Peak
26
Weeks
13
Score
1,353
Chart Year
1982
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This song was written by Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones and lead singer Lou Gramm. In our interview with Mick Jones, he said: "That stemmed from an experience that we had, I think it was in Cincinnati. We'd gone to the arena for a sound check, and it was pouring down rain, and there were a bunch of fans waiting at the door when we went in. When we came back for the show later on, all that was left was one lonely fan, a young guy waiting out there in the rain, soaked to the skin. I thought, well, he's waiting like five hours here, maybe we'll take him in and give him a glimpse of what happens backstage at a show. And this kid was just mesmerized with everything. I saw this look in his eyes, and I thought, he's seeing this for the first time, he's having this experience. And I just imagined what was going through his mind. And I'd been toying with this title, 'Juke Box Hero,' I thought it was almost a satire on what we did and how it was perceived from an audience level, and public. That's how it originated." Mutt Lange produced the 4 album with Mick Jones. Lange is one of the most successful producers in Rock, with AC/DC's Back In Black and Def Leppard's Pyromania to his credit. Jones has some impressive credentials as well, co-producing Van Halen's 5150 and Billy Joel's Storm Front. Regarding his work with Lange on 4, Jones said: "We spent a lot of time in the studio making that album. Probably more than we needed, to be truthful. But those were the days of excessive studio experiences (laughing). These days, I draw on that experience every time I try to produce or co-produce, because I always felt that I could benefit from somebody else's ears." Lou Gramm has a strong connection with this song - he named his 2013 autobiography Juke Box Hero: My Five Decades in Rock n' Roll. In 2015, he told us that it is one of his favorite songs to perform, but also the hardest to sing live. Before he was a singer, Lou Gramm was a drummer. The menacing beat at the beginning of the song that builds to combustion is his influence: he says that when he writes songs, he starts with the beat and looks for interesting rhythms. When Foreigner was filling arenas, this was a showstopper - an anthem that drove the crowd wild. They had a visual to go with it: midway through the song, a 20-foot juke box would inflate near the side of the stage. Keeping the monster Wurlitzer out of the lighting could pose a problem, but it was not nearly as cumbersome as the Black Sabbath Stonehenge. At the closing guitar sting, the juke box would "explode" (it would actually deflate so they could use it again on the next stop, but pyrotechnics gave the illusion of combustion). In 2018, Foreigner launched Jukebox Hero, the musical, at some theaters in Canada with hopes of bringing the show to Broadway. Sixteen Foreigner songs are used in the production, which is set in a Pennsylvania factory town where one of their own becomes a rock star.
Standing in the rain, with his head hung low Couldn't get a ticket, it was a sold out show Heard the roar of the crowd, he could picture the scene Put his ear to the wall, then like a distant scream He heard one guitar, just blew him away He saw stars in his eyes, and the very next day Bought a beat up six string, in a secondhand store Didn't know how to play it, but he knew for sure That one guitar, felt good in his hands Didn't take long, to understand Just one guitar, slung way down low Was a one way ticket, only one way to go So he started rockin', ain't never gonna stop Gotta keep on rockin', someday gonna make it to the top And be a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes He's a juke box hero He took one guitar (juke box hero, stars in his eyes) Juke box hero, (stars in his eyes) he'll come alive tonight In a town without a name, in a heavy downpour Thought he passed his own shadow, by the backstage door Like a trip through the past, to that day in the rain And that one guitar, made his whole life change Now he needs to keep on rockin', he just can't stop Gotta keep on rockin', that boy has got to stay on top And be a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes He's a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes Yeah, juke box hero, stars in his eyes With that one guitar (stars in his eyes) He'll come alive, come alive tonight, woah Yeah, he's gotta keep on rockin', just can't stop Gotta keep on rockin', that boy has got to stay on top And be a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes He's a juke box hero, got stars in his eyes (Just one guitar) juke box hero, got stars in his eyes How he's just a juke box hero, aah aah aah Juke box (stars) hero, (stars, stars) juke box hero, (stars, stars) He's got stars in his eyes, stars in his eyes
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feb 13, 1982 | 73 | 53 |
| 2 | Feb 20, 1982 | 61 | 65 |
| 3 | Feb 27, 1982 | 50 | 76 |
| 4 | Mar 6, 1982 | 39 | 87 |
| 5 | Mar 13, 1982 | 35 | 91 |
| 6 | Mar 20, 1982 | 31 | 95 |
| 7 | Mar 27, 1982 | 30 | 96 |
| 8 | Apr 3, 1982 | 26 | 100 |
| 9 | Apr 10, 1982 | 26 | 100 |
| 10 | Apr 17, 1982 | 75 | 51 |
| 11 | Apr 24, 1982 | 75 | 51 |
| 12 | May 1, 1982 | 99 | 27 |
| 13 | May 8, 1982 | 100 | 26 |