"Long Road to Ruin" | ||||
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Single by Foo Fighters | ||||
from the album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace | ||||
Released | December 3, 2007 | |||
Format | CD | |||
Recorded | March–June 2007 | |||
Genre | Post-grunge, alternative rock | |||
Length | 3:44 | |||
Label | Roswell/RCA | |||
Writer(s) | Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel and Chris Shiflett | |||
Producer(s) | Gil Norton | |||
Foo Fighters singles chronology | ||||
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"Long Road to Ruin" is the second single from the Foo Fighters' sixth studio album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace. 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".
"Long Road to Ruin" topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 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.
The music video of the song is a comedic spoof of a stereotypical 1970s-era hospital soap opera (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).