Dave Grohl and Pat Smear appear on the Pretty Reckless’ “About You (Bonus Version)” because Taylor Momsen invited them to revisit one of her favorite songs from the band’s fifth album, Dear God. Rolling Stone and Blabbermouth report that Grohl added drums, guitar and backing vocals, while Smear contributed guitar. Their involvement also continues a creative connection that became public earlier in 2026, when Momsen performed with Foo Fighters at a MusiCares gala.
The October 16 release is therefore more than a pair of high-profile guest credits. It connects two bands through musicians who had already shared a stage that year—and gives an existing Pretty Reckless song a new chapter.
Taylor Momsen Chose a Song She Already Loved
The original version of “About You” appeared on Dear God, released June 26, 2026. Fearless Records and Apple Music confirm the album date, while Rolling Stone and Blabbermouth identify it as the Pretty Reckless’ fifth studio album.
Rather than building the collaboration around a new standalone song, Momsen returned to a track that already held an important place for her. In a statement reported by both Rolling Stone and Blabbermouth, she described “About You” as one of her favorites on the album and said she asked Grohl and Smear to add their “magic.”
That explanation supplies the clearest answer to why these particular musicians are on the recording. Momsen valued the song and wanted to hear what two longtime collaborators could bring to it.
The decision also keeps the bonus version tied directly to the Dear God album cycle. It is a reconsideration of material the Pretty Reckless had released only a few months earlier, not the beginning of an unrelated side project.
The Connection Predates the Recording
Grohl and Smear’s appearance did not come without context. On January 30, 2026, Momsen joined Foo Fighters at the MusiCares Person of the Year gala honoring Mariah Carey.
The Recording Academy’s Grammy Week coverage and an Associated Press report both document Momsen’s participation. Foo Fighters and Momsen performed two songs from Someone’s Ugly Daughter, the 1995 grunge album Carey secretly recorded and co-produced before it was released under the band name Chick, with Clarissa Dane singing lead and Carey contributing backing vocals.
For Momsen, whose work with the Pretty Reckless is rooted in heavy guitars and hard rock, the performance created a natural meeting point between her musical world, Carey’s long-hidden involvement in the rock project and Foo Fighters.
It is tempting to draw a straight line from that night to the “About You” session. The public sequence certainly makes the bonus version feel like a continuation: Momsen performed with Foo Fighters in January, released Dear God in June and returned in October with Grohl and Smear on one of its songs.
However, none of the reviewed sources confirms that the MusiCares appearance directly produced the studio collaboration. It is better understood as evidence of a developing musical relationship rather than a documented origin story for the recording.
What Grohl and Smear Added
The credits reported by Rolling Stone and Blabbermouth divide the work clearly:
- Dave Grohl: drums, guitar and backing vocals
- Pat Smear: guitar
Those roles make Grohl more than a guest drummer and Smear more than a famous name attached to the release. Together, they contributed to the bonus version’s instrumental identity, while Grohl also added another vocal presence.
Still, the cited reports leave important production questions unanswered. They do not establish which parts of the original “About You” were retained, which were replaced or whether every contributor recorded together. They also do not provide arrangement credits specific to the bonus version.
That distinction matters because “featuring members of Foo Fighters” is not the same as “recorded by Foo Fighters.” This remains a Pretty Reckless release featuring Grohl and Smear as individual guests. Apple Music lists the Pretty Reckless as the recording artist, while the published performance credits identify Grohl and Smear separately.
Why Grohl and Smear Arrive With Shared History
Grohl and Smear bring more than their current association with Foo Fighters. Their working relationship reaches back to Nirvana.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Recording Academy identify Grohl as Nirvana’s drummer and Smear as a guitarist who joined the band’s touring lineup during its final period. Their partnership then continued through Foo Fighters.
That history gives their joint appearance on “About You” a different weight than two unrelated cameos would carry. They are musicians with decades of shared experience, from Nirvana’s final touring period through multiple eras of Foo Fighters. When Momsen invited both of them onto a song, she was drawing on an established musical partnership rather than assembling two separate celebrity features.
Their presence also links the Pretty Reckless to a wider rock lineage without overwhelming the band’s ownership of the track. “About You” began as a Pretty Reckless song, and the bonus edition remains framed around Momsen’s decision to reopen it for collaboration.
Where the Bonus Version Fits in the Pretty Reckless Story
Dear God marked the Pretty Reckless’ first full studio album since Death by Rock and Roll, which was released in 2021, according to Fearless Records’ catalog, Apple Music and Rolling Stone. The five-year interval made the 2026 album a significant return on its own.
The timeline then moved quickly:
- In January, Momsen performed with Foo Fighters at the MusiCares gala.
- In June, the Pretty Reckless released Dear God with the original “About You.”
- In October, the band issued “About You (Bonus Version)” with Grohl and Smear.
Seen in that order, the collaboration expands the story of Dear God while continuing a connection established in public months earlier. It does not read as a random attempt to decorate a single with famous guests. Momsen had already performed with Foo Fighters, had already identified “About You” as a personal favorite and then invited two members to help reshape it.
A Collaboration With Some Mystery Left
The broad reason for the bonus version is clear: Momsen wanted Grohl and Smear’s musical character on a song she especially valued. What remains unknown is the practical story of how they made it.
The reviewed sources do not provide a recording date or location. They do not publish bonus-version production, engineering, mixing or mastering credits. They also do not establish whether Momsen, Grohl and Smear recorded together in one session or added any of their parts separately.
Those missing details limit how precisely the recording can be reconstructed. Yet the confirmed timeline already shows why the release matters. “About You (Bonus Version)” joins two moments from the same year and turns Momsen’s connection with Foo Fighters into something tangible: not simply a shared stage, but a Pretty Reckless recording shaped by Grohl and Smear.
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