ROCK MOMENT – Foreigner ‘Urgent’
When Foreigner entered the studio to record their 1981 album 4, the band was ready to evolve. After dominating rock radio throughout the late ’70s, guitarist and songwriter Mick Jones felt their fourth album needed a bolder, more modern sound. With producer Mutt Lange on board, the band began experimenting with tighter production, electronic textures, and more rhythmic grooves. One of the clearest products of this new direction was the fiery, genre-blending single ‘Urgent.’
The song started with a pulsing guitar-and-synth idea Jones had been developing for months. It had a sense of forward motion—tense, sharp, and full of desire. When Lou Gramm cut his vocal, the track took shape as a high-energy tale of passion and instant attraction. But something still felt missing. Jones and Lange both agreed the song needed a standout moment—something unexpected.
That gap was filled by Junior Walker, the legendary Motown saxophonist best known for hits like ‘Shotgun’ and ‘What Does It Take (To Win Your Love).’ Walker’s involvement wasn’t planned from the start. Originally, the band tried to record a sax solo with a session player, but Jones felt the takes lacked the fire the track demanded. Someone—stories vary whether it was Lange or one of the engineers—floated the idea: What about Junior Walker?
Walker happened to be touring near New York at the time. When the band reached out, he agreed to stop by the studio. According to Jones, Walker walked in wearing his signature cool confidence, listened to the track once or twice, and then stepped into the booth. What followed was magic. His solo was raw, gritty, and explosive, cutting through the polished production with pure soul and spontaneity. Most of what appears on the final record came from his first or second take.
Walker’s sax became not just an addition but the defining moment of ‘Urgent.’ It bridged rock and R&B in a way few mainstream hits had done, and it helped propel the song to the top of the charts. Released as the lead single from 4, ‘Urgent’ became one of Foreigner’s biggest successes, driving the album to No. 1 and marking the beginning of a sleeker, more modern era for the band.
Today, ‘Urgent’ remains unforgettable in large part because of Junior Walker’s electrifying contribution—a moment when two very different musical worlds collided and created something timeless.
