FOREIGNER bassist Rick Wills has revealed bandmate Mick Jones wrote 1981 megahit “Urgent” after rushing to a studio bathroom.
The single went to number one in Canada and South Africa and spent 37 weeks in the US charts. It was recorded in Manhattan under legendary producer Mutt Lange and features a landmark solo by Motown saxophonist Junior Walker.
“‘Urgent’, once Mick had that initial riff he went to the bathroom and came back with that lyric, which makes me laugh because sometimes when you need to go to the bathroom it is urgent,” Wills told Sirius XM.
“I guess he just sat down and wrote the damn lyric.”
At this point Hot Metal would like to stress this is NOT a parody post and that the full interview can be heard HERE.
Further reflecting on the iconic recording, Wills said on the Trunk Nation program: “It was just so perfect and then he went out one night to check out Junior Walker at a club in New York and he brought the whole band back to the studio and they thought it was a blast because we always had plenty to drink and eat in our studio.
“Junior, he kind of changed his style somewhat over the years and he wasn’t playing the way we remembered he was.
“We finally got him into playing that sound. It took a lot of work but we finally got the solo – with Mutt Lange’s help by the way.”
Host Eddie Trunk asked Wills whether “Urgent” – which boasts lyrics about sexual desire – was actually written about having to go to the bathroom.
“I’m not totally 100 per cent sure of this but it’s my opinion,” the 77-year-old responded. “I was there in the studio when it happened. It makes be laugh because he came out and said ‘I think I’ve got the lyric for ‘Urgent’ and I said “well that’s appropriate, you’ve just rushed to the toilet’.
Foreigner were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on October 19 but singer Lou Gramm was unhappy with how the evening played out.
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