No available reporting shows that Dave Grohl’s divorce settlement nearly ended Foo Fighters. What it does document is a period when Grohl’s divorce-related distress coincided with a tense recording process, the departure of drummer William Goldsmith and, soon afterward, Pat Smear. The band carried on; its second album, The Colour and the Shape, arrived on May 20, 1997.
What happened during the making of The Colour and the Shape?
Foo Fighters’ 1995 self-titled debut was written and recorded largely by Grohl. For touring, he assembled a band that included former Nirvana guitarist Pat Smear, bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith, both associated with the recently disbanded Sunny Day Real Estate. After extensive touring, the group began recording its second album at Bear Creek Studios in Woodinville, Washington, in November 1996. Louder’s retrospective account describes the sessions as increasingly tense.
Grohl and Goldsmith recalled the drum recordings differently
Grohl said the schedule was running short and Goldsmith was having difficulty, so he began re-recording the drum tracks. In the account quoted by Louder from Paul Brannigan’s biography, Goldsmith “absolutely quit.” Goldsmith’s version emphasizes that he thought Grohl would redo drums on only a few songs, then learned that most of his work had been replaced. He later described the experience as “brutal.” The key difference is how much Goldsmith understood about the plan and when; the accounts should not be collapsed into a single explanation.
Goldsmith declined an offer to stay on as the band’s live drummer. His departure was one part of the album’s upheaval, not proof that the group had already decided to split.
#1 Best Overall
- FOO FIGHTERS THE COLOUR AND THE SHAPE (EXPANDED EDIT)
Smear’s departure had separate stated reasons
Pat Smear also left soon afterward. Louder reports that Smear cited touring and press obligations; Grohl recalled that Smear had previously said he did not want to tour or do press and hated flying. Those reasons are distinct from the conflict over Goldsmith’s drum tracks.
How did Grohl’s divorce fit into the story?
Grohl later described his state during this stretch bluntly: “My life was fucking going down the toilet.” He also said his ex-wife was “mixed up in it,” while describing an effort to stay out of everyone’s way and finish the album. That supports treating divorce-related distress as part of the emotional backdrop to the sessions.
It does not establish that a divorce settlement caused Goldsmith’s departure, triggered Smear’s exit or nearly dissolved Foo Fighters. The cited reporting gives no settlement terms or date and does not document that causal chain. The dramatic claim that the settlement signaled the band’s “tragic end” goes beyond what these accounts show.
What did Grohl say the album meant to him?
After its release on May 20, 1997, Grohl described the album’s sequence as a kind of therapy: “When we finally did sequence the album, I had this realisation that it runs like a therapy session.” He explained that “Doll” began in fear and “New Way Home” ended with the realization that he could make his way through.
Recommended Free Tools
Grohl later said during a 2009 VH1 Storytellers performance that “Everlong” opened melodic and dynamic possibilities for Foo Fighters and gave the band “a reason to keep being a band for 12 or 13 more years.” That is his retrospective view of the song’s importance, not a measurable claim about what would otherwise have happened.
How did Grohl later describe Foo Fighters’ bond?
In a 2021 interview with The Irish Times marking the band’s 25th anniversary, Grohl recalled that the early members had come from bands that ended prematurely. He said they wanted to laugh, feel good, play and survive together. He described the idea of the group breaking up this way: “For us to break up, I always said, it would be like your grandparents getting a divorce.”
Rank #4
- The Colour and the Shape by Foo Fighters
That later comparison conveys how Grohl came to view the band as a family. It is not evidence that he used the same analogy during his first divorce. A 2026 Guardian interview also revisited the drum conflict: it reports that Grohl re-recorded Goldsmith’s parts without telling him and quotes Smear saying the situation could have been handled better.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the session anecdotes can—and cannot—tell us
Louder’s 2026 feature attributes two striking session figures to Goldsmith: 96 takes for one song and 13 hours on another. They are recollections about particular recording sessions, not independently verified studio measurements or statistics about the album as a whole. They help convey the strain described by those involved, but do not by themselves establish why the band’s members left.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Best Value
- Your favorite artist, Foo Fighters, on CD.
A listening guide to the album’s arc
For listeners approaching The Colour and the Shape through Grohl’s therapy-session description, the sequence he discussed offers a useful frame: “Doll” opens with fear, while “New Way Home” closes with a sense of finding a way forward. “Everlong,” in Grohl’s later telling, mattered not only as a song but as a reason to continue as a band.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
