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Cover of 4 by Foreigner
Cover: 4

Song · Foreigner

“Urgent” by Foreigner

From the album 4 (1981)

“Urgent” by Foreigner appears on 65 radio countdowns from 29 stations between 1981 and 2026. It was first released in 1981 on the album 4. Its best result is #18 on the KISW 25 Biggest Rock Songs from 1981. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #55 alternative song of 1981.

65countdowns
29stations
#18best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1981–2026years charted

Watch

Foreigner - Urgent (Official Music Video)

Video from YouTube (RHINO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Urgent" was the first single off Foreigner's 4 in 1981, and it very nearly stayed a scrap on a tape. Producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, then best known for his work with AC/DC, asked Mick Jones to play him every idea he had, no matter how embarrassing, and the riff that opens the song was one Jones had filed away as an experimental instrumental. Lange heard the potential, and the band built it into a song at Electric Lady Studios.

Jones called it a quirky hybrid of rock and soul, and it struts like one: Lou Gramm prowling the verses, Thomas Dolby's synthesizer pulsing, Dennis Elliott and Rick Wills locked into a tight, funky pocket, and Junior Walker tearing off a honking saxophone solo. Jones wrote the words and music and played both lead and rhythm guitar.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1981 55 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1981 106
1981 18 KISW Seattle-Tacoma, WA KISW 25 Biggest Rock Songs from 1981 25

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1982 134 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1994 221 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1996 509 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1996 279 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1997 87 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1997 362 104.5 KZEP KZEP Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997) 500
1998 630 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 530 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2002 777 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2004 778 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2011 688 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2011 179 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2012 705 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 445 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2013 279 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 497 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 411 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2014 337 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 60 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 219 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2016 930 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 334 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2016 259 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 420 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2017 208 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2017 138 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2017 433 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2018 430 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2018 278 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 324 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 385 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 175 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 417 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 954 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2020 666 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 265 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 261 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2021 270 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 424 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 245 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 268 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 295 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 451 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2022 414 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 240 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 423 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 134 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2022 88 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 237 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 469 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2023 441 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 240 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 423 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 196 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 306 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2024 251 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 271 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 412 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 378 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 511 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2025 634 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 228 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2026 106 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2026) 500

Charting alongside it in 1981

Best songs of 1981 →
  1. 1Start Me UpThe Rolling Stones
  2. 2Tom SawyerRush
  3. 3I Love Rock-N-RollJoan Jett
  4. 4Every Little Thing She Does Is MagicThe Police
  5. 5Jukebox HeroForeigner
  6. 6For Those About to RockAC/DC

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