| Fore! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 20, 1986 | |||
| Recorded | 1985–1986 | |||
| Studio | Studio D Recording and The Plant, Sausalito, California; Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California. | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:53 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis | |||
| Producer | Huey Lewis and the News | |||
| Huey Lewis and the News chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Fore! | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Record Mirror | 2/5[2] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
Fore! is the fourth studio album by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News, released on August 20, 1986. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number one on the Billboard 200 and went on to score five top-ten Billboard Hot 100 singles, including the number-one hits "Stuck with You" and "Jacob's Ladder". The album was certified three-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Music and lyrics
"Jacob's Ladder" was originally meant for a Bruce Hornsby album that Huey Lewis was producing.[5] Hornsby did not like the arrangement his band played, and it was given to Lewis.[5]
"Doing It All for My Baby" was written by Mike Duke and Phil Cody. Duke wrote the song and then recorded vocals himself (the band playing backing parts and instruments), with the intention of getting a record contract for his own solo career.[6] When that plan fell through, Lewis decided to record a version with his own vocals for the album.[6]
Lewis stated he originally wrote the lyrics for "Hip to Be Square" in a third person perspective, "He used to be a renegade..."[7] He referenced the book Bobos in Paradise in describing the song's inspiration, explaining that the song was about the "phenomenon where people from the '60s started to drop back in, cut their hair, work out, that kind of crap, but they kept their bohemian tastes. ... bourgeois bohemians." Lewis later modified the lyrics to be in the first person as he believed it would enhance the joke, but stated this had unintentionally led to the interpretation of the song as an "anthem for square people".[7][8]
According to Lewis, the album track "Forest for the Trees" was written for and about kids struggling with life issues as an uplifting message for them.[9] Lewis based it off the letters he received from young fans at the time who would talk about how important his music was to them.[9]
"The Power of Love", originally from the soundtrack of the 1985 film Back to the Future, is included as a bonus track on international editions of the album. The song was the band's first chart-topper on the Billboard Hot 100. The critical reception of the album was mixed with Glenn O'Brien in Spin noting that 'what saves it for me is that songs are good songs. And Huey still sings with heart and soul'.[10]
Album cover
The wall that Lewis and the members of the band stand against on the album's cover is a wall from Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California. Band members Bill Gibson, Sean Hopper and Mario Cipollina went to this school together.[citation needed]
In popular culture
The album is referenced in the film American Psycho. The main character Patrick Bateman, while talking to one of his potential victims, gives a review of the album, discussing the band's viewpoint, intent, and how specifically the song "Hip to Be Square" espouses "not just the pleasures of conformity and the importance of friends, but [the song]'s also a personal statement about the band itself" with a catchy 1980s beat. He going on to state it is "the group's most accomplished album".
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jacob's Ladder" | 3:33 | |
| 2. | "Stuck with You" |
| 4:29 |
| 3. | "Whole Lotta Lovin'" |
| 3:30 |
| 4. | "Doing It All for My Baby" |
| 3:39 |
| 5. | "Hip to Be Square" |
| 4:05 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Know What I Like" |
| 3:59 |
| 2. | "I Never Walk Alone" | Reed Nielsen | 3:44 |
| 3. | "Forest for the Trees" |
| 3:28 |
| 4. | "Naturally" |
| 2:52 |
| 5. | "Simple as That" |
| 4:27 |
| Total length: | 37:53 | ||
- The international edition includes "The Power of Love" as a bonus track, inserted as track 3 of side 2.
Personnel
|
Huey Lewis and the News
Additional personnel
|
Production
|
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[37] | 5× Platinum | 500,000^ |
| Germany (BVMI)[38] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[39] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[40] | 2× Platinum | 600,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[41] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Fore! - Review, Allmusic.com
- ^ Smith, Robin (September 13, 1986). "Albums: Huey Lewis and the News – Fore! (Chrysalis)" (PDF). Record Mirror. London: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 18. ISSN 0144-5804. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 23, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2024 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Rob Hoeburger, Huey Lewis and the News: Fore! : Music Reviews, Rollingstone.com, October 9, 1986
- ^ Evans, Paul (2004). "Huey Lewis and the News". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 482. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ a b "Question of the Week". Hueylewisandthenews.com. August 25, 2013. Archived from the original on August 31, 2013.
- ^ a b "Huey Lewis Fan Q&A: March 23, 2014". Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
- ^ a b Blerly, Mandi (August 4, 2008). "Name That Movie Mondays! (Vol. 7: Special Huey Lewis & the News edition)". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ Graff, Gary (September 22, 2021). "How Huey Lewis Overcame Commercial 'Pressure' for Massive 'Fore!'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
- ^ a b "Huey Lewis Fan Q&A: June 17, 2019". Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ O'Brien, Glenn (December 1986). "Fore! review". SPIN. 2 (9): 36–7 – via Google Books.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, NSW. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ a b "Billboard Magazine". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ "RPM: Huey Lewis and the News (albums)". RPM Magazine. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ "Billboard". books.google.com. November 15, 1986. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ "Tonlist Top 40". DV. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ "Oricon Archive – Huey Lewis and the News". Oricon. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ "Huey Lewis and the News Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ "Huey Lewis the News Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
- ^ * Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
- ^ "The RPM Top 100 Albums of 1986". RPM. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
- ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 1986". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "The Top 20 Albums of Høst 1986". Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Swiss Year-End Charts 1986 – swisscharts.com". Archived from the original on March 30, 2014.
- ^ "Top 100 Albums". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications: 25. January 24, 1987.
- ^ "The RPM Top 100 Albums of 1987". RPM. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
- ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 1987". Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ "Top 100 Albums". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications: 25. January 24, 1988.
- ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-end: 1987". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!". Music Canada. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Huey Lewis and the News; 'Fore!')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore!". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ "British album certifications – Huey Lewis and the News – Fore". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 25, 2012. Select albums in the Formats field. Type Fore Huey Lewis and the News in the "Search:" field.
- ^ "American album certifications – Huey Lewis & the News – Fore!". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
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