"Jukebox Hero" is a rock song by rock group Foreigner, released in 1981 both as a single and as a track from their album 4.

It is a rock song about a rock star, a venerable genre that goes back at least as far as Johnny B. Goode. The song tells the story of an unnamed man who hears a rock concert, buys a second hand guitar, and decides to become a rock star, and does. And there isn't much more to it then that. I went and checked the lyrics to see if there was some type of tragicomic subtext, but nope, he gets that guitar, and he has to keep on rocking, with stars in his eyes.

This song is an example of arena rock at its height. Its simple, optimistic, and has hard rocking distorted chords, at the same time as it is a pop song you can sing along to, or at least hum along to. It is a classic rock radio staple, and I can't think of much to recommend it, or fault it. It is a much inferior song to Johnny B. Goode but much much better than Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams.


Brevity Quest 2021