Foo Fighters Take Sole Possession of Alternative Airplay Top 10 Record With ‘Rescued’

3 May, 2023

Foo Fighters retake sole ownership of the most top 10s in the history of Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart as “Rescued” leaps from No. 18 to No. 5 on the May 6-dated tally.

“Rescued” launches into the top 10 in its second week on the list and after its first full tracking frame (April 21-27); it was released April 19 and its first two days of availability contributed toward the previous, April 29-dated chart.

The song is Foo Fighters’ 29th Alternative Airplay top 10, the most since the chart began in 1988. Previously, the band was tied with Red Hot Chili Peppers with 28 apiece after the latter scored a string of three top 10s from early 2022 through the No. 10-peaking “The Drummer” this February.

Most Top 10s, Alternative Airplay:

  • 29, Foo Fighters
  • 28, Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • 24, Green Day
  • 23, U2
  • 21, Weezer
  • 19, Pearl Jam
  • 18, Linkin Park
  • 18, The Offspring
  • 17, Muse
  • 17, The Smashing Pumpkins

Each of Foo Fighters’ last five charted singles on Alternative Airplay has hit the top 10, beginning with “Shame Shame,” which peaked at No. 10 in 2020. Prior to “Rescued,” the band last appeared with “Love Dies Young,” which reached No. 6 in March 2022.

By hitting No. 5, “Rescued” is Foo Fighters’ top-charting song on Alternative Airplay in eight years, matching the No. 5 peak of “Congregation” in May 2015. Their most recent No. 1 is “Something From Nothing,” which ruled for eight weeks beginning in December 2014.

Concurrently, “Rescued” shoots 20-11 on Mainstream Rock Airplay and debuts at No. 40 on Adult Alternative Airplay. On the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, the song lifts 3-2 with 7.9 million audience impressions, a 62% boost, according to Luminate.

The impact of “Rescued” is found on other Billboard charts, too. Most notably, it jumps 7-2 on the multimetric Hot Hard Rock Songs survey, with 1.6 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads sold, in addition to its radio audience.

“Rescued” is the lead single from But Here We Are, Foo Fighters’ 11th studio album and first since the March 2022 death of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins. The set is due June 2.

Kevin Rutherford

Billboard