ABBA's Benny Andersson covers Foo Fighters' "Learn to Fly"; early Taylor Hawkins band releases tribute EP

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After Dave Grohl wore an ABBA shirt for his surprise appearance during Paul McCartney's headlining Glastonbury set over the weekend, the Swedish pop giants' Benny Andersson is repaying the favor with a Foo Fighters cover.

In a video posted to Instagram, Andersson plays a piano rendition of the classic Foos tune "Learn to Fly." At the end of the clip, Andersson turns to the camera and smiles to reveal he's wearing a Foo Fighters shirt.

Grohl is a big ABBA fan and even told the BBC that he "wept like a baby" when he first heard the group's comeback songs last year.

Beyond the ABBA shout-out, Grohl's appearance at Glastonbury was significant for being his first public performance since the unexpected death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins in March. Video of Grohl at the festival shows a letter T drawn on his hand, presumably in tribute to Hawkins.

In related news, the band Anyone, which Hawkins played in before he joined Foo Fighters and even before he joined Alanis Morissette's live lineup, has released an EP as a tribute to the late drummer. The five-track collection, dubbed The Sylvia Sessions, was recorded in 1993 and is described in a press release as Hawkins' "earliest recordings."

Anyone, then called Sylvia, also notably featured future Yes vocalist Jon Davison, who was friends with Hawkins since childhood. Vocalist and guitarist Riz Story is the only remaining member still in the band.

You can listen to The Sylvia Sessions now via digital outlets. The EP is also available as an NFT.

For more info, visit AnyoneDen.net.

Wednesday, June 29, 2022 at 3:00PM by Josh Johnson Permalink