Dave Grohl, the powerhouse drummer of Nirvana and frontman of Foo Fighters, has often spoken about the artists and songs that shaped his life. While fans know him today as one of the most influential figures in modern rock, Grohl’s earliest inspirations came from a surprisingly wide spectrum of music. From The Beatles to Prince, from comedy albums to punk rock, Grohl’s musical DNA is as eclectic as it is powerful.
Like countless musicians of his generation, Grohl grew up with The Beatles on constant rotation. He learned to play the drums by mimicking Ringo Starr’s iconic beats, often replaying his Beatles records until he knew them by heart. He later admitted that George Harrison’s melodic sensibility resonated with him more than any other member of the Fab Four. “I connected to George Harrison’s sense of melody more than anyone,” Grohl once told BBC Radio 2, adding that Something was his favorite Beatles song.
But The Beatles were not the very beginning. Grohl’s true first musical love came from a less obvious source: a budget compilation album he picked up as a child. “It was a compilation album on K-Tel,” Grohl recalled in an interview with Q Magazine. “I bought it at a drugstore for maybe a dollar. On that record was the foundation of my musical being – ‘Frankenstein’ by The Edgar Winter Group. That was the first song I fell in love with.”
“Frankenstein,” released in 1972, was an experimental rock instrumental with a driving riff and complex arrangements that would later be recognized as groundbreaking. For Grohl, hearing the track at such a young age set his imagination on fire. It was raw, heavy, and unlike anything else on the charts — a fitting first love for someone who would one day lead stadiums of fans in massive rock anthems.
From there, Grohl’s journey expanded rapidly. By the early 1980s, he had discovered a world beyond radio rock, diving deep into bands like Kiss, Rush, The B-52’s, and Devo before falling headfirst into the world of hardcore punk. At the same time, Grohl revealed that not all of his influences were strictly musical. He was equally inspired by the comedy records of Steve Martin, citing Comedy Is Not Pretty! and A Wild And Crazy Guy as formative albums. “Steve Martin was just as much of a hero to me as The Beatles were when I was a kid,” Grohl said.
Later, Grohl would find himself influenced by yet another legend: Prince. When the Purple Rain singer unexpectedly covered Foo Fighters’ “Best of You” at the 2007 Super Bowl halftime show, Grohl described the moment as life-changing. “As my tears hit the keyboard like the Miami rain that night, I realized that this was without a doubt my proudest musical achievement,” Grohl wrote in Dave’s True Stories.
From a one-dollar compilation record to Beatles classics, from punk basement shows to global stadiums, Dave Grohl’s story shows how a simple childhood discovery can blossom into a lifelong passion. His first love, “Frankenstein,” might not be the track fans would immediately associate with him, but in hindsight, its energy and experimentation make perfect sense as the spark that lit one of rock’s most remarkable careers.
