Foreigner
– 4
Foreigner wasn’t trying to win over critics—they were steamrolling FM dials with hooks sharp enough to take a finger off. This wasn’t about subtlety. It was about radio dominance, swagger in tight pants, and choruses built to echo off the walls of every roller rink in America. Lou Gramm belts like he’s auditioning to out-sing the engine of a Camaro, and somehow, he wins.
Best of…
What makes 4 click is that it pretends to be slicker than it is. Sure, producer “Mutt” Lange buffed the chrome, but underneath, there’s grit in the gears. These songs strut on big riffs, bigger choruses, and an almost surgical sense of timing. It’s arena rock with a calculator in one hand and a switchblade in the other. They’re shooting for mass appeal, but there’s just enough bite to keep it interesting.
This is the album where they leaned hard into their power ballad instincts without giving up the rock edge entirely. It walks a tightrope between fists-in-the-air anthems and lighter-waving heartache, and—somehow—it never topples. It’s not high art. It’s not trying to be. 4 is the sound of a band dead set on ruling the summer of ‘81, and for a while, they did.
Choice Tracks
Juke Box Hero
This isn’t just a rock anthem. It’s a rite of passage. The story’s a cliché, but the delivery is fire—Gramm howls like he’s living it in real time, and the riff hits like a steel beam through your speakers.
Urgent
Foreigner flirts with funk and pulls it off. That sax solo by Junior Walker doesn’t just spice things up—it hijacks the track. It’s tight, pulsing, and impossible to ignore.
Waiting for a Girl Like You
The slow dance staple. Synths glide like fog over prom night, and Gramm gives a performance that’s all longing and restraint. It’s soft, yeah, but there’s a sadness here that lingers.
Break It Up
Straight-ahead rocker with a huge chorus and no unnecessary frills. It feels like it could fall into the filler category, but the performance lifts it higher—especially Gramm’s vocals, which never phone it in.
Night Life
Kicks off the album like a bar brawl in progress. Nothing groundbreaking, but it’s got enough punch and attitude to get the engine running.
4 doesn’t pretend to be revolutionary. It’s engineered for maximum playability—on car stereos, jukeboxes, and bedroom radios. But Foreigner knew their lane, and here, they drove it like they owned the freeway.