Foo Fighters released “Resolve” as a single in Europe on November 21, 2005. Following “Best of You” and “DOA,” it was the third single from their fifth studio album, In Your Honor. The song came from the double album’s electric disc, although Dave Grohl had considered a different home for it.
The two-disc project grew partly out of acoustic material Grohl had initially considered for a film score. After touring One by One, he wanted to change the familiar routine of recording another album, making videos and playing festivals. In an interview originally published in Guitar World’s September 2005 issue, Grohl said “Resolve” could have worked on either the rock or acoustic half. “I liked the Neil Young & Crazy Horse vibe of the rock version,” he explained, comparing that quality to “Exhausted” from the band’s debut.
The album also gave Foo Fighters a new recording base. They made In Your Honor at Studio 606 in Northridge, California, while the building was still being finished. Producer Nick Raskulinecz told Mix in 2005 that he had first equipped Grohl’s garage for demos and taught him Pro Tools. Grohl wrote on acoustic guitar, then recorded the instruments himself. The band subsequently rehearsed several versions of roughly 30 songs while waiting for the studio to be ready.
That preparation fed into a layered recording process. Basic tracks went onto analog tape before being transferred to Pro Tools. Raskulinecz described recording drums, then adding guitars and vocals, with bass saved for last so its part and frequencies could fit around what was already there. He also mixed the electric disc. The approach let the band shape the bass around the guitars instead of adding more guitar tracks to compete with an already dominant rhythm section.
Michael Palmieri, who had directed “DOA,” returned for the “Resolve” video. Its restaurant setting gives way to an underwater fantasy involving Grohl and a mermaid, intercut with the band performing against a landscape of sand and a lighthouse. The clip gave the single its own visual story after listeners had already encountered the song on the album.
The physical release also offered material beyond the album track. One UK CD edition paired “Resolve” with a “DOA” demo; the second included a demo of “World” and an alternate “Resolve” video. The European seven-inch paired the single with “World.”
“Resolve” entered the UK singles chart at No. 32 in 2005 and spent three weeks in the Top 100. Its UK Rock & Metal Singles Chart peak followed in January 2006, when it reached No. 2.
