Lyrically, the song was described as the Foo Fighters' modern approach to a "Give Peace a Chance" type song, with Grohl pondering the possibility of a dark future.[7] The lyrical content was inspired by bleak conversation Grohl had had with his own daughter Harper Grohl, in 2019,[8] which reminded him of his own worries about the world:
"Last fall, as I was driving my daughter to school, she turned to me and asked 'Daddy, is there going to be a war?'. My heart sank as I realized that she was now living under the same dark cloud that I had felt 40 years ago. I wrote "Waiting on a War" that day. Everyday waiting for the sky to fall. Is there more to this than that? Is there more to this than just waiting on a war? Because I need more. We all do.[7]
Grohl later explained that he himself had feared the effect of the Cold War while growing up in Washington DC.[9] Upon the completion of the song, Grohl felt it was one of the best songs the band had ever written.[10]
The song was described as an "acoustic-driven tune" and "aching ballad" that "explodes with rock fury in the home stretch".[1][9] Most of the song is composed primarily of Grohl singing over an acoustic guitar, bass, and drums, and strings, before building in intensity in its second half, and moving into an energetic, full-band rock sound with electric guitars for the last minute.[7][9] The song was noted to have a more traditional Foo Fighters sound than prior singles from the album.[7][10]
Music video
A music video directed by Paola Kudacki was released for the song on January 19, 2021. It features the band performing mixed with cinematic shots of young people whose carefree outlook on life is threatened by ominous-looking adults who have brown paper bags over their heads.[11]
Reception
Rolling Stone singled the song out as the standout track on Medicine at Midnight.[12]
Personnel
Foo Fighters
Dave Grohl – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, production
