Urgent
Encyclopedia
"Urgent" is a song by the Anglo
-American
rock
band
Foreigner
, and the first single from their hit album 4
in 1981.
to program and play synthesizer
. Dolby's work can be heard on "Urgent", along with a saxophone solo by Motown great Junior Walker.
chart, holding that spot for the entire month of September. "Urgent" hit #1 on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart, a position it held for four weeks.
"Urgent" was the most successful single from the 4
album on album-oriented rock
radio, though it was outsold by the album's next single, "Waiting for a Girl Like You
", which reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1981 and remained at that spot through the end of the following January, for a total of ten weeks, being certified Gold. 4 went Gold and Platinum during the chart run of the "Urgent" single. The album has since been certified multi-platinum by the RIAA, for selling over six million copies in the U.S. alone.
The song was Foreigner's second-best-selling single (after "I Want to Know What Love Is
") in both Canada
and Sweden
, reaching #1 in Canada in September 1981 and #20 in Sweden in March 1982. In Australia, "Urgent" peaked at #24 in August 1981. In the UK, the song reached only #54 upon its first release in 1981. In 1982, after "Waiting for a Girl Like You" went Top Ten there, "Urgent" was re-released, this time reaching only slightly higher, peaking at #45.
.
A live concert version by the 2005 incarnation of the band, featuring Kelly Hansen
on vocals, can be heard on the release Extended Versions.
film Desperately Seeking Susan
.
Electro-pop/R&B singer Shannon
recorded a version of the Foreigner hit for her 1985
album Do You Wanna Get Away
. Foreigner's label, Atlantic Records
, distributed Mirage, the label for the Shannon release. The song was the album's fourth single, peaking at #68 for two weeks on Billboard's R&B Singles chart in November and December 1985. A 12" remix of the mid-tempo track was not the major dance hit of her previous releases.
French singer Cherie
samples the intro guitar riff from the Foreigner recording for her debut single "I'm Ready" in 2004.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
, and the first single from their hit album 4
4 (Foreigner album)
-Foreigner:*Lou Gramm – Lead vocal, percussion*Mick Jones – guitar, keyboards, background vocal*Rick Wills – bass, background vocal*Dennis Elliott – drums, vocals, background vocal-Additional personnel:...
in 1981.
Recording
Foreigner went into the studio with producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, best known at the time as producer of hard rock band AC/DC. Foreigner's sound wasn't quite as heavy, and the band worked with then-unknown Thomas DolbyThomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby is an English musician and producer. Best known for his 1982 hit "She Blinded Me with Science", and 1984 single "Hyperactive!", he has also worked extensively in production and as a session musician.-Early life:Dolby was born in London, England, contrary to information in early 1980s...
to program and play synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
. Dolby's work can be heard on "Urgent", along with a saxophone solo by Motown great Junior Walker.
Chart performance
The song entered the U.S. pop charts the week ending July 4, 1981, and reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart, holding that spot for the entire month of September. "Urgent" hit #1 on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart, a position it held for four weeks.
"Urgent" was the most successful single from the 4
4 (Foreigner album)
-Foreigner:*Lou Gramm – Lead vocal, percussion*Mick Jones – guitar, keyboards, background vocal*Rick Wills – bass, background vocal*Dennis Elliott – drums, vocals, background vocal-Additional personnel:...
album on album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
radio, though it was outsold by the album's next single, "Waiting for a Girl Like You
Waiting for a Girl Like You
"Waiting for a Girl like You" is a song by British-American rock band Foreigner. The distinctive synthesizer theme was performed by the then-unknown Thomas Dolby.-Chart performance:...
", which reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1981 and remained at that spot through the end of the following January, for a total of ten weeks, being certified Gold. 4 went Gold and Platinum during the chart run of the "Urgent" single. The album has since been certified multi-platinum by the RIAA, for selling over six million copies in the U.S. alone.
The song was Foreigner's second-best-selling single (after "I Want to Know What Love Is
I Want to Know What Love Is
"I Want to Know What Love Is" is a 1984 power ballad recorded by the British-American rock band Foreigner. The song hit #1 in both the UK and the U.S. and is the band's biggest hit...
") in both Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, reaching #1 in Canada in September 1981 and #20 in Sweden in March 1982. In Australia, "Urgent" peaked at #24 in August 1981. In the UK, the song reached only #54 upon its first release in 1981. In 1982, after "Waiting for a Girl Like You" went Top Ten there, "Urgent" was re-released, this time reaching only slightly higher, peaking at #45.
Track listings
- 1981: "Urgent" b/w "Girl on the Moon" (Atlantic 3831) US 7" single
- 1981: "Urgent" b/w "Girl on the Moon" (Atlantic 11665) UK 7" single
- 1982: "Urgent" b/w "Head Games" (live) (Atlantic 11728) UK 7" single
- 1982: "Urgent" b/w "Head Games" (live)/"Hot Blooded" (live) (Atlantic 11728) UK 12" single
Other versions
Foreigner performs a live version of the song on the 1993 album Classic Hits LiveClassic Hits Live/Best of Live
Classic Hits Live is Foreigner's first live album. It was released in 1993, and contains live versions of many of their well-known songs all of which were taken from various concerts between 1978 and 1988.-Track listing:# "Double Vision"# "Cold as Ice"...
.
A live concert version by the 2005 incarnation of the band, featuring Kelly Hansen
Kelly Hansen
Kelly Hansen is an American singer, best known as the current frontman of the rock band Foreigner. He started his career as an independent studio singer. He later met guitarist Robert Sarzo and bassist Tony Cavazo , with whom he formed the hard-rock band Hurricane in 1984...
on vocals, can be heard on the release Extended Versions.
Cover versions
Junior Walker, who played saxophone on the Foreigner recording, recorded his own version for the 1983 All-Stars album Blow the House Down. Walker's version was also featured in the 1985 MadonnaMadonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
film Desperately Seeking Susan
Desperately Seeking Susan
Desperately Seeking Susan is a 1985 American comedy-drama film directed by Susan Seidelman and starring Rosanna Arquette and Madonna.-Plot:...
.
Electro-pop/R&B singer Shannon
Shannon (singer)
Shannon is an American singer. She is best known for her 1983 million-selling record, "Let the Music Play". The record re-defined the electro funk sound that would eventually be called freestyle music.-Biography:...
recorded a version of the Foreigner hit for her 1985
1985 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1985.-January–March:*January 1 - The newest music video channel, VH-1, debuts on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV...
album Do You Wanna Get Away
Do You Wanna Get Away (album)
- 2006 CD reissue bonus tracks :- Chart positions :...
. Foreigner's label, Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, distributed Mirage, the label for the Shannon release. The song was the album's fourth single, peaking at #68 for two weeks on Billboard's R&B Singles chart in November and December 1985. A 12" remix of the mid-tempo track was not the major dance hit of her previous releases.
French singer Cherie
Cherie
Cherie is a French pop and dance music singer whose 2004 hit "I'm Ready" hit #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.- Singles :*I'm Ready*Older Than My Years *Betcha Never-See also:...
samples the intro guitar riff from the Foreigner recording for her debut single "I'm Ready" in 2004.
In popular culture
- The song is a downloadable content for Rock Band 3Rock Band 3Rock Band 3 is a music video game, developed by Harmonix Music Systems. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, with Mad Catz taking over both roles a year later. It is the third main game in the Rock Band series...
. - It has been heard on ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's Monday Night FootballMonday Night FootballMonday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
telecasts in the 2011 NFL season2011 NFL seasonThe 2011 NFL season, the 92nd regular season of the National Football League, began on Thursday, September 8, 2011 with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers defeating the New Orleans Saints 42–34 at Lambeau Field and will end with Super Bowl XLVI, the league's championship game, on...
.
See also
- List of RPM number-one singles of 1981
- List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States)