Foreigner – Biography, Songs, Albums, Discography & Facts

Foreigner – Biography, Songs, Albums, Discography & Facts
Foreigner Head Games (1979 Atlantic publicity photo). Image source: Distributed by Atlantic Records, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Foreigner Biography

The influential British guitarist and songwriter Mick Jones, another Briton named Ian McDonald, an ex-member of King Crimson, and an American singer named Lou Gramm came together to form the British-American rock group Foreigner in New York City in 1976. Since Jones, McDonald, and Dennis Elliott were British and Gramm, Al Greenwood, and Ed Gagliardi were American, Jones came up with the band‘s name.

The self-titled debut album by Foreigner, which was released in 1977, was the first of four straight albums to receive a minimum 5-platinum certification in the US. Foreigner produced two Top 10 hits in North America, “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice,” and peaked at No. 4 on the US album chart and in the Top 10 in Canada and Australia. Their 1978 follow-up, Double Vision, was even more popular and peaked at No. 3 in North America with two hit singles: the title track, which reached No. 2 in the US and 7 in both Canada and the US, and “Hot Blooded,” which reached No. 3 in both countries. The third album by Foreigner, Head Games (1979), peaked at No. 5 in North America and yielded two Top 20 singles, including the album’s title song.

Reduced to a quartet, Foreigner’s album 4 (1981) peaked at No. 1 (for 10 weeks) in the US and No. 2 in Canada while reaching the Top 5 in the UK, Germany, and Australia. This album marked Foreigner’s breakthrough outside of North America. Three of the band’s singles were successful: “Urgent,” which peaked at No. 1 in Canada and on the new US Rock Tracks chart, advanced to No. 4 on the US Hot 100, and became their first Top 15 hit in Germany; the ballad “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” which peaked at No. 2 in both the US and Canada (for a record 10 weeks), topped the US Rock Tracks chart, and became their first Top 10 hit in the UK and Records, the first greatest hits collection by Foreigner, was released in 1982 and has already sold 7 million copies in the US. The anthem “I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner, which peaked at No. 1 on the charts in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia in 1984, was the band’s biggest successful single. It also reached No. 3 in Germany and the Top 10 in a number of other nations. The band’s most popular album, Agent Provocateur, peaked at No. 1 in the UK, Germany, and some other European nations. It peaked at No. 3 in Australia and reached the Top 5 in the US and Canada.

After a break, Foreigner released Inside Information (1987), which, despite the No. 6 US and Australian hits “Say You Will” and “I Don’t Want to Live Without You” (both of which peaked at No. 1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart), experienced a significant drop in sales, only reaching the Top 10 in a few European nations and peaking at No. 15 in the US. The group’s most recent albums, Unusual Heat (1991), with Gramm absent due to the band’s switch to synthesizers, Mr. Moonlight (1994), with Gramm back on vocals, and Can’t Slow Down (2009), again without Gramm, were not huge commercial successes; instead, the highest chart positions were attained in Germany, where the most recent album peaked at No. 16. With over 80 million records sold globally, including 37.5 million in the US, Foreigner is one of the best-selling bands of all time. Leader Mick Jones has been the only original team member still active for a long time.

Foreigner Discography

Inside Information SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Agent ProvocateurSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Head GamesSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Double VisionSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
ForeignerSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon

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Frequently Asked Questions

What Was Foreigner Biggest Hit?

Foreigner’s biggest hit was “I Want to Know What Love Is.” The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1984. It also topped the charts in several other countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

How Many Top Ten Hits Did Foreigner?

Foreigner is a British-American rock band, formed in New York City in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and Ian McDonald, along with American vocalist Lou Gramm.

What Was ForeignerS Best Selling Album?

The best selling album of Foreigner is their debut album, which was released in 1977. It is called Foreigner and it went platinum in the United States. The album had four singles that were released, “Feels Like the First Time”, “Cold as Ice”, “Long, Long Way from Home”, and “Starrider”.

Most Searched For Foreigner Songs

I Want to Know What Love Is – 1999 RemasterSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Waiting for a Girl like You SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Juke Box HeroSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Cold as Ice SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Hot BloodedSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
UrgentSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
I Don’t Want to Live Without YouSpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
That Was Yesterday SpotifyAppleYouTube
I Want to Know What Love Is SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
Head Games SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon