So what if Foreigner's Mick Jones is the less seminal/famous Mick Jones? The guitarist and songwriter of the schmaltzy arena-ready pop-rock band of the '70s is still making more money from Foreigner albums than the Clash ever did (with over 50 million records sold worldwide). At any rate, Jones is 67 today, so a celebration is in order. After the jump, five things you probably didn't know about Foreigner, and a video of the earworm of the century.
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5. The group was originally named Trigger, but Jones said “Foreigner” was a good name since the band was half American, half English.
4. People assumed that the song “Dirty White Boy” was racist. But the lyrics “cause I'm a dirty white boy” really just allude to the fact that the singer was unwashed.
3. Mick Jones has famous buddies; he co-wrote songs with Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Duncan Sheik. He was also married to Ann Dexter-Jones, mother of Mark, Samantha and Charlotte Ronson.
2. Tone Loc sampled the verse guitar riff from the Foreigner song “Hot Blooded” in his 1989 rap “Funky Cold Medina.”
1. It's OK to like Foreigner un-ironically. Really.
