Most of Foreigner's songs were written by founder and guitarist Mick Jones, often with lead singer Lou Gramm. The two were inducted together into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013 for that body of work. Jones wrote or co-wrote nearly every Foreigner single.
By the Numbers
9
Studio Albums
95
Tracks Credited
99%
Self-Written
80 million+
Records Sold
50
Years Active
32
Collaborators
Authorship Breakdown 94 / 95 self-written
Who wrote the songs?
Across all 95 tracks: how many Foreigner wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
Foreigner has a writing credit99%
26%
73%
1%
Sole author25tracks26%
Co-written69tracks73%
Outside writers1tracks1%
Role Fingerprint how they contribute
Foreigner's roles across the catalogue
Share of all 95 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Lyricist (words)98%
Composer (music)96%
Producer99%
Performer100%
Member Credit Breakdown share of tracks each member is credited on
Percentage of all 95 tracks, across every album, where each member holds a credit - split by role.
Member
Period
Lyrics
Music
Production
Performance
Mick Jones
1976-present
92%
93%
99%
100%
Lou Gramm Former
1976-1990, 1992-2003
52%
0%
12%
74%
Ian McDonald Former
1976-1980
2%
4%
21%
32%
Al Greenwood Former
1976-1980
2%
3%
0%
32%
Ed Gagliardi Former
1976-1979
0%
0%
0%
21%
Dennis Elliott Former
1976-1991
1%
1%
0%
75%
Rick Wills Former
1979-1992
1%
1%
0%
54%
Johnny Edwards Former
1990-1992
11%
11%
0%
12%
Kelly Hansen Former
2005-2025
11%
11%
0%
14%
Jeff Pilson
2004-present
0%
0%
0%
14%
Michael Bluestein
2008-present
0%
0%
0%
14%
Bruce Watson
2011-present
0%
0%
0%
0%
Chris Frazier
2012-present
0%
0%
0%
0%
Luis Maldonado
2025-present
0%
0%
0%
0%
Authorship Over Time writing credit per album
Foreigner's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
avg 99%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
92%
1977Foreigner
1978Double Vision
1979Head Games
19814
1984Agent Provocateur
1987Inside Information
1991Unusual Heat
1994Mr. Moonlight
2009Can't Slow Down
Early · 100% written
Mid · 100% written
Late · 97% written
Authorship by Decade track-weighted
100%
1970s
Foreigner, Double Vision +1 more
100%
1980s
4, Agent Provocateur +1 more
100%
1990s
Unusual Heat, Mr. Moonlight
92%
2000s
Can't Slow Down
Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author
Where Foreigner sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
Foreigner
Other artists on the site
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
Written by Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, Michael Leslie Jones, Louis Grammatico
Co-wrote
Long, Long Way from Home
Foreigner
Written by Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, Ian McDonald, Michael Leslie Jones, Louis Grammatico
Co-wrote
Hot Blooded
Double Vision
Written by Lou Gramm, Louis Grammatico
Co-wrote
Double Vision
Double Vision
Written by Lou Gramm, Mick Jones, Louis Grammatico, Michael Leslie Jones
Co-wrote
Blue Morning, Blue Day
Double Vision
Written by Lou Gramm, Mick Jones, Louis Grammatico, Michael Leslie Jones
Co-wrote
Dirty White Boy
Head Games
Written by Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, Michael Leslie Jones, Louis Grammatico
Co-wrote
Head Games
Head Games
Written by Lou Gramm, Mick Jones, Louis Grammatico, Michael Leslie Jones
Co-wrote
Women
Head Games
Written by Mick Jones, Michael Leslie Jones
Wrote it
Urgent
4
Written by Mick Jones, Michael Leslie Jones
Wrote it
Waiting for a Girl Like You
4
Written by Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, Michael Leslie Jones, Louis Grammatico
Co-wrote
Juke Box Hero
4
Written by Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, Michael Leslie Jones, Louis Grammatico
Co-wrote
I Want to Know What Love Is
Agent Provocateur
Written by Mick Jones, Michael Leslie Jones
Wrote it
That Was Yesterday
Agent Provocateur
Written by Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, Michael Leslie Jones, Louis Grammatico
Co-wrote
Say You Will
Inside Information
Written by Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, Michael Leslie Jones, Louis Grammatico
Co-wrote
I Don't Want to Live Without You
Inside Information
Written by Mick Jones, Michael Leslie Jones
Wrote it
Heart Turns to Stone
Inside Information
Written by Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, Michael Leslie Jones, Louis Grammatico
Co-wrote
Lowdown and Dirty
Unusual Heat
Written by Mick Jones, Johnny Edwards, Terry Thomas, Michael Leslie Jones
Co-wrote
White Lie
Mr. Moonlight
Written by Lou Gramm, Mick Jones, Louis Grammatico, Michael Leslie Jones
Co-wrote
When It Comes to Love
Can't Slow Down
Written by Mick Jones, Kelly Hansen, Marti Frederiksen, Michael Leslie Jones
Co-wrote
In Pieces
Can't Slow Down
Written by Mick Jones, Kelly Hansen, Marti Frederiksen, Michael Leslie Jones
Co-wrote
None of the signature songs above fall in this category.
Discography 9 albums
Covers all nine Foreigner studio albums, from the 1977 self-titled debut through Can't Slow Down (2009). Live albums, compilations such as Records, and the 1981 EP are outside this scope.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. TT Terry Thomas · MS Mike Stone · JJ Jeff Jacobs · BT Bruce Turgon
The Authorship Story
Data Insight
Foreigner is really a two-man writing operation inside a larger band. Founder and guitarist Mick Jones wrote or co-wrote nearly everything, and for the peak years he shared the pen with singer Lou Gramm, so almost every credit runs through Michael Leslie Jones and Louis Grammatico, the pair's legal names. Jones kept the biggest ballads for himself: he wrote 'I Want to Know What Love Is' and 'I Don't Want to Live Without You' alone, the pop direction that eventually pushed Gramm out. When Gramm left, the writing narrowed to Jones with whoever was singing, Johnny Edwards and Terry Thomas on Unusual Heat, then Kelly Hansen and Marti Frederiksen on Can't Slow Down. The rest of the lineup rarely writes, which is why the authorship map stays fixed on Jones no matter who else is in the room.
Quick Facts
Multi-platinum runSix consecutive Foreigner albums were certified multi-platinum between 1977 and 1984.
Signature number one'I Want to Know What Love Is' topped the charts in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia in 1984 and 1985.
Only constant memberGuitarist Mick Jones founded the band in 1976 and is its sole continuous member.
Classic voiceLou Gramm sang lead on the band's biggest hits from 1976 to 1990 and again from 1992 to 2003.
Songwriters Hall of FameMick Jones and Lou Gramm were inducted as songwriters in 2013.
Rock HallForeigner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024 after more than two decades of eligibility.
Creative Fingerprint
A band whose songs were written almost entirely by founder-guitarist Mick Jones, usually with singer Lou Gramm, making a two-man writing core the source of the material for a larger performing lineup.
The Story
Foreigner is an Anglo-American rock band formed in New York City in 1976 by British guitarist Mick Jones, who has remained its only constant member across every lineup. For its classic run the band paired Jones with American singer Lou Gramm, and the two became the songwriting core behind a string of arena-rock hits, from 'Feels Like the First Time' and 'Cold as Ice' to 'Juke Box Hero,' 'Urgent,' and the worldwide number one 'I Want to Know What Love Is.' Six consecutive albums between 1977 and 1984 were certified multi-platinum, and the group has sold more than 80 million records. Jones and Gramm were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013, and the band entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024. Nine studio albums span the catalog, from the 1977 debut through 2009's Can't Slow Down, with Kelly Hansen fronting the modern touring lineup.
Awards & Recognition
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee (2024)
Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees: Mick Jones and Lou Gramm (2013)
Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist (1978)
Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, for '4' (1982)
Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, for 'I Want to Know What Love Is' (1986)
Frequently Asked Questions Foreigner
Who wrote Foreigner's songs?
Most of Foreigner's songs were written by founder and guitarist Mick Jones, often with lead singer Lou Gramm. The two were inducted together into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013 for that body of work. Jones wrote or co-wrote nearly every Foreigner single.
Who wrote 'I Want to Know What Love Is'?
Mick Jones wrote 'I Want to Know What Love Is' on his own. Released in 1984 on the album Agent Provocateur, it topped the charts in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. The recording features Jennifer Holliday and the New Jersey Mass Choir on backing vocals.
Who is the only original member of Foreigner?
Guitarist Mick Jones is the only original member who has stayed with Foreigner since he founded it in 1976. Every other musician in the band has since been replaced. Jones has continued as bandleader even while reducing his touring.
How many albums did Foreigner release?
Foreigner released nine studio albums between 1977 and 2009, starting with the self-titled Foreigner and running through Can't Slow Down. The band's peak run of six consecutive multi-platinum albums came between 1977 and 1984.
Who sang for Foreigner?
Lou Gramm was the classic lead voice of Foreigner from 1976 to 1990 and from 1992 to 2003, singing the band's biggest hits. Johnny Edwards fronted the band briefly from 1990 to 1992. Kelly Hansen took over as lead singer from 2005 to 2025.
Did Mick Jones and Lou Gramm write together?
Yes. Jones and Gramm co-wrote many of Foreigner's hits, including 'Urgent,' 'Juke Box Hero,' and 'Waiting for a Girl Like You.' Their partnership was recognized by their joint 2013 induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Was Foreigner in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Foreigner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024. The induction came after the band had been eligible for more than 20 years. Lou Gramm, Al Greenwood, and Rick Wills attended the ceremony to accept.
How many records has Foreigner sold?
Foreigner has sold more than 80 million records worldwide, including about 38 million in the United States. Six of the band's albums were certified multi-platinum in the US. The catalog is built almost entirely on Mick Jones and Lou Gramm compositions.
Why did Lou Gramm leave Foreigner?
Gramm first left in 1990 to pursue a solo career amid tension with Mick Jones over the band's musical direction. He returned in 1992 and stayed until 2003. Kelly Hansen became the band's touring singer in 2005.
Did Foreigner win a Grammy?
Foreigner never won a Grammy. The band received three nominations: Best New Artist in 1978, a rock performance nod for 4 in 1982, and a pop performance nod for 'I Want to Know What Love Is' in 1986.
Foreigner
