FOREIGNER - JUKE BOX HERO

Released :  October 2, 1981 (UK)  January 27, 1982 (US)  

Charted:  UK: #48    US: #26 

"Juke Box Hero" is a song by British-American rock band Foreigner written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones and released as the album “4” third single. It first entered the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in July 1981 and eventually reached #3 on that chart. Lou Gramm told that it is one of his favorite songs to perform, but also the hardest to sing live.

The song focuses on a boy unable to purchase a ticket to a sold-out rock concert. Listening from outside, he hears "one guitar" and has an epiphany, leading him to buy a guitar and learn to play it. He realizes that with the guitar he has a chance to achieve musical stardom. The song then goes on to describe the struggle he has to stay on top of the music charts, which makes him a "Juke Box Hero". He eventually encounters another fan outside the stage door at one of his concerts, who reminds him of himself and how it all began.

Jones said: "That stemmed from an experience that we had, I think it was in Cincinnati. We'd gone to the arena for a sound check, and it was pouring down rain, and there were a bunch of fans waiting at the door when we went in. When we came back for the show later on, all that was left was one lonely fan, a young guy waiting out there in the rain, soaked to the skin. I thought, well, he's waiting like five hours here, maybe we'll take him in and give him a glimpse of what happens backstage at a show. And this kid was just mesmerized with everything. I saw this look in his eyes, and I thought, he's seeing this for the first time, he's having this experience. And I just imagined what was going through his mind. And I'd been toying with this title, 'Juke Box Hero,' I thought it was almost a satire on what we did and how it was perceived from an audience level, and public. That's how it originated."

Before he was a singer, Lou Gramm was a drummer. The menacing beat at the beginning of the song that builds to combustion is his influence: he says that when he writes songs, he starts with the beat and looks for interesting rhythms.

In 2018, Foreigner launched Jukebox Hero, the musical, at some theaters in Canada with hopes of bringing the show to Broadway. Sixteen Foreigner songs are used in the production, which is set in a Pennsylvania factory town where one of their own becomes a rock star.

 

FOREIGNER - URGENT

Released : June 22, 1981

Charted:  UK: #54    US: #4 

"Urgent" is a song by the British-American rock band Foreigner. Written by the Foreigner songwriting team of Mick Jones and Lou Gramm, this was the first single from “4”, one of the best-selling albums of the '80s. Before recording this album, two members of the group left, trimming the band from six members to four. This, along with the fact that it was their fourth album, explains the title. 

The group wanted a "Junior Walker-style" sax solo for this record. When they took a break from recording, one of the members read in New York newspaper The Village Voice that Walker was performing that night mere blocks from the recording studio. Walker accepted their offer to play, and the recording of the sax solo was swift and without a hitch. With an R&B sound, the song was a musical departure for the band; many listeners didn't recognize it as Foreigner when they first heard it. "A few people were trapped into liking it before they found out who it was," Jones told Sounds.

Foreigner's guitarist Mick Jones produced the album with Mutt Lange, who is known as a very meticulous producer with a tremendous work ethic. Jones told: "We locked horns at the beginning, both pretty strong-minded about what we wanted to achieve, and we gradually discovered that it was the same thing. He drew a lot out of me. He was the first person that insisted on listening to every single idea I had on every single cassette tape, or any ideas I had anywhere, down on paper or lyrically, phonetically, instrumentally. He pulled songs like 'Urgent' out of that, and contributed a lot to 'Juke Box Hero.' It ended up being a great relationship." 

Billboard said that "Guitars and keyboards supply the rhythmic punch on this tasty rocker." Billboard reviewer Gary Graff rated "Urgent" to be Foreigner's all-time greatest song, particularly praising Dolby's synthesizer and Walker's saxophone but also saying that the song "would have been killer" even without the sax solo.

 FOREIGNER - HOT BLOODED

Released : June 1978 (US)  October 1978 (UK)

Charted:  UK: #42    US: #3 

"Hot Blooded" is a song by the British-American rock band Foreigner, from their second studio album “Double Vision”. Written by Foreigner mainstays Lou Gramm and Mick Jones, this song is known for its distinctive guitar riff and sexually charged lyrics. The guitar riff was sampled for the 1988 Tone Loc hit "Funky Cold Medina".

"Hot Blooded" is about a sexually charged encounter between the singer and a woman he meets. The chorus talks about the singer's physical state, with his "hot blooded" nature creating a fever of 103 degrees, suggesting intense desire. In the verses, the singer expresses his desire for the woman and asks what she is doing after the show, indicating that he wants to take their relationship further. The bridges suggest secrecy and a willingness to take a risk to be with the woman, but also indicate a potential age difference between the two. The outro describes how the woman is making the singer feel and how he is willing to sing for her. Overall, the lyrics portray a strong physical attraction between the two parties and a desire to pursue a romantic/sexual encounter. 

Gramm said: We used to work at Mick’s apartment and he would just keep playing one guitar riff after another. Just playing whatever came into his mind. When he started playing that riff, I remember saying, “Wait! Stop! What’s that?” Mick said it was just another riff. So, I started singing along to it. We eventually got the idea of what the chorus would be and then started working on the verse lyrics. Once they were put together it naturally led to the “Hot Blooded” verbal line. I remember we were jumping off the walls when we cracked the title of the song.

Billboard described "Hot Blooded" as "a high energy rocker that boils with a feverent energy." It compared the "powerhouse" guitar playing and the vocals with Bad Company, but said the song retains Foreigner's own identifiable sound. Cash Box called it "driving, unadorned rock 'n' roll," saying that "the vocal arrangement is crisp and insistent" and the "guitars provide sinister, hard-edged power”. 

 

FOREIGNER - DOUBLE VISION

Released : September 8, 1978 (US) July 1979 (UK)

Charted: US: #2 

"Double Vision" is a single by Foreigner from their second album of the same name. The song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks in 1978, behind "MacArthur Park" by Donna Summer. This wasn't released as a single in the UK until almost a full year after the release of the album of the same name. It didn't chart there.

Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones and vocalist Lou Gramm wrote this song after seeing New York Rangers goalie John Davidson get knocked out during the 1977 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Jones told us: "That's where the title came from. We were at a hockey game. I was an avid Rangers fan in those days, and Lou and I went to a game, and the goaltender for the Rangers got a concussion, and it was announced over the PA that he was taken off and was suffering from double vision. I'd never heard that term before, and we picked up on it. And then that led to the title for that song. I know it was received by a majority of the public as a drug song. I didn't mind that, you know. It wasn't the intention in the beginning, but that's how a lot of people interpreted it." Davidson went on to become a popular broadcaster and hockey analyst. He and Jones have had a laugh over it several times since.

"Double Vision" is a song about living life to the fullest and embracing the unpredictable. It describes feeling down and out, but determined to have a good time and live life to the fullest. The chorus captures the idea of double vision, seeing the world through an altered perspective that allows one to enjoy the unpredictable and exciting aspects of life. The song encourages us to embrace life's chaotic and unpredictable moments and make the most of them.

Billboard felt that "Double Vision" was a stronger single than the previous release "Hot Blooded" due to its "driving but less monotonous hard rock rhythm" and "more infectious melody." Cash Box said it has "slashing guitars and a mean, ticking beat" that gives way "to an appealing, lighter chorus which is underlined by gently swirling keyboard work" and also praised the vocal performance.

 

FOREIGNER - COLD AS ICE

Released :  July 1977

Charted:  UK: #24   US: #6 

"Cold as Ice" is a song written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones that was first released by British-American rock band Foreigner from their eponymous debut album. It became one of the best-known songs of the band in the US. It was initially the B-side of some versions of the "Feels Like the First Time" 45 rpm single.

"Cold as Ice" is about trying to warn someone, who is emotionally unresponsive, that their cold-hearted attitude will catch up with them someday. The lyrics state that the person in question is willing to sacrifice love and feelings for their own career, material or selfish interests. The singer also implies that this person will realize their mistake eventually and will pay for the things they have done. The chorus is a warning that you can't just ignore your feelings forever because ultimately it will be your downfall. The bridge and outro emphasize the line "you're as cold as ice" to create a sense of dread and hopelessness.

Gramm told: "Subconsciously you draw from stuff, things that happened in your past, things that came out of relationships, the pain and the heartache of love that is intense and then so deep, and then suddenly you lose it. The whole gamut of emotional feeling that you go through in a relationship. Sometimes they end, and sometimes they last, and when it's the final breakup, you're left with the memories of that relationship. So I go for that quite a bit. You're kind of digging down deep into your well of significant things that you recall from sometimes near tragedy that you go through at the time."

Billboard described "Cold as Ice" as having a "haunting feel" and a "surrealistic chilling effect" produced by its "richly textured instrumentals and gutsy vocals" Billboard also praised how the song maintains its momentum and intensity. Cash Box said that "listeners will recognize the controlled fury of Lou Gramm's lead vocal as well as the finely textured harmonies" and that "the orchestra lends an expansive effect."