Midnight Blue (Lou Gramm song)

Last updated

"Midnight Blue"
Lou Gramm - Midnight Blue.jpg
Single by Lou Gramm
from the album Ready or Not
B-side "Chain of Love"
ReleasedJanuary 1987
Recorded1986
Genre
Length3:54
Label Atlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Lou Gramm singles chronology
"Midnight Blue"
(1987)
"Ready or Not"
(1987)

"Midnight Blue" is a song by American rock singer-songwriter Lou Gramm, issued as a 7" single in the United States in January 1987 by Atlantic Records. It was the lead-off single from Gramm's debut album, Ready or Not , released in February 1987. An extended remix of the song was available as a 12" single.

Contents

Reception

In a contemporary review, Cash Box praised the single as being "riveting" and "triumphant." [5] Bret Adams has described "Midnight Blue" as "a terrific pop/rock song" on AllMusic. He has claimed that "despite its hit status, it's one of the decade's truly underappreciated singles". [6] Stephen Thomas Erlewine, while reviewing the Foreigner retrospective collection Jukebox Heroes: The Foreigner Anthology (2000), has called the song "the last great single of the album-rock era". [7]

The single peaked at number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 [8] and spent five weeks on the top of the Mainstream Rock chart, starting on 14 February 1987. [9] "Midnight Blue" has remained Gramm's highest-charting solo hit to date.

Track listing

U.S. 7" single (Atlantic 7-89304)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Midnight Blue" Lou Gramm, Bruce Turgon 3:54
2."Chain of Love"Gramm, Turgon3:58
Total length:7:52
German 12" single (Atlantic 786 723-0)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Midnight Blue" (extended remix)Gramm, Turgon5:23
2."Chain of Love"Gramm, Turgon3:58
Total length:9:21
German 12" blue vinyl single (Atlantic 786 723-0)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Midnight Blue" (extended remix)Gramm, Turgon5:23
2."Midnight Blue"Gramm, Turgon3:54
3."Chain of Love"Gramm, Turgon3:58
Total length:13:15

Personnel

Technical personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1987)Peak
position
Australian (Kent Music Report) [10]
8
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [11] 15
Germany (Official German Charts) [12] 45
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [13] 29
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [14] 40
UK Singles (OCC) [15] 82
US Billboard Hot 100 [8] 5
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [9] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (1987)Position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [16] 51
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard) [17] 82

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>4</i> (Foreigner album) 1981 studio album by Foreigner

4, also known as Foreigner 4, is the fourth studio album by the British-American rock band Foreigner, released on July 3, 1981 on Atlantic Records. Several singles from the album were hits, including "Urgent", "Waiting for a Girl Like You" and "Juke Box Hero".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreigner (band)</span> British-American rock band

Foreigner is a British-American rock band formed in New York City in 1976 by guitarist Mick Jones, vocalist Lou Gramm, drummer Dennis Elliott, keyboardist Al Greenwood, bassist Ed Gagliardi and multi-instrumentalist, and original King Crimson member, Ian McDonald. Foreigner is one of the world's bestselling bands of all time, with worldwide sales of more than 80 million records, including 37.5 million in the US.

<i>Head Games</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Foreigner

Head Games is the third studio album by the British-American rock band Foreigner, released on 11 September 1979 by Atlantic Records. Recorded at Atlantic Studios in New York, with additional recording and whole mixing taking place at Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles, it was the only Foreigner album co-produced by Roy Thomas Baker, best known for working on Queen's classic albums. It marked the first appearance of new bass guitarist Rick Wills who replaced Ed Gagliardi, and was the last album with founding members Ian McDonald and Al Greenwood, who would leave the band after the recording. Head Games is also the last Foreigner album to feature a lead vocal by guitarist Mick Jones.

<i>Agent Provocateur</i> (album) 1984 studio album by Foreigner

Agent Provocateur is the fifth studio album by the British-American rock band Foreigner, released on December 14, 1984. The album was the band's first and only number one album in the United Kingdom, and it reached the top 5 in the United States. Although album sales were lower than their previous work in the US, it contains the band's biggest hit single, "I Want to Know What Love Is", which is their only #1 single in the UK and the US, staying at the top spot for three and two weeks, respectively. The follow-up single, "That Was Yesterday", also proved to be a sizeable hit, peaking at #12 in the US. The album was certified Platinum in the UK by the BPI, and triple Platinum in the US by the RIAA.

<i>Inside Information</i> (album) 1987 studio album by Foreigner

Inside Information is the sixth studio album by the British-American rock band Foreigner, released on December 7, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lou Gramm</span> American singer and musician

Louis Andrew Grammatico, known professionally as Lou Gramm, is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Foreigner from 1976 to 1990 and again from 1992 to 2003, during which time the band had numerous successful albums and singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juke Box Hero</span> 1981 single by Foreigner

"Juke Box Hero" is a song by British-American rock band Foreigner written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones from their 1981 album 4. It first entered the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in July 1981 and eventually reached #3 on that chart. Released as the album's third single in early 1982, it subsequently went to #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Want to Know What Love Is</span> 1984 song by Foreigner

"I Want to Know What Love Is" is a power ballad by the British-American rock band Foreigner. It was released in November 1984 as the lead single from their fifth album, Agent Provocateur. The song hit number one in both the United Kingdom and the United States and is the group's biggest hit to date. It remains one of the band's best-known songs and most enduring radio hits, charting in the top 25 in 2000, 2001, and 2002 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Recurrents chart. "I Want to Know What Love Is" has continued to garner critical acclaim, and is listed as one of Rolling Stone magazine's greatest songs of all time at number 476 in 2004 and at number 479 in 2010. The song is also featured in a number of films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waiting for a Girl Like You</span> 1981 single by Foreigner

"Waiting for a Girl Like You" is a 1981 power ballad by the British-American rock band Foreigner released as the second single from the album 4 (1981) and was co-written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones. The opening motif was written by Ian McDonald and the distinctive synthesizer theme was performed by the then-little-known Thomas Dolby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urgent (song)</span> 1981 single by Foreigner

"Urgent" is a song by the British-American rock band Foreigner, and the first single from their album 4 in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot Blooded</span> 1978 single by Foreigner

"Hot Blooded" is a song by the British-American rock band Foreigner, from their second studio album Double Vision. It was released as a single in June 1978 and reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that September. The single was also certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It is also the theme song to the truTV scripted series Tacoma FD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cold as Ice (Foreigner song)</span> 1977 single by Foreigner

"Cold as Ice" is a 1977 song written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones that was first released by British-American rock band Foreigner from their eponymous debut album. It became one of the best-known songs of the band in the US, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was initially the B-side of some versions of the "Feels Like the First Time" 45 rpm single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feels Like the First Time</span> 1977 single by Foreigner

"Feels Like the First Time" is the debut single by British-American rock band Foreigner. It was written by Mick Jones and released in 1977 from the band's eponymous debut album. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Ready or Not</i> (Lou Gramm album) 1987 studio album by Lou Gramm

Ready or Not is the debut solo studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Lou Gramm, released in February 1987 by Atlantic Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Say You Will (Foreigner song)</span> 1987 single by Foreigner

"Say You Will" is a song by British-American rock band Foreigner. It was the first single released from the album Inside Information (1987), and was co-written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Double Vision (Foreigner song)</span> 1978 single by Foreigner

"Double Vision" is a single by Foreigner from their second album of the same name. The song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks in 1978, behind "MacArthur Park" by Donna Summer. It became a gold record. The song was also a top 10 hit in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dirty White Boy (song)</span> 1979 single by Foreigner

"Dirty White Boy" is a song recorded by British-American rock band Foreigner, written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones, and produced by Roy Thomas Baker, Jones, and Ian McDonald. It was the first single taken from the band's third studio album, Head Games (1979). The B-side, "Rev on the Red Line" has also proven to be very popular among fans, but was never released as an A-side. Lou Gramm's trademark scream at the end of the song is missing from this abbreviated version of "Dirty White Boy". The song spent nine weeks in the Top 40.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Morning, Blue Day</span> 1978 song by Foreigner

"Blue Morning, Blue Day" is a song written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones that was first released as the third single on Foreigner's second album, Double Vision, reaching #15 on the Hot 100, the band's sixth top 40 single in two years, and #45 in the U.K. The song was backed with the Mick Jones song "I Have Waited So Long". "Blue Morning, Blue Day" is also available as downloadable content for the Rock Band series and was released on clear blue vinyl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Head Games (song)</span> 1979 single by Foreigner

"Head Games" is the title-cut and second single taken from the band Foreigner's third release. It was written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones, and released primarily in the U.S. in November 1979 while at the same time, "Love On The Telephone" was being released elsewhere. The song's b-side, "Do What You Like" uses multi-layered harmony vocals along the lines of their earlier single, "Cold as Ice."

<i>40</i> (Foreigner album) 2017 compilation album by Foreigner

40: Forty Hits From Forty Years 1977-2017 is a two-disc compilation album by British-American rock band Foreigner, released on May 19, 2017. The album includes two new recordings: a rerecording of "I Don't Want to Live Without You", and the new song "Give My Life for Love".

References

  1. "The Cassette Chronicles – Lou Gramm's ' Ready or Not'". 15 October 2020.
  2. "Ready or Not - Lou Gramm | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
  3. "Album Review : Lou Gramm – Questions and Answers". 23 July 2021.
  4. Eddy, Chuck (22 March 1997). "Working-Woman Rock from Sigmund Freud to Simon Frith". The Accidental Evolution of Rock 'n' Roll: A Misguided Tour Through Popular Music. Da Capo Press. p. 21. ISBN   0-306-80741-6.
  5. "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. 24 January 1987. p. 9. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  6. Adams, Bret. Lou Gramm: Ready or Not > Review at AllMusic . Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  7. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Foreigner: Jukebox Heroes: The Foreigner Anthology > Review at AllMusic . Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Lou Gramm Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  9. 1 2 "Lou Gramm Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  10. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 128. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  11. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0799." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  12. "Lou Gramm – Midnight Blue" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  13. "Lou Gramm – Midnight Blue" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  14. "Lou Gramm – Midnight Blue". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  15. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  16. "Australian Music Report No 701 – 28 December 1987 > National Top 100 Singles for 1987". Australian Music Report . Retrieved 11 December 2019 via Imgur.
  17. "1987 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 99, no. 52. 26 December 1987.