"Aurora" is a song by Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...

 and the sixth track on their 1999 album There Is Nothing Left to Lose

There Is Nothing Left to Lose

Reviews for There Is Nothing Left to Lose have generally been positive. Rolling Stones Greg Kot rated the album three-and-a-half out of five stars. He started by explaining that "the first thirty seconds [...] are a bridge to singer Dave Grohl's past"...

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It is played live more than any other non-single track from the album.

Concept

"Aurora" is about questioning the meaning of life. Dave Grohl described song as a "nostalgic look back at Seattle and the life I once had". The song is also inspired by the death of Dave Grohl's grandmother.

Structure

Clocking in at 5:50, "Aurora" is the longest song on the album and one of the longest songs by the band. "Aurora" showcases the album's emphasis of melody, as opposed to their previous two albums Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters (album)

Foo Fighters is the debut album by the Foo Fighters. At the time, the only official member of the Foo Fighters was Dave Grohl, who wrote and recorded the entire album himself at Robert Lang Studios in Seattle, Washington in 1994, prior to organizing the band...

 and The Colour and the Shape

The Colour and the Shape

-Track information:DollGrohl stated that is "basically a song about being afraid to enter into something you're not prepared for."Monkey WrenchGrohl stated that it was "a song about realising that you are the source of all of the problems in a relationship and you love the other person so much, you...

, with atmospheric touches.

According to Dave Grohl, Aurora was just an instrumental and sat down to think of the lyrics for the song and surprised himself because "because nothing was preconceived" and no idea where it was going.

Reception

"Aurora" is a very popular song within Foo Fighters, cited as one the band's favorite songs ever record on various occasions. Dave Grohl says he loves the song because "of what it represents to me", being the first time all the band members connected in the song writing process, claiming they have "grabbed this thing out of thing air and it was beautiful". Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

 comments that Dave Grohl sounds "star-struck" on "Aurora". NME

NME

The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

 says the song shows Dave Grohl's adeptness in writing love songs and adds "you once never thought this band had the grace to pull off". Spin

Spin (magazine)

Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...

 compared the song to the band XTC

XTC

XTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...

, stating it will appeal to fans of the band.