I DON’T WANT TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU
FOREIGNER
SONGWRITER: MICHAEL LESLIE JONES
COUNTRY: U. K. X U. S. A.
ALBUM: INSIDE INFORMATION
LABEL: ATLANTIC RECORDS
GENRE: ROCK
YEAR: 1987
Foreigner is a British-American rock band,
originally formed in New York City in 1976 by veteran British guitarist and songwriter Mick Jones and fellow Briton and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald,
along with American vocalist Lou Gramm. Jones
came up with the band's name as he, McDonald and Dennis Elliott were British, whereas Gramm, Al Greenwood and Ed Gagliardi were
American.
In 1977 Foreigner released its self-titled debut album, the first of four straight albums to be certified at
least 5x platinum in the US. Foreigner peaked at Nº 4 on the US album chart and in the Top 10 in Canada and
Australia, while yielding two Top 10 hits in North America, "Feels Like
the First Time" and "Cold as Ice".
Their 1978 follow-up, Double Vision,
was even more successful peaking at Nº 3 in North America with two hit singles,
“Hot Blooded” a Nº 3
hit in both countries, and the title track,
a US Nº 2 and a Canadian Nº 7. Foreigner's third album, Head Games(1979),
went to Nº 5 in North America producing two Top 20 singles, including its title track.
Reduced to a quartet, their álbum 4(1981)
hit Nº 1(for 10 weeks) in the US and Nº 2 in Canada, while becoming Foreigner's
break-through album outside of North America, going Top 5 in the UK, Germany
and Australia. Three of 4’s singles were hits: "Urgent"
reached Nº 1 in Canada and on the new US Rock Tracks chart, rose to Nº 4 on the
US Hot 100 and became their first Top 15 hit in Germany; the ballad “Waiting for a
Girl Like You” peaked at Nº 2 in both the US(for
a record 10 weeks) and Canada, topped the US Rock Tracks chart and became their
first Top 10 hit in the UK and Australia; and "Juke Box Hero"
reached Nº 3 on the Rock Tracks chart and the Top 30 on the Hot 100. In 1982
Foreigner released its first greatest hits album, Records, which
has gone on to sell 7 million copies in the US. In 1984 Foreigner had its
biggest hit single, the anthemic ballad "I Want to
Know What Love Is", which topped the US, UK,
Canadian and Australian charts, while hitting Nº 3 in Germany and the Top 10 in
numerous other countries. Its source album, Agent
Provocateur, was the band's most successful
in the UK, Germany and some other countries in Europe, where it peaked at Nº 1,
and in Australia where it peaked at Nº 3, while making the Top 5 in the US and
Canada.
After a break, Foreigner released Inside
Information(1987), which despite the Nº 6 US
and Australian hit, “Say You Will” (which also rose to Nº 1 on the US Rock
Tracks chart), had a large sales drop-off, only hitting the Top 10 in a few
European countries with a Nº 15 peak in the US. The band's most recent albums, Unusual Heat(1991),
without Gramm, who departed due to the band's shift towards the use of
synthesizers, Mr. Moonlight(1994),
with Gramm back on vocals, and Can't Slow
Down(2009), once again without Gramm, were not
major sellers; the highest chart positions were obtained in Germany, where the
last album peaked at Nº 16. Foreigner is one of the world's
best-selling bands of all time with worldwide
sales of more than 80 million records, including 37.5 million in the US. Leader
Mick Jones has been for many years the only founding member still involved.
Inside Information is the sixth studio album
by the British-American rock band Foreigner,
released on December 8, 1987. The album debuted at 15, on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart
and was certified Platinum in
the U.S. for sales
exceeding one million copies. Although a huge standard by any country's
charting method, the band's sales were certainly plummeting since the release
of 4 in 1981. It was the last album to feature the '80s core lineup of Gramm,
Jones, Wills, and Elliott.
"Say You Will"
was released as the album's first single. Allmusic later noted that the single was a "good example" of the
band's "balancing act" as "the guitar-heavy style of their early
work gave way to slick arrangements that pushed electronics to the
fore...temper(ing) its rock guitar edge...and Lou Gramm's quasi-operatic
vocals...by thick layers of chiming synthesizers and an array of electronic
textures." The single reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became their fourth #1 hit on the Billboard Hot
Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, holding
the top spot for four weeks. The song also became the band's third-highest
charting hit in Germany, where
it reached #22, faring even better in Switzerland,
the Netherlands, and
particularly Norway, where it reached #4. A rare CD single featured an
extended remix version of the track.
The
second single, "I Don't Want to Live Without You",
reached #5 on the Hot 100. Markedly softer than any of their
work to date, the record was their first and only #1 on the Adult
Contemporary chart, after the more rousing
ballads "Waiting for a
Girl Like You" and "I Want to
Know What Love Is" had reached #5 and #3 on
that chart respectively. Allmusic would later observe that while "the end
result lacked the distinctive rock touches of past Foreigner ballads, "Lou Gramm"
contributes a lead vocal that avoids histrionics in favor of an emotional but
very smooth delivery" over "washes of synthesizer...fleshed out by
some meditative electric piano riffs". Nevertheless, the song charted at
mainstream rock radio, where it peaked at #18. The #5 Hot 100 peak was their best showing in six
singles, yet despite being followed up by more impassioned, up-tempo material
it would be their last major pop hit to date.
Further singles from the album included
"Heart Turns to Stone", which had peaked at #7 on the Hot
Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in an
earlier non-commercial release only to rock radio but only managed #56 on the
Hot 100 several months later in 1988, and the harder "Can't Wait",
which matched the #18 Mainstream Rock Tracks charting of "I Don't Want to
Live Without You" but failed to crack the Hot 100, as it was a
non-commercial release except in Canada. The following year saw a successful solo album and singles from Lou Gramm and found Mick Jones releasing an album and producing for artists including Billy Joel.
"Out
of the Blue" was notable for being the only song in the band's catalog to
be credited to all four members from the classic 80's lineup.
I find myself in a
strange situation
And I don't know how
What seemed to be an infatuation
Is so different now
I can't get by if we're not together
Ooh can't you see
Girl, I want you now and forever
Close to me
I'm longing for the time
I'm longing for the day
Hoping that you will promise to be mine
And never go away
I don't want to live
without you
I don't want to live without you
I could never live without you
Live without your love
I ask myself but
there's no explanation
For the way I feel
I know I've reached the right destination
And I know it's real
I'm longing for the
time
I'm longing for the day
When I'll be giving you this heart of mine
Believe me when I say
I don't want to live
without you
I don't want to live without you
I could never live without you
Live without your love
Now I don't want to
live without you
I don't want to live without you
I could never be without you
Be without your love
I don't want to live
without you
Live without your love
(Live without your love)
Live without your love
(Live without your love)
You see I'm lost without your love
(Live without your love) oh, oh.
Postagens
