Foreigner’s 1981 album 4 is the perfect example of hard work paying off. The band worked on the album for almost two years before it was “perfect” enough to release.
Robert “Mutt” Lange, the producer on this album, was known as a major, major perfectionist. Apparently there was a little bit of tension between him and then-unknown keyboardist Thomas Dolby. Lange would make him play the same notes for the song “Urgent” over and over and over again until they were exactly right.
It’s a very synthesizer-driven tune and one of Foreigner’s biggest hits.
In the song, the singer gets a call from a woman who has an emergency. Her emergency? She has to see the singer. She’s hot with desire, and the song builds on that tension and excitement with a driving beat, pulsing synthesizers, and one of the most recognizable saxophone solos of the 1980s. The combination of rock guitars, new-wave style keyboards, and that unforgettable sax riff helped make “Urgent” sound unlike almost anything else on rock radio at the time.
Apparently Mark Rivera is the saxophone player on this tune. He’s known for his work with Billy Joel, and his performance really adds that punch to the song. “Urgent” became one of Foreigner’s signature songs, reaching number one on the Canadian Top Singles chart and helping 4 become one of the band’s most successful albums.
At the time, Foreigner was made up of Lou Gramm on vocals, Mick Jones on guitar and keyboards, Rick Wills on bass, and Dennis Elliott on drums. The band was already known for hits like “Cold as Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” and “Double Vision,” but 4 took them to an even bigger level. The album would also produce classics like “Juke Box Hero,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” and “Break It Up.”
More than 40 years later, “Urgent” remains a staple of classic rock radio.
