Coming off the success of three major records that all individually reached the top five spots on the album charts, New York City native band, Foreigner jumped back into the studio in 1981 to record their fourth record titled “4.”
Little did the band know that they had caught lightning in a bottle and when all was said and done, backed by rock classics like “Juke Box Hero,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” and “Urgent,” “4” reached the number one position on the charts, and by 2023 it is has gone platinum six times for selling at least six million albums worldwide.
The record kicks off with the three-and-a-half minute “Night Life.” This song is an upbeat, jumpy song written about being in a rock band and looking for the next party and for the next hangout around the city. Lead singer Lou Gramm’s voice is at the top of its game on this song and on the entire record.
I really like this song and it’s a strong opening song for the record that contains other giant hits on the tracklist.
As “Night Life” comes to an end, a slow beat from the kick drum from drummer Dennis Elliot which is accompanied by Rick Wills on the bass brings the listener to the second track, “Juke Box Hero.”
The song, which is written about Lou Gramm and his starts with music in Rochester, New York, is obviously the fan favorite on the record and has been blasted across stereos and radios across the world.
Gramm’s powerful voice which is supported by Mick Jones on lead guitar provides fans with a memorable solo in the middle of the song. The Gramm/Jones combination is one of my favorite lead singer and lead guitarist combinations in all of rock and roll.
The next song, “Break It Up,” to me, is what music from the 1980s sounded like in terms of having synthesizers mixed with pianos and a full band. It’s a strong song but it gets overshadowed by the following track, “Waiting for a Girl Like You.”
“Waiting for a Girl Like You” is the first true ballad on the record. While “Break It Up” is a slower and lighter song than “Juke Box Hero,” or “Night Life,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You” is ultimately the strongest ballad on the entire record.
Another song that is mixed heavily with synthesizers but is also supported by Gramm’s vocals makes this song a rock and roll classic.
On backing vocals for this song was a man named Robert John “Mutt” Lange who at the time was producing this record along with Jones. Lange prior to “4” produced AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell,” and “Back in Black,” as well as went on to produce Def Leppard’s “High ‘n’ Dry,” “Pyromania,” “Hysteria,” and “Adrenalize.” From the start, with a track record like that, Foreigner could simply not lose with this record.
Moving down the record fans find themselves listening to “Urgent.” One of my personal favorites on this record has such a neat groove on the entire record.
Whether it’s the jumpy beat from Elliot on the drums or the twangy bassline from Wills, it’s such a great, sing-along type song.
The best thing about “Urgent” is the inclusion of the saxophone on this track. While the saxophone is played by Billy Joel band member, Mark Rivera, the incredible saxophone solo on the track is played by Junior Walker who was a session player for Univeral Music Groups Motown label in the 1960s. I loved that Foreigner went with something different on this song in an attempt to make this song unique.
As listeners approach the third to last track, “Woman In Black,” they are immediately met with a Jones Bluesy solo to open the song.
What I enjoyed most on this track was the harmonies by the entire band on the chorus of “of that woman in black, she’s a mystery she’s everything a woman should be, woman in black, she’s got a hold on me, she’s in control, she won’t set me free.”
I think the chorus is mysterious and it allows the listener to really imagine their own version of the person that Gramm is singing about.
The final song on the record, track 10, is “Don’t Let Go.” While it has its pop influences on the chorus, regardless, it is a great song and I think it is a perfect way to close out the record.
I think two of the songs that matter the most on a record are the opening and closing songs of the record.
At the beginning of the record, you clearly want to keep the listener listening to the rest of the record but at the end of the record, you want to go out on a high note that leaves the listener wanting more of your music and forces them to buy your next record (see, I should becomes a producer instead of a writer – hey Guns N’ Roses, I’m for hire).
Foreigner “4” has become such a classic record all these years later and it is one of the best records that they’ve made, and they certainly have made a lot of great records over the years.
Even though the band is retiring and Gramm and Jones aren’t on the best of terms, their music certainly lives on.
With that being said, do you remember?
