Dave Grohl Covers Ramones’ ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ in 2021 ‘Hanukkah Session’
Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin delivered the second installment of their 2021 "Hanukkah Sessions" cover songs on Monday (Nov. 29). Grohl, the Foo Fighters figurehead and former Nirvana drummer, and Kurstin, the Grammy-winning producer and multi-instrumentalist from the indie pop group The Bird and the Bee, do a spirited take on the Ramones' classic "Blitzkrieg Bop."
Grohl and Kurstin also partnered last year in what now appears to have been the first in an annual Hanukkah song series where the duo play tunes made famous by Jewish artists. For this year's first day of Hanukkah on Nov. 28, Kurstin x Grohl went black metal on an inventive rendition of Lisa Loeb's "Stay (I Missed You)."
Check out Kurstin x Grohl's "Blitzkrieg Bop" cover in the video down toward the bottom of this post.
Foo Fighters said, "Once upon a time, two nice Jewish boys from Queens named Jeffery Hyman and Thomas Erdelyi changed the world forever with their music….. as Joey and Tommy Ramone! GABBAI GABBAI HEY! Ladies and gentlemen…. It's the [Ramones]! Blitzkreig Bop!"
"Gabbai" is a Hebrew term for a type of synagogue official. Listeners will notice Grohl gives the song's vocal delivery several twists to that effect as well. Hyman was indeed the real name of late Ramones leader Joey Ramone, who died in 2001. Erdelyi was early Ramones drummer Tommy Ramone; he died in 2014. "Blitzkrieg Bop" opens the Ramones' landmark self-titled debut album, which this year celebrated its 45th anniversary.
Earlier this month, Foo Fighters shared a Jason Sudeikis-starring video for their latest Medicine at Midnight single, "Love Dies Young." In October, the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.