4
View on Discogs
View on Wikipedia
Album Summary
Foreigner's fourth studio album, simply titled '4', came rolling out on Atlantic Records in July 1981, and baby, this was a record that meant business. Produced by the band themselves alongside engineer Robert John 'Mutt' Lange, this collection represented Foreigner firing on all cylinders at the absolute peak of their commercial powers. The sessions captured a band that had refined their arena rock formula into something sleeker, more radio-ready, and undeniably powerful — a sound that was tailor-made for the FM airwaves that were hungry for exactly this kind of anthemic, hard-edged pop-rock. Mick Jones and Lou Gramm were locked in, the chemistry was real, and what came out of those studios was one of the defining rock records of the early 1980s.
Reception
- The album reached #22 on the Billboard 200 and earned platinum certification in the United States, confirming Foreigner's place among the era's biggest rock acts.
- The single 'Urgent' climbed to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming one of the band's most celebrated and recognizable tracks.
- 'Waiting For A Girl Like You' became a massive crossover success, spending an extraordinary ten weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and demonstrating the album's extraordinary commercial reach.
Significance
- '4' stands as a landmark of early 1980s arena rock, capturing the moment when the genre fully embraced polished, radio-friendly production without sacrificing its hard rock backbone — a balancing act few bands pulled off as gracefully as Foreigner did here.
- The saxophone work on 'Urgent', performed by Junior Walker, was a bold and soulful stroke that brought a raw, bluesy tension to the track and helped define the saxophone-driven rock sound that would dominate FM radio throughout the early 1980s.
- The album cemented Foreigner's template for commercial success, proving that a rock band could craft emotionally resonant, hook-laden songs that crossed over to pop audiences while still holding down the loyalty of their hard rock fanbase.
Samples
- Urgent — one of the most recognizable horn-driven rock tracks of the 1980s, with a notable sampling history in hip-hop and electronic music productions across multiple decades
Tracklist
-
A1 Night Life 134
3:48
-
A2 Juke Box Hero 89
4:18
-
A3 Break It Up 122
4:11
-
A4 Waiting For A Girl Like You 103
4:49
-
A5 Luanne 141
3:25
-
B1 Urgent 117
4:29
-
B2 I'm Gonna Win 95
4:51
-
B3 Woman In Black 116
4:42
-
B4 Girl On The Moon 112
3:49
-
B5 Don't Let Go 119
3:48
Artist Details
Foreigner burst onto the scene in 1976, born from the collision of British and American rock talent when veteran musician Mick Jones teamed up with Ian McDonald and a handful of hard-driving Americans in New York City to craft a sound that was equal parts polished melodic rock and raw arena power. These cats didn't waste any time — their self-titled debut dropped like a thunderclap and gave the world instant classics like "Feels Like the First Time" and "Cold as Ice," cementing them as one of the defining acts of the classic rock and album-oriented rock formats that ruled the late '70s and into the '80s. Foreigner's ability to blend muscular guitar riffs with soaring, emotionally charged hooks made them a commercial juggernaut, and their ballad "I Want to Know What Love Is" from 1984 transcended rock radio altogether, becoming a soul-stirring cultural touchstone that proved this band had more depth than anyone gave them credit for.
