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The six members of Foreigner posing together in 1979

Foreigner in 1979 · Distributed by Atlantic Records · Public domain

Foreigner

  • Mick Jones · abroad
  • Ian McDonald · abroad
  • Dennis Elliott · abroad
  • Lou Gramm
  • Al Greenwood
  • Ed Gagliardi

In New York, the foreigners are Mick Jones, Ian McDonald, Dennis Elliott. Three English, three American: half of them abroad wherever they play.

Mick Jones named the band for that. Its second album took its title from a goalie seeing double. So here every place comes twice, out of line: steady your eyes and it comes into one.

Steady · 10 places · 0 in register

Seeing double

Each place arrives twice, one copy in red and one in ice, its name printed twice. Turn the dial until they meet.

The doubling is our game. Each place, and what is said about it, comes from the sources one click away.

The columned front of Portsmouth Guildhall with its clock tower

Portsmouth Guildhall from Guildhall Square, 2014. Geni · CC BY-SA 4.0

Portsmouth, Hampshire (marked at the Guildhall, Guildhall Square)

Portsmouth

Portsmouth: seeing double. Turn the dial to steady it.

Steady it to read where this is, what happened here and how to visit.

Portsmouth 1944 · Rochester 1950

An ocean apart

Mick Jones playing guitar on stage in 1979
Mick Jones on the Head Games tour at the Carolina Coliseum, Columbia, South Carolina, 25 November 1979. Thudfinger · CC BY-SA 4.0

England

Mick Jones, Portsmouth

Mick Jones was born in Portsmouth on 27 December 1944 and started playing guitar young.

In the early 1960s he played in Nero and the Gladiators, then wrote songs and played sessions in France for Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan.

He went on to Spooky Tooth and the Leslie West band, and played guitar on George Harrison’s Dark Horse (1974).

The columned front of Portsmouth Guildhall with its clock tower
Portsmouth Guildhall from Guildhall Square, 2014. Geni · CC BY-SA 4.0

A city on the south coast. Jones’s birthplace has no street in what we read, so the Guildhall, by Portsmouth and Southsea station, marks the city.

Sources
Lou Gramm singing on stage in 1979
Lou Gramm with Foreigner at the Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine, 23 October 1979. Misterweiss · CC BY-SA 3.0

America

Lou Gramm, Rochester

Lou Gramm was born Louis Grammatico in Rochester on 2 May 1950, the son of a singer and a band-leading trumpeter.

In 2016 he said on Rochester radio that Juke Box Hero was about him waiting outside the Rochester War Memorial to see Jimi Hendrix, when the show was sold out.

After Black Sheep broke up he went home to Rochester; Jones remembered the Black Sheep album Gramm had handed him in 1974 and sent him a plane ticket to New York.

The brick and glass arena on Exchange Boulevard in Rochester
The Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial, Exchange Boulevard and Broad Street, Rochester, April 2024. Warren LeMay · CC BY-SA 2.0

The arena opened as the Rochester Community War Memorial in 1955 and reopened, rebuilt, as the Blue Cross Arena in 1998.

Rochester’s downtown arena on the Genesee River, home of the Americans hockey team: go in with a ticket for a game or a show.

Sources

1841 Broadway · 1976–1979

Trigger, then Foreigner

The demo tape said Trigger. That name was taken, so Jones offered another: three of them were English and three American, so half the band would be foreign anywhere.

The debut was begun at the Hit Factory in November 1976 and finished at Atlantic Recording Studios. A first mix at Sarm Studios in London disappointed the band, so Jones, Ian McDonald and Jimmy Douglass remixed the album at Atlantic.

Head Games (1979) was recorded at Atlantic Studios in New York and mixed at Cherokee in Los Angeles.

Atlantic’s studios were at 1841 Broadway, on the corner of 60th Street, from 1959; they closed in 1990.

The studios have gone; see the corner of Broadway and 60th Street from the pavement, a block north of Columbus Circle. The photograph is Columbus Circle.

Sources
Columbus Circle at night with traffic and lit towers
Columbus Circle at night, 2019, a block south of Broadway and 60th Street. Rhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0

Double Vision

Gramm’s account

Recording with a small television taped inside his vocal booth, sound down, he watched the Rangers play the Flyers. A Ranger goalie was knocked down and taken off; the commentator said he was seeing double. That was the title.

The Rangers’ account

The team puts the game in April 1978, against the Buffalo Sabres, with the commentators saying “double vision” again and again.

The credits

On the album, Atlantic’s John Kalodner is credited twice: “John Kalodner: John Kalodner”. Jones came up with it.

Sources
The curved entrance of Electric Lady Studios on a Greenwich Village street
The entrance to Electric Lady Studios on West 8th Street, 2013. Jhsounds · CC BY-SA 3.0

52 West 8th Street · 1980–81

Noon to midnight

  1. 12:00

    Foreigner made 4 at Electric Lady with the producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange.

  2. 18:00

    The sessions ran for eight months, and the band’s start time crept from noon to midnight; the late nights gave the album its opening song, Night Life.

  3. 21:00

    Thomas Dolby played synthesizers; he took the call thinking Mick Jones of the Clash wanted him. Junior Walker played the saxophone solo on Urgent.

  4. 00:00

    4 spent ten weeks at No. 1 in the United States.

Ian McDonald and Al Greenwood had left in September 1980; the title marks both the fourth album and the four who remained. Jimi Hendrix commissioned the studio; it opened with a party on 26 August 1970.

A working studio with no public tours: see the curved front from West 8th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.

Sources
The Marlton Hotel

The Marlton Hotel

5 West 8th Street, Greenwich Village · See the site

A hotel at 5 West 8th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues: the same short block as Electric Lady. Its page says breakfast is included and shows no nightly rates. Pictured: Electric Lady’s front.

See rooms
Ian McDonald on stage with Foreigner in 1979
Ian McDonald on the Head Games tour at the Carolina Coliseum, 25 November 1979. Thudfinger · CC BY-SA 4.0
Al Greenwood at his keyboards on stage in 1979
Al Greenwood on the Head Games tour at the Carolina Coliseum, 25 November 1979. Thudfinger · CC BY-SA 4.0

Ian McDonald and Al Greenwood on the Head Games tour in November 1979, ten months before they left.

Right Track · Midtown · 1984

One take

Jones says the song began after he came back to England from New York, at an emotional time for him and the band.

He heard the New Jersey Mass Choir on a gospel album, drove out to watch them rehearse and heard the finished song in his head.

He recalls about 30 of the choir coming into Right Track; after a few careful takes they joined hands in a circle to pray, and then sang it in one take.

I Want to Know What Love Is reached No. 1 in Britain on 15 January 1985 and in the United States on 2 February. Right Track later merged with Sound on Sound; their successor, MSR, worked at 168 West 48th Street until June 2016 and moved to Montclair, New Jersey.

A Midtown street off Times Square. The studio has gone and the 1984 room is not identified, so the street is marked, not a door.

Sources
West 48th Street at Seventh Avenue with Times Square signs
West 48th Street at Seventh Avenue, 2015. Edgar El · CC BY 3.0

West 48th Street · the street, not the room

1978 – 2024

Five stages

A racetrack, a north London picture palace, a football stadium, the Garden and a lakefront museum.

Dennis Elliott at his drum kit on stage in 1979
Dennis Elliott on the Head Games tour at the Carolina Coliseum, 25 November 1979. Thudfinger · CC BY-SA 4.0
  1. The Ontario Convention Center under a clear sky
    The Ontario Convention Center, 2006, in the Ontario Center built on the speedway site. Mack Male · CC BY-SA 2.0

    18 March 1978

    Cal Jam II

    Ontario Motor Speedway site

    Foreigner played California Jam II at Ontario Motor Speedway on 18 March 1978, after nearly a year on the road, to more than 200,000 people.

    Aerosmith, Heart, Santana and Ted Nugent were on the bill; local radio carried it live, and many listened that way because the PA was poor.

    Nothing of the speedway is left. The Ontario Center covers the site: offices, hotels, a park and the convention centre.

    Sources
  2. The tall faience front of the former Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park
    The former Rainbow Theatre on Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, 2017. Peyoman · CC BY-SA 4.0

    27 April 1978

    The Rainbow, filmed

    Rainbow Theatre

    The original six played a sold-out show here on 27 April 1978, and it was filmed.

    The later release, Live at the Rainbow ’78, restored the original reels and remixed the sound.

    Now a church: see the front from Seven Sisters Road by Finsbury Park station, and go in only for its services.

    Sources
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    London

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  3. The colonnaded west front of Memorial Stadium in Champaign
    The west front of Memorial Stadium, Champaign, 2004. EnakoNosaj (English Wikipedia) · CC BY-SA 3.0

    22 September 1985

    Farm Aid

    Memorial Stadium, Champaign

    Foreigner played the first Farm Aid here on 22 September 1985, during their summer and autumn tour.

    The concert drew 80,000 people and raised over $9 million for American family farmers.

    The University of Illinois football stadium: see the colonnades from First Street, or go to a game.

    Sources
  4. The round drum of Madison Square Garden at dusk
    Madison Square Garden on Seventh Avenue, June 2019. Ajay Suresh · CC BY 2.0

    14 May 1988

    Atlantic at forty

    Madison Square Garden

    On 14 May 1988 Foreigner headlined Atlantic Records’ 40th anniversary concert here.

    It ended with I Want to Know What Love Is, with Phil Collins, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Roberta Flack and other Atlantic artists singing in the choir.

    The arena above Penn Station: go in with a ticket for a Rangers game or a concert.

    Sources
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    Manhattan, New York

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  5. The glass pyramid of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by the lake
    The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the Cleveland lakefront, May 2016. MusikAnimal · CC BY-SA 4.0

    2024

    The Hall of Fame

    Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

    Foreigner was inducted in 2024: Jones, Gramm, Dennis Elliott, Al Greenwood, Rick Wills, and the late Ian McDonald and Ed Gagliardi.

    The 2024 ceremony was held in Cleveland, the hall’s home.

    A museum on the lakefront, open daily from 10am; allow two to three hours. Card or phone payment only.

    Sources
    Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

    Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

    1100 East 9th Street, Cleveland · Adults $45 · ages 5 and under free

    The museum on the Cleveland lakefront, open daily from 10am (to 5pm September to June, to 9pm on Thursdays). Allow two to three hours; it is cashless.

    Plan a visit

Where it is now

In register: 10 places to go.

Atlantic’s corner on Broadway, Electric Lady, West 48th Street and the Garden are a day on the subway in Manhattan. The Rainbow is by Finsbury Park station, and Portsmouth is a train ride south. Rochester, Champaign, Cleveland and the old speedway in Ontario are trips of their own.

Where it is now

10 places you can visit, from the south coast of England to the Cleveland lakefront. Two studios have gone, and the speedway has been built over.

Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.

  • General reference · Restricted access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. The studios have gone; see the corner of Broadway and 60th Street from the pavement, a block north of Columbus Circle. The photograph is Columbus Circle.

  • General reference · Restricted access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working studio with no public tours: see the curved front from West 8th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.

  • General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: area · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A Midtown street off Times Square. The studio has gone and the 1984 room is not identified, so the street is marked, not a door.

  • General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. The arena above Penn Station: go in with a ticket for a Rangers game or a concert.

  1. Columbus Circle at night with traffic and lit towers
    Columbus Circle at night, 2019, a block south of Broadway and 60th Street. Rhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0

    1841 Broadway at West 60th Street, Manhattan (the studios closed in 1990)

    Atlantic Studios, 1841 Broadway

    The debut was begun at the Hit Factory in November 1976 and finished at Atlantic Recording Studios.

    The studios have gone; see the corner of Broadway and 60th Street from the pavement, a block north of Columbus Circle. The photograph is Columbus Circle.

    Sources
  2. The curved entrance of Electric Lady Studios on a Greenwich Village street
    The entrance to Electric Lady Studios on West 8th Street, 2013. Jhsounds · CC BY-SA 3.0

    52 West 8th Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan

    Electric Lady Studios

    Foreigner made 4 at Electric Lady with the producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange.

    A working studio with no public tours: see the curved front from West 8th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.

    Sources
  3. West 48th Street at Seventh Avenue with Times Square signs
    West 48th Street at Seventh Avenue, 2015. Edgar El · CC BY 3.0

    Midtown Manhattan (the 1984 room is not identified; its successor stood at 168 West 48th Street until 2016)

    Right Track Recording

    Jones says the song began after he came back to England from New York, at an emotional time for him and the band.

    A Midtown street off Times Square. The studio has gone and the 1984 room is not identified, so the street is marked, not a door.

    Sources
  4. The round drum of Madison Square Garden at dusk
    Madison Square Garden on Seventh Avenue, June 2019. Ajay Suresh · CC BY 2.0

    4 Pennsylvania Plaza, Seventh Avenue, Manhattan

    Madison Square Garden

    On 14 May 1988 Foreigner headlined Atlantic Records’ 40th anniversary concert here.

    The arena above Penn Station: go in with a ticket for a Rangers game or a concert.

    Sources

Stay

A room on West 8th Street.

A hotel on the same block as Electric Lady.

The Marlton Hotel

The Marlton Hotel

5 West 8th Street, Greenwich Village · See the site

A hotel at 5 West 8th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues: the same short block as Electric Lady. Its page says breakfast is included and shows no nightly rates. Pictured: Electric Lady’s front.

See rooms

Go there

A museum and two walks.

The Rock Hall in Cleveland, and music walks in New York and London.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

1100 East 9th Street, Cleveland · Adults $45 · ages 5 and under free

The museum on the Cleveland lakefront, open daily from 10am (to 5pm September to June, to 9pm on Thursdays). Allow two to three hours; it is cashless.

Plan a visit
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New York music tours

Manhattan, New York

Live marketplace results for rock and music history walks in Manhattan. Check each itinerary for the stops it really makes.

Live marketplace results · itineraries change

Compare tours
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London rock walks

London

Live marketplace results for London rock and roll walking tours. Few will reach Finsbury Park, so check the route.

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What’s on

Nothing we could confirm.

The band’s tour page loads its dates from a service we could not read, so check it directly.

No current dated events are listed. Check providers for the latest programme.

Take it home

Two records.

Double Vision (1978) and 4 (1981), on Atlantic.

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Double Vision

Foreigner · LP, Atlantic, 1978

The second album, released in June 1978; the credits list John Kalodner twice.

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4

Foreigner · LP, Atlantic, 1981

Made over eight months at Electric Lady with Mutt Lange; ten weeks at No. 1 in the US.

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Dates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.

The full record

Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.

10 of 10 places · 14 of 14 Moments

  • Portsmouth

    Portsmouth, Hampshire (marked at the Guildhall, Guildhall Square)

    • Portsmouth

      Mick Jones is born in Portsmouth and takes up the guitar.

  • Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial

    1 Exchange Boulevard, Rochester, New York

    • Rochester

      Lou Gramm grows up in Rochester; outside the sold-out War Memorial he hears the idea that becomes Juke Box Hero.

    • A plane ticket

      After forty or fifty singers, Jones sends Gramm a ticket from Rochester to New York.

  • Atlantic Studios, 1841 Broadway

    1841 Broadway at West 60th Street, Manhattan (the studios closed in 1990)

    • Trigger becomes Foreigner

      The demo says Trigger; the name is taken, so Jones proposes Foreigner: three English, three American.

    • The first album

      Begun at the Hit Factory, finished and remixed at Atlantic, released in March 1977.

    • Head Games

      The third album is recorded at Atlantic, with Rick Wills on bass.

  • Electric Lady Studios

    52 West 8th Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan

    • Noon to midnight

      Eight months with Mutt Lange at Electric Lady make 4, ten weeks at No. 1.

  • Right Track Recording

    Midtown Manhattan (the 1984 room is not identified; its successor stood at 168 West 48th Street until 2016)

    • One take

      About 30 singers of the New Jersey Mass Choir pray in a circle, then sing their part in one take.

  • Rainbow Theatre

    232 Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, London

    • The Rainbow, filmed

      The original six play a sold-out, filmed show in north London.

  • Ontario Motor Speedway site

    Ontario Center, Ontario, California (the speedway was demolished in 1981–82)

    • California Jam II

      Over 200,000 people at a racetrack in Ontario, California.

  • Madison Square Garden

    4 Pennsylvania Plaza, Seventh Avenue, Manhattan

    • Double Vision

      Gramm, watching a muted hockey game on a small television taped inside his vocal booth, hears that the goalie has double vision; the Rangers’ own account places it at a Rangers–Sabres game in April 1978. The album credits John Kalodner twice.

    • Atlantic at forty

      Foreigner headlines Atlantic’s 40th anniversary at the Garden and closes with the label’s artists as the choir.

  • Memorial Stadium, Champaign

    1402 South First Street, Champaign, Illinois

    • Farm Aid

      Foreigner plays the first Farm Aid in Champaign.

  • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

    1100 East 9th Street, Cleveland, Ohio

    • The Hall of Fame

      Foreigner is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; the ceremony is in Cleveland.

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