4 Eternal Classic Rock Songs by Foreigner

The members of Foreigner must have felt destined to be musical refugees.

Writer Robert Burke Warren noted that Mick Jones gave the band its name because Jones, Ian McDonald, and Dennis Elliott were three Brits forming a band with Americans Lou Gramm, Al Greenwood, and Ed Gagliardi. No matter where in the world they’d perform, some of them would always be “a foreigner.”

Competing against the popularity of disco only furthered the band’s feeling of being outsiders. But it didn’t take long for Foreigner to find success. “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice” became hits in 1977 and their self-titled debut reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200.

Following decades of hit singles and multi-Platinum-selling albums, the British-American group finally has a home in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Here are four eternal classic rock songs by Foreigner.

“I Want To Know What Love Is” from Agent Provocateur (1984)

A soft rock power ballad with a gospel choir, “I Want To Know What Love Is” is Foreigner’s biggest hit. It reached No. 1 in the U.S. and the UK. The song has endured as a staple on both classic rock and adult contemporary radio stations. Jones said he wrote the song at 3 a.m. He was recently divorced, struggling with tensions within the band, and looking to create something spiritual. A meeting with a gospel music executive led to an introduction to the New Jersey Mass Choir. The choir’s performance lifted the chorus and brought Jones to tears in the studio.

“Urgent” from 4 (1981)

To prepare for Foreigner’s fourth album, producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange wanted to hear every idea Jones had recorded. Jones had written “an experimental instrumental thing” that became “Urgent,” though it wasn’t yet a song. Thomas Dolby added synthesizer layers, moving the band into new musical territory at the start of the 1980s. Also, Junior Walker recorded the buzzing sax solo over Lange’s meticulous production.

“Cold as Ice” from Foreigner (1977)

Jones had played in bands before, but Foreigner was the first time he’d been the chief songwriter. Though unsure about the band’s direction, he’d purchased a piano and told Louder, “I started to fiddle around on it.” Gramm arrived at Jones’ house, and they finished “Cold as Ice” quickly. It’s not aimed at anyone specifically, but Jones mentioned the temperature in New York was freezing then, which may have had as much to do with the title as whoever broke his heart.

“Juke Box Hero” from 4 (1981)

This is Foreigner’s dreamer anthem. A kid arrives at a sold-out show and puts his ear to the wall, listening from the outside. It’s raining. But he hears the screams of the crowd, elation, release. And then the crucial moment arrives: He hears one guitar. It blew him away. From there, his future was set. A future rock star with a low-slung guitar. “Juke Box Hero” is Dolby’s hardest guest-synth jam this side of “Urgent.”

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