Our next 2024 inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a band that fits neatly into the traditional definition of rock and roll. During a time when the Hall is increasingly adding rap, R&B, and country artists to its ranks, Foreigner feels like a throwback.

First eligible in 2003 but not nominated until this year, Foreigner has the numbers to back up their inclusion. The band’s first six albums went multi-Platinum and produced 14 Top 20 hits, including the #1 smash ‘I Want to Know What Love Is,’ plus ‘Waiting for a Girl Like You,’ which set a record for most weeks at #2 without reaching the top spot (10).

Made up of two Brits and two Americans, the band took the name Foreigner because at least half of its members would be just that wherever they went. Lead guitarist Mick Jones and lead singer Lou Gramm were a formidable songwriting duo before tensions led to Gramm leaving the band in the late 80s. Jones is the only original member still touring as Foreigner.

I’m not familiar enough with Foreigner’s whole catalog to assess their Hall of Fame worthiness, but I definitely know the hits. And if album and single sales are a reflection of a band’s impact on the listening public, I can’t argue with their inclusion.