The Foo Fighters song on Sonic Highways featuring an elaborate string arrangement is “I Am a River.” It closes the 2014 album with a sweeping orchestral finale arranged by Tony Visconti.
The track was written and recorded in New York City, the final stop in the band’s Sonic Highways project. That project connected each song with a different American musical city and its local history. “I Am a River” reflects New York through references to the city’s waterways and underground infrastructure.
Visconti’s arrangement gives the song a cinematic scale that stands apart from the album’s heavier guitar-driven tracks. The strings build toward the ending rather than functioning as a brief decorative accent, which is why the song is often identified as Sonic Highways’ orchestral centerpiece.
A common mix-up is “The Feast and the Famine,” another New York-connected track from the album. However, “I Am a River” is the song specifically credited with the prominent string arrangement.