"Dirty White Boy" is a song recorded by British-American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Foreigner, written by

Lou Gramm Lou Gramm (born Louis Andrew Grammatico; 2 May 1950) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer of the rock band Foreigner from 1977 to 1990 and 1992 to 2003 during which time the band had numerous successful albu ...

and Mick Jones, and produced by

Roy Thomas Baker Roy Thomas Baker (born 10 November 1946) is an English record producer, songwriter and arranger, who has produced rock and pop and songs since the 1970s. Career Baker began his career at Decca Records at the age of 14 and later worked as an a ...

, 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.

Background

Jones has claimed that the song was about

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, adding that "he always was that dirty white boy who changed the shape of music completely. It was talking about the kind of heritage that he left, and I think that had an effect on all the musicians that came after, like

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

- he was also a dirty white boy. Elvis paved the way for all that." However, some listeners misinterpreted the song as a "crypto-

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

statement." Gramm said of the controversy it's "a song about an irresponsible kid, not a racial song."

Critical reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described "Dirty White Boy" as "a driving guitar/bass propelled rocker spearheaded by a forceful lead vocal and tight harmonic support." ''Billboard'' also claimed that production generated a "gritty rock edge." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called it a "bone-crunching rocker" with a "high-stepping bass line," "fiery guitar chording" and "piercing vocals." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...

'' said that "Gramm's definitive rock vocals quiver and cry over a racehorse rhythm on this can't-miss cut." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' critic David Fricke said that it is "powered by guitarist-songwriter Mick Jones' jackhammer riffing and

Dennis Elliott Dennis Leslie Elliott (born 18 August 1950, in Peckham, London) is a British musician and artist, who was the original drummer for the rock band, Foreigner. He played with the band from 1976 until leaving between 1991 and 1993. He went on to ...

's ham-fisted drumming" but "free of..,pomp-art, heavy-metal flourishes." ''Daily Republican Register'' critic Mike Bishop called it a "likable song" but said that its guitar

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...

s are similar to Foreigner's earlier song "

Hot Blooded "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 a ...

." The ''Fort Worth Star Telegram'' rated it to be the 7th best single of 1979. But in a contemporary review, ''The Charlotte News'' critic Chris Jones felt that the song was the weakest song Foreigner had recorded to date, particularly noting that the lyrics repeat the phrase "dirty white boy" 20 times over three and half minutes. ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Eduardo Rivadavia rated "Dirty White Boy" as Foreigner's most underrated song. ''

Classic Rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

'' critic Malcolm Dome rated it as the band's 3rd most underrated song, calling it "a breezing rock'n'roller" that was "inspired by

and his impact on music," and saying that "it moves along at a high pace, and is blessed with a distinctly distorted solo from Jones."

Popular culture

The song is featured in the 2013 video game ''

Grand Theft Auto V ''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...

'' on the in-game radio station Los Santos Rock Radio. Professional wrestler

Tony Anthony Darrell W. Anthony (born April 12, 1960) is a retired American professional wrestler, also known by his ring name Dirty White Boy. He wrestled primarily for independent promotions in the Southeastern United States. He was most active throughout t ...

, better known by his ring name "Dirty White Boy", used the song as his entrance theme.

Track listing

* 7" single # "Dirty White Boy" – 3:13 # "Rev on the Red Line" – 3:35

Personnel

– lead vocals * Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals * Ian McDonald – rhythm guitar, backing vocals *

Al Greenwood Alan Greenwood (born October 20, 1951) is an American rock musician who was a founding member and keyboardist of the rock band Foreigner from 1976 to 1980. He performed on the albums '' Foreigner'' (1977), ''Double Vision'' (1978) and '' Head ...

– keyboards *

– drums *

Rick Wills Richard William Wills (born 5 December 1947) is an English bass guitarist. He is best known for his work with the rock band Foreigner and his associations with the Small Faces, Peter Frampton, Spooky Tooth, David Gilmour, Bad Company and The J ...

– bass guitar, vocals

Chart performance

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dirty White Boy (Song) 1979 singles Foreigner (band) songs Songs written by Mick Jones (Foreigner) Song recordings produced by Roy Thomas Baker 1979 songs Songs written by Lou Gramm Atlantic Records singles Song recordings produced by Mick Jones (Foreigner) Song recordings produced by Ian McDonald (musician)