Nandi Bushell’s Performance With Foo Fighters Puts ‘Everlong’ Back on the Charts
Nandi Bushell, the 11-year-old musician behind many viral rock cover songs and subsequent collaborations, realized a dream last month when she sat in on drums with Foo Fighters for a performance of the band's 1997 hit "Everlong" at their Aug. 26 concert in Los Angeles.
Now, the studio version of "Everlong," a single from Foo Fighters' The Colour and the Shape, is back on the rock charts — namely some new ones for the first time — thanks to the group's live team-up with Bushell and the recognition it received, according to Billboard.
For the week ending Sept. 11, "Everlong" reached No. 11 on Billboard's Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. At the same time, it made No. 2 on the Hot Hard Rock Songs tally, and it landed at No. 17 on the Hot Alternative Songs chart. None of those charts existed when "Everlong" was first released in the '90s, but Billboard has its own rules regarding how older songs can re-chart during a resurgence in popularity.
Immediately after Bushell's Foo Fighters concert appearance, from Aug. 27–Sept. 2, "Everlong" amassed 2.6 million streams in the U.S., up 4 percent from the usual stats tracked by MRC Data. It sold 1,000 downloads during the same period. That pushed the track to No. 5 on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales ranking and No. 19 on both the Rock Digital Song Sales and Alternative Digital Song Sales listings.
In 1997, "Everlong," as the second The Colour and the Shape single, hit No. 3 on Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart and No. 4 for Mainstream Rock Airplay.
Bushell's performance with the Foos was the culmination of two years of internet stardom for the young rocker. One of her earliest viral hits was a drum cover of Nirvana's "In Bloom," a song based on Grohl's drumming. As her renown grew, Bushell challenged Grohl to a drum-off and later got to speak to the Foos frontman via video. Grohl then offered to co-write a song with her, and he asked her if she would eventually join him and the Foo Fighters onstage, which ultimately took place at the Forum in Los Angeles.
Bushell "inspired me last year so much," Grohl said from the Forum stage. "Because in a time where you would pick up your phone or turn on a computer and all you had was bad news, for that one day, you could pick up your phone and see this connection between two people that have never met. Making music together and spreading joy and love across the world. Ladies and gentlemen, would you please welcome the most badass drummer in the world — my new friend Nandi."
Watch the performance below.