In honor of Foreigner‘s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction this fall, the band opened the vault for “Turning Back the Time.”
Featuring Lou Gramm and Mick Jones, the previously unreleased rocker is a nostalgic reflection of the past. Gramm drops references to the Beatles’ legendary 1964 performances on Ed Sullivan (“I saw the Beatles on my black and white TV/It changed everything deep down inside of me”) and Foreigner’s late Seventies streak (“Those ‘Double Vision’ days”).
In an interview with Billboard, Jones revealed that “Turning Back the Time” dates back to 1996. Co-written with Marti Frederiksen, the duo recently reworked the track in time for their induction. “The sentiment of the song spoke to us now more than ever, and with the upcoming Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, we thought it an ideal time to let the world hear it,” he said.
“Turning Back the Time” appears on the band’s upcoming compilation of the same name, out Oct. 4 via Rhino. “I hope that this collection of the songs that brought us here, along with some later recordings that light our way forward, will mean as much to all who listen to them as they do to me,” Jones said in a statement.
This year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Oct. 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Foreigner’s class includes Cher, Mary J. Blige, Dave Matthews Band, A Tribe Called Quest, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Frampton, and Kool & The Gang.
Foreigners formed in 1976, so they’ve been eligible for the Rock Hall since 2002, but have long been snubbed by the institution. Producer Mark Ronson (Jones’ stepson) championed the band’s inclusion this year, teaming up on social media with Dave Grohl, Slash, Jack Black, Chad Smith, and Josh Homme. “You want to know what love is? Love is putting Foreigner in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” Homme said.
The Rock Hall of Fame is a chance for Foreigner’s classic lineup to play together again (Gramm left the band for a second time in 2003, and Jones officially parted ways earlier this year after revealing his Parkinson’s diagnosis, so the current band doesn’t contain an original member).
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“I think it’s gonna be fantastic,” Gramm told Rolling Stone in April. “I’m thrilled that we’re finally a part of it. For a good number of years, we were not. I racked my brain trying to figure out why we weren’t even nominated. I just couldn’t come up with an answer …Justice has been done.”
Turning Back The Time LP Track List
LP One: Side One
1. Feels Like The First Time
2. Cold As Ice
3. Long, Long Way From Home
4. Hot Blooded
5. Double Vision
Side Two
1. Dirty White Boy
2. Head Games
3. Urgent
4. Waiting For A Girl Like You
LP Two: Side One
1. Juke Box Hero
2. Girl On The Moon
3. I Want To Know What Love Is
4. That Was Yesterday
Side Two
1. Say You Will
2. Can’t Slow Down
3. When It Comes To Love
4. The Flame Still Burns
5. Turning Back The Time
CD Track List
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1. Feels Like The First Time
2. Cold As Ice
3. Long, Long Way From Home
4. Hot Blooded
5. Double Vision
6. Dirty White Boy
7. Head Games
8. Urgent
9. Waiting For A Girl Like You
10. Juke Box Hero
11. Girl On The Moon
12. I Want To Know What Love Is
13. That Was Yesterday
14. Say You Will
15. Can’t Slow Down
16. When It Comes To Love
17. The Flame Still Burns
18. Turning Back The Time
