Foreigner “Cold As Ice” charted

Cold As Ice Foreigner

Writer(s): Lou Gramm, Mick Jones (see lyrics here) First Charted: July 23, 1977 Peak: 6 US, 10 CB, 7 HR, 4 RR, 1 CL, 24 UK, 9 CN, 32 AU, 3 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, -- UK, -- world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 6.1 video, 151.15 streaming

About the Song: The band Foreigner formed in 1976 in New York City. Guitarist and songwriter Mick Jones had been with Spooky Tooth while bandmate Ian McDonald was formerly of King Crimson. They joined with drummer Dennis Elliott, a fellow Brit, and Americans Lou Gramm (vocals), Al Greenwood (keyboardist), and Ed Gagilardi (bass). They found success right out of the gate with their self-titled debut, 1977’s Foreigner. The album reached the top 5 on the Billboard charts and eventually sold five million copies in the U.S. The lead single, “Feels Like the First Time,” went gold and reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. To prove they weren’t a one-hit wonder, the follow-up single, “Cold As Ice,” nearly matched its predecessor’s success by also going gold and climbing to #6 on the charts. Hartford Courant’s Henry McNutty said the song “is propelled by Elliott’s drums…but the interplay between Gramm’s lead vocal and Greenwood’s electronic keyboard is what raises this from the rock pile.” WK Janey Roberts of Classic Rock History said the opening piano hook will “go down as one of the signature riffs in classic rock history.” WK The song was a replacement for another on the album which producer Gary Lyons didn’t think fit the album. WK It was about “a woman who is materialistic and selfish, with the singer warning that her behavior will come back to haunt her someday.” SF Jones said the song “was based on the idea of the stereotypical cold-hearted, bad girl – the sort of woman Joan Crawford would play in a film – but it wasn’t aimed at anyone specific.” WK The night they recorded the song, a blizzard hit New York and, according to McDonald, “we heard on the radio that it had been the coldest night in New York on record! Somehow that seemed to be a good omen for the song.” WK Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Foreigner SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 7/9/2022.

Foreigner released its debut album

First posted 4/6/2008; updated 10/17/2020.

Foreigner Foreigner

Released: March 8, 1977 Peak: 4 US, -- UK, 9 CN, 9 AU Sales (in millions): 5.0 US, 0.1 UK, 6.5 world (includes US and UK) Genre: classic rock

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Feels Like the First Time (3/26/77, 4 US, 2 CL, 39 UK, 7 CN, 41 AU) Cold As Ice (7/23/77, 6 US, 1 CL, 24 UK, 9 CN, 32 AU) Starrider (23 CL) Headknocker (23 CL) The Damage Is Done Long, Long Way from Home (12/10/77, 20 US, 7 CL, 22 CN, 70 AU) Woman Oh Woman At War with the World Fool for You Anyway (47 CL) I Need You Total Running Time: 38:46 The Players: Lou Gramm (vocals, percussion) Mick Jones (guitar, keyboards, vocals) Ian McDonald (guitar, backing vocals, saxophone, keyboards) Al Greenwood (keyboards) Ed Gagliardi (bass) Dennis Elliott (drums)

Rating: 3.719 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings) Awards:

About the Album: “Although punk rock’s furious revolution threatened to overthrow rock’s old guard in 1977, bands like Foreigner came along and proved that there was plenty of room in the marketplace for both the violent, upstart minimalism of punk and the airbrushed slickness of what would be called ‘arena rock.’ Along with Boston, Journey, Heart, and others, Foreigner celebrated professionalism over raw emotion.” AMG “Looking back, it’s easy to see why they sold millions; not everyone in the world was pissed off, dissatisfied with the economy, or even necessarily looking for a change. In fact, for most suburban American teens, Foreigner’s immaculate rock sound was the perfect soundtrack for cruising through well-manicured neighborhoods in their Chevy Novas. The album spawned some of the biggest FM hits of 1977, including the anthemic Feels Like the First Time and Cold as Ice, both of which were anchored – like most of Foreigner’s songs – by the muscular but traditional riffing of guitarist Mick Jones, the soaring vocals of Lou Gramm, and the state-of-the-art rock production values of the day, which allowed the band to sound hard but polished. As pure rock craftsmanship goes, Foreigner was as good as it got in the late ‘70s.” AMG Notes: A 2002 reissue included demos of “Feels Like the First Time,” “Woman Oh Woman,” “At War with the World,” and “Take Me to Your Leader.”

Resources and Related Links: Foreigner’s DMDB Encyclopedia entry AMG All Music Guide review by Andy Hines WK Wikipedia