Foreigner’s upcoming reissue of their 1981 album, “4,” will feature a newly completed track with original singer Lou Gramm on vocals.
Foreigner bassist Jeff Pilson shared details during a recent appearance on Chile’s Radio Futuro, as transcribed by Blabbermouth.
“To Foreigner fans, they kind of consider it the pinnacle. It was just an incredible masterpiece of a record,” Pilson said, describing the legacy of “4.” “I mean, it’s a record where every song is great and most Foreigner fans relate to everything on there. So it’s a very important record for Foreigner fans.”
“We found an unfinished song in all the files,” Pilson continued. “The song had one verse in it, and Lou had sung one verse and he sang the chorus. And it was great, but it was only one verse. He was mumbling the second verse. So we called Lou. We said, ‘What do you think about finishing and singing the song?’ So he said, ‘Absolutely.’ He wrote and finished two verses and sang them. He added cowbell. And we have now a new, old Foreigner song that will be on the Foreigner 4 release coming out in September. The song is called ‘Fool If You Love Him,’ and it came out great.”
Gramm working on material with his former band seemed unlikely until recently. The singer had been estranged from Foreigner for nearly 40 years, making only occasional appearances while expressing his disappointment about his relationship with guitarist Mick Jones. However, after Foreigner was announced as part of the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class, Gramm helped finish the long-abandoned ’90s track “Turning Back the Time.” During the induction, where Gramm performed with current Foreigner members, relations improved.
“Something happened at the Rock Hall where something happened and we all kind of came together,” Pilson said. “There was almost like a meeting of the minds, and we all kind of realized Foreigner is bigger than all of us. It’s a power bigger than all of us. It’s the music that we’ve all tapped into, we’re all a small part of it, but we’re all part of this greater whole.”
Gramm has joined Foreigner onstage a few times since the induction and will officially reunite with the group for a brief tour in Latin America.
“We’re very excited to have Lou with us,” Pilson said. “The fact that he’s decided to appear as a special guest with us is just an incredible thing. He’s been very, very supportive.”