Where Does Foo Fighters' Name Come From? Dave Grohl Explains Its Connection to UFO Term

Foo Fighters' name has a deeper meaning that some fans are yet to know.

Before Foo Fighters became one of the best bands in history, it started off as a one-man band after Dave Grohl launched it himself following Nirvana's breakup. To launch his new career at that time, he created the band but once admitted he did not like Foo Fighters' name at all.

Foo Fighters' Name Meaning: Dave Grohl Got It From UFOs Term

Foo Fighters debuted in 1995 with Grohl as its sole member. Following the debut album's success, the lead vocalist tapped Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, and William Goldsmith as the new band members.

Grohl spoke about his decision to pick Foo Fighters as the band's name in an interview with Clash, saying that the term was based on the name the World War II allied pilots coined for UFOs.

"Around the time that I recorded the first FF tape (that became the first record), I was reading a lot of books on UFOs," said the singer. "Not only is it a fascinating subject, but there's a treasure trove of band names in those UFO books!"

After recording himself singing and playing all the instruments, Grohl reportedly aimed to make people think Foo Fighters was not a one-man group. Since Foo Fighters sounded like a group of men, he opted for the name and thought people would believe the band consisted of several members.

Radio X explained that 415^th Night Fighter Squadron radar operator Donald J. Meiers called the strange phenomenon "foo-fighters" when the Allied forces thought it was a German secret weapon. He also based it on the "Smokey Stover" comic strip, in which Smokey served as a "foo fighter" or fireman who responded to incidents in his "Foomobile."

Dave Grohl Hated Foo Fighters Name

After thinking how silly it was for him to go for a name that would make people believe Foo Fighters had several members, Grohl expressed his regret that he named his band that way.

He told "60 Minutes" (via Rolling Stone) in 2014 that Foo Fighters was the dumbest band name ever and that he would have named it something else if he imagined it would last for a long time.

Decades after Grohl started the band alone, Foo Fighters ultimately became one of the best rock bands in the world that also continue to promote even after lineup changes and the death of a member.

Apart from the UFOs term, the vocalist also told Howard Stern that The Police's drummer, Stewart Copeland, inspired him to pursue a solo career in the one-man band.

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Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl