Mark Ronson is biased, but he thinks Foreigner definitely deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The “Cold As Ice” rockers earned their first Hall nomination in Cleveland this year, despite being eligible since 2002, and in an Instagram video posted on Tuesday (February 20), Ronson recruited some heavyweights players to help his stepfather. zone.
“Everything that made me want to be a record producer came from being in the studio watching Foreigner make records. I'm still completely in awe of the sound of those first five albums. Guitars with swagger and bite. Heavy drums grooving like a mutha with the bass. Wide layers of synthetics. And then there's that voice. And these songs. It's really crazy,” Ronson wrote in the post alongside a video touting some of the band's bonafides, including sales of more than 80 million albums and their status as one of the most-played artists on classic rock radio.
“It's also kind of crazy that this is the first time they've been on the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame ballot — after 20 years of eligibility,” Ronson added, with a “WTF???” exclamation mark to drive the point home.
The arena rock band “Juke Box Hero” was formed in New York in 1976 by Ronson's stepfather, guitarist Mick Jones, singer Lou Gramm, drummer Dennis Elliott, keyboardist Al Greenwood, multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald and bassist Ed Gagliardi; The band hit the top of the charts from the jump with their self-titled 1977 debut album, which included the hit singles “Cold as Ice,” “Feels Like the First Time” and “Long, Long Way From Home.” They kept the streak going into the 1978s Double visionwhich released the radio rock staples 'Hot Blooded', 'Double Vision' and 'Blue Morning, Blue Day'.
The hits kept coming in the 1979s Head gamesthanks to hits like “Dirty White Boy”, “Head Games” and “Women” and the 1981 smash 4, which included “Urgent”, “Waiting for a Girl Like You” and “Juke Box Hero”. In total, the band had nine top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 (and 22 songs total in the tally), released six multi-platinum albums and has long been considered one of the Hall's biggest annual snubs, with fans campaigning for induction for many years.
Despite all that success, the band has never been featured before, so Ronson rounded up some A-list friends to get the band in the accompanying video, including Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, Jack Black, GNR's Slash, the drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Chad Smith and Queens of the Stone Age singer Josh Homme.
“Do you want to know what love is? Love is putting Foreigner in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame… Foreigner should definitely be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” Homme says in the video, with Grohl adding that he “loved Foreigner ever since I got their debut … There's a drum riff that I've used on more than a few songs,” he notes before continuing with the beat in question.
“I can't believe it's not already in, oh my God,” Smith says, as the video unfolds with the ever-eager Black singing along to “Feels Like the First Time” before sending a personal, heartfelt message of the hand, “Hey, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, open the door! A stranger is waiting outside. Let them in.”
When the nomination was announced last month, Jones said Advertising sign, “I deeply appreciate the recognition by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (nomination) committee. It's great that Foreigner has maintained a presence over the years and brought the music to our fans. Receiving this news is an incredible endorsement of what we have achieved over time.”
Ronson also appears in the video, saying there's “no way” he'd be the record producer he is today without Foreigner. Grammy Award-winning producer (Amy Winehouse, Barbie soundtrack) concluded his post with a list of Foreigner's accomplishments, including: “Foreigners are the most played band on classic rock radio not in the Hall of Fame. They have been sung by our favorite characters from The Simpsons, The office, Me, Tonya, Stranger Things and Wet hot American summer. They have been covered by Diana Ross and Mariah Carey (what can this rock band boast??). They were sampled and turned into HOT FIRE by MOP (remember the 'Cold As Ice' link?) and Tone-Loc who used them to concoct some 'Funky Cold Medina'. Yes, Mick is my stepfather and I love him more than anything. But I'm also a MEGA fan like Dave, Jack, Slash, Chad and Josh (seen here). Enjoy this video and VOTE BABY VOTE!”
The other class of 2024 RRHOF nominees includes: Ozzy Osbourne, Jane's Addiction, Dave Matthews Band, Oasis, Mary J. Blige, Eric B. & Rakim, Kool & the Gang, Sade, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Sinead O'Connor, Peter Frampton, A Tribe Called Quest and Cher.
Watch Ronson's video below.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rock/mark-ronson-video-slash-dave-grohl-jack-black-foreigner-rock-hall-of-fame-nomination-1235611274/