rock band Foo Fighters, released by Roswell and RCA Records in October 1999 as the lead single from their third studio album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999). It was the band's first entry—at number 19—on the Billboard Hot 100, remains their second-highest-charting song on the chart. Outside of the U.S., it peaked within the top 40 in Australia, Canada, Hungary, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland and the United Kingdom. The song's music video won Best Short Form Video award at the 43rd Grammy Awards in 2001.

Release and reception

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"Learn to Fly" was originally released as a promo-only single.[2] It was officially released as a two-disc CD set in the UK and Australia, as well as in Europe, and promotional singles were also released in other countries such as the US for radio play.

In the US, it was the band's first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, charting at number 19,[3] and was the band's first number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.[4]

It is also their highest-charting on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, along with the 1996 hit "Big Me", reaching number 13.[5]

The song set the record for most weeks (13) at number one on the Canadian rock radio charts.[6]

Music video

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The music video for the song was directed by Jesse Peretz and won the Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video in 2001.[7]

It takes place on a commercial airliner, parodying the movie Airplane!, and by extension, the films Airport 1975 and its sequel Airport '77, interspersed with a mock concert footage of the band shown as an in-flight movie. The background elevator music is The Moog Cookbook's version of "Everlong".[8]

Two airline cabin cleaners (played by Jack Black and Kyle Gass from Tenacious D) smuggle and hide their narcotics, labeled "World Domination brand 'Erotic' Sleeping Powder",[9] in the coffee-maker. The flight attendants do not notice the narcotics when they use the coffee-maker, and everyone who drinks the resulting coffee becomes incapacitated. The take-off sequence, in addition to the crew members hiding ulterior criminal motives, are a near shot-by-shot homage to the film Airport '77.

The band, having avoided the coffee (choosing liquor instead), mirroring Karen Black's role in Airport 1975, find themselves forced to land the plane. For the video, each band member (Dave Grohl, Nate Mendel, and Taylor Hawkins) portrays himself as well as several other roles, including Hawkins as an attractive flight attendant and Grohl as an FBI agent who arrests the two cabin cleaners when they attempt to smuggle more of their narcotics.[10]

2015 tribute video

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On July 30, 2015, a video was published on YouTube of 1,000 Italian musicians in Cesena, all playing and singing the song in unison, followed by a plea for the Foo Fighters to come play a concert in Cesena.[11][12][13] By August 16, it had gained more than 33 million views.[14]

On July 31, Dave Grohl responded, in Italian, thanking the makers for "the beautiful video" and adding "Thank you so much. We're coming, I swear. We'll see each other soon."[15][16] On November 3, 2015, in response, Foo Fighters performed a twenty-seven-song concert in Cesena for approximately 3,000 people, starting their set with "Learn to Fly".[17]

The group assembled for the stunt have performed subsequently under the name Rockin' 1000, and have been described as the "biggest band in the world."[18]

In August 2015, nearly 16 years after its initial release, the single entered the Austrian Singles Chart at number 69 and the Swiss Singles Chart at number 41.[19]

Other versions

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A live version recorded in Sydney, Australia, on January 24, 2000, was released on the Australian "Generator" single and CD 1 of "Breakout".

Critical reception

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Greg Kot of Rolling Stone referred to the song as a "guilt-free power ballad". He noted that "on 'Learn to Fly', the big guitars and arching melody crush all quibbles. Some grunge romantics may even hear it as a touching little hymn to [Nirvana]".[20]

In 2020, Kerrang ranked the song number 11 on their list of the 20 greatest Foo Fighters songs,[21] and in 2021, American Songwriter ranked the song number three on their list of the 10 greatest Foo Fighters songs.[22]

Track listings and formats

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  1. "Learn to Fly"  – 3:58
  2. "Iron and Stone" (The Obsessed cover)  – 2:52
  3. "Have a Cigar" (Pink Floyd cover)  – 3:58
  1. "Learn to Fly"  – 3:58
  2. "Have a Cigar" (Pink Floyd cover)  – 3:58
  1. "Learn to Fly"  – 3:58
  2. "Make a Bet"  – 3:28
  3. "Have a Cigar" (Pink Floyd cover)  – 3:58

Credits and personnel

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Credits and personnel adapted from "Learn to Fly" CD single liner notes.[24]

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (1999–2000) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[30] 36
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[31] 13
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[32] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[33] 32
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[34] 72
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[35] 23
Quebec Airplay (ADISQ)[36] 3
Scotland Singles (OCC)[37] 15
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[38] 52
UK Singles (OCC)[39] 21
US Billboard Hot 100[40] 19
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[41] 1
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[42] 2
US Adult Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[43] 4
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[44] 15
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[45] 22
Chart (2015) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[46] 69
France (SNEP)[47] 172
Germany (GfK)[48] 97
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[49] 41
UK Rock & Metal (OCC)[50] 2
US Rock Digital Songs (Billboard)[51] 14
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Hungary (Single Top 40)[52] 19

Year-end charts

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Chart (2000) Position
Brazil (Crowley)[53] 98

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[54] 4× Platinum 280,000‡
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[55] Platinum 60,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[56] Gold 20,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[57] Gold 45,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[58] Gold 25,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)[59] Platinum 60,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[60] 2× Platinum 60,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[61] Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[62] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[63] Platinum 1,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Formats(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
Europe October 18, 1999 (1999-10-18) CD single
[64]
United States November 2, 1999 (1999-11-02) Contemporary hit radio
[65]
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"Learn to Fly" appears in the political drama television series The West Wing episode Mr. Willis of Ohio, in the 1999 sports documentary Fift, in the 2002 animated comedy-drama television film Is It College Yet?, in the 2002 romantic comedy-drama Life or Something Like It and the 2016 animated film Rock Dog. The song is also featured as a playable track in the 2007 music video game Rock Band. It was most recently featured as the final song played at the 2025 season of Monster Jam, being featured at the sporting event’s 24th World Finals event in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Other versions

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Canadian country rock singer Cory Marks covered "Learn to Fly" on his 2024 album Sorry for Nothing.[66]

References

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  1. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ Foo Fighters - Billboard Hot 100 Chart History billboard.com. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  4. ^ Foo Fighters - Billboard Alternative Songs Chart History billboard.com. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  5. ^ Foo Fighters - Billboard Radio Songs History billboard.com. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  6. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  8. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ^ Foo Fighters FAQ. Accessed December 27, 2006[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  14. ^ Video on YouTube
  15. ^ Video on YouTube
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  28. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  30. ^ "Foo Fighters – Learn to Fly". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  31. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 10026." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  32. ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 9689." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  33. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Foo Fighters" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  34. ^ "Foo Fighters – Learn to Fly" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  35. ^ "Foo Fighters – Learn to Fly". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
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  39. ^ "Foo Fighters: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  40. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  41. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  42. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  43. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Adult Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  44. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  45. ^ "Foo Fighters Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  46. ^ "Foo Fighters – Learn to Fly" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  47. ^ "Foo Fighters – Learn to Fly" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  48. ^ "Foo Fighters – Learn to Fly" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  49. ^ "Foo Fighters – Learn to Fly". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
  50. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  51. ^ Foo Fighters - Rock Digital Songs Chart history billboard.com. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  52. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  53. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  60. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). Type Learn to Fly in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
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