Foo Fighters reflect the building anticipation for “Wasting Light,” their first studio album since 2007, as the set’s first single, “Rope,” roars in at No. 1 on Billboard’s Rock Songs chart.
The song starts with 11.9 million out-of-the-box audience impressions on 130 alternative, active rock, heritage rock and triple A stations that report to the Nielsen BDS-based radio airplay survey.
“Rope” concurrently starts at No. 8 on the Alternative airplay chart, marking the highest debut of the band’s 24 entries on the ranking. The group’s first charted song, “This Is a Call” (1995), and “Best of You” (2005) each began at No. 12.
Foo Fighters, formed in 1994 by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, have scored seven No. 1s on Alternative, the fifth-best total in the chart’s 22-year history. With 18 weeks at No. 1, the band’s “The Pretender” (2007) holds the record for the list’s longest reign.
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“Wasting Light” arrives April 12 as the follow-up to 2007’s “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace.” The band last released “Greatest Hits” in November 2009.
“The explosion at radio is a true testament to what the Foos mean to the rock format,” says Bill Burrs, RCA Music Group senior VP/rock music.
“This was the most anticipated alternative release this year and it didn’t disappoint,” says Leslie Fram, program director at WRXP (101.9)/New York, which played the song 24 times in the chart’s Feb. 21-27 tracking period.
“We’ll be playing songs off this album for two years. Dave Grohl is the only rock star who can scream and be melodic in the same song.”
Since arriving in 1995 with its self-titled debut album, the band has sold 9.5 million albums in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The last tack to reach the Rock Songs summit was Linkin Park’s “The Catalyst” the week of Aug. 21, 2010.
All charts, including Rock Songs and Alternative, will be refreshed Thursday (March 3) on Billboard.biz.