Foghat relocated to the United States after signing a deal with Bearsville Records. Its debut album, Foghat (1972), was produced by Dave Edmunds and featured a cover of Willie Dixon's "I Just Want to Make Love to You", which received considerable airplay, especially on FM stations. The album also included a remake of Savoy Brown's bluesy ode to the road "Leavin' Again (Again!)", and "Sarah Lee", a classic blues burner featuring Price's slide guitar solo. The band's second self-titled album went gold. It was also known as Rock and Roll for its cover photo of a rock and a bread roll. Energized (1974) came out, followed by Rock and Roll Outlaws (1974) and Fool for the City (1975). In 1974, Stevens left the band due to its relentless touring schedule and was temporarily replaced by producer Nick Jameson for the recording of Fool for the City. During the next year, Jameson was replaced by Craig MacGregor, and the group released Night Shift (1976), a live album (1977) and Stone Blue (1978), each attaining gold status in record sales. Fool for the City spawned the hit single "Slow Ride" (which reached No. 20 in the United States and No. 14 in Canada), but the greatest sales figures were reached by Foghat Live, which went double platinum. More hits followed: "Drivin' Wheel", "I Just Want to Make Love to You" (from the live album), "Stone Blue" and "Third Time Lucky (First Time I Was a Fool)". Price left the band in November 1980, unhappy with the group's still constant touring and the shift away from the hard boogie sound toward a more new wave-influenced pop direction. By February 1981, after months of auditions, he was replaced by Erik Cartwright.
1980s
After 1978, Foghat's record sales began to slip, and its last album for the Bearsville label, Zig-Zag Walk (1983), only briefly touched the charts at number 192. MacGregor quit in 1982, and Jameson returned to play on In the Mood for Something Rude and Zig-Zag Walk before being replaced by Kenny Aaronson (1983) and then Rob Alter (1983-1984). MacGregor returned in 1984.
The band briefly disbanded in 1984 after Peverett left and returned to England. Earl, along with MacGregor and Cartwright, reformed with a new singer/guitarist, Eric (E.J.) Burgeson, and continued touring as Foghat into the early 1990s. MacGregor (1986-1987, 1991), Cartwright's brother Brett Cartwright (1987, 1988–1989) and Jeff Howell (1987-1988, 1989–1991) alternated on bass during that period, while Phil Nudelman (1989-1990) and Billy Davis (1990-1993) took over for Burgeson. Dave Crigger joined on bass in 1991–1993.
1990s
Peverett had returned to the United States by 1990 and formed his own version of the band, Lonesome Dave's Foghat, which featured Bryan Bassett (ex-Wild Cherry), Stephen Dees (bass) and Eddie Zyne (drums). Dees and Zyne had played with Hall & Oates, among others. Former Molly Hatchet bassist Riff West replaced Dees in 1991, and Price made several guest appearances.
In 1993, the original line-up reunited at the urging of producer Rick Rubin. Although Rubin ultimately proved to be unavailable to produce their comeback project, the group went ahead and released a studio album titled Return of the Boogie Men (1994) and the Road Cases live album (1998). Its final album of the decade, King Biscuit Flower Hour (taken from the syndicated radio show of the same name), was released in May 1999 and consisted of live recordings from 1974 and 1976.
After being back together for six years, the original line-up once again ended after Price decided to retire from touring for good. Bassett (who had been playing with Molly Hatchet), from Lonesome Dave's Foghat, was brought in on guitar.
2000s
The 2000s saw the deaths of founding members Peverett and Price. Peverett died on 7 February 2000, aged 56, from complications from kidney cancer. Charlie Huhn (formerly of Humble Pie, Ted Nugent, and Victory) was brought in to replace him on lead vocals and guitar. This line-up of Earl, Stevens, Bassett, Huhn and Steve "ih" Farrell on backing vocals and hand percussion recorded the album Family Joules (2003). Price died on 22 March 2005, aged 57, due to a fall resulting from a heart attack. Later that year, original bassist Stevens left the band and was replaced by former bassist MacGregor.
2010s
The 2010 version of Foghat consisted of Earl, MacGregor, Huhn and Bassett. Former Rainbow and Black Sabbath drummer Bobby Rondinelli had temporarily replaced Earl for a summer 2010 concert, while Earl was recovering from surgery. At another Foghat concert that summer, after Earl had returned to the band, bassist Jeff Howell temporarily replaced an ill MacGregor. Foghat's next album, Last Train Home (released 15 June 2010), was the culmination of a dream shared by Earl and Peverett. It contained some of their favorite blues songs, three originals ("Born for the Road", "Last Train Home" and "495 Boogie"), and two songs by special guest performer and longtime friend Eddie Kirkland, who was 86 years old at the time. He had played with Foghat as a guest in 1977 at Foghat's "Tribute to the Blues" show at New York City's Palladium, and remained a good friend of the band until he was killed in a car accident on 27 February 2011.
Also performing on Last Train Home were Howell (bass), Colin Earl (piano) and Lefty Lefkowitz (harmonica). According to Earl, the album was "a testimony to Lonesome Dave. We always planned to do this. I am so fortunate to have partners in band members Charlie Huhn and Bryan Bassett who share the same passion for the blues. It was not hard work putting this album together; playing this kind of music is joyous. We had a blast!" The band released a DVD in December 2013 called Live in St. Pete.
On 10 November 2015, Foghat announced that they would start work on a new studio album, completely fan-funded through PledgeMusic. The album, titled Under the Influence, was released on 24 June 2016. The album went on to chart of Billboard and debuted at No. 17 on Billboard's Hard Rock Albums, and peaked at No. 40 on the Independent Album charts.
The band went on to release another live album, Live at the Belly Up in June 2017. On 9 July 2017, Erik Cartwright, who played lead guitar from 1981 to 1984, died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, from a heart attack. He was 66 years old.
Longtime bassist MacGregor was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in 2015. The cancer was first detected at an earlier stage in 2012, but MacGregor was not informed until 2015. Following this incident, he became a proponent of a bill that would require physicians to communicate test results with patients promptly. Although still officially a member of Foghat, the effects of chemotherapy made him unable to play music. former Pat Travers bassist Rodney O'Quinn filled in for him on tours. MacGregor died on 9 February 2018.
Matt Barranti substituted on guitar for Bryan Bassett for a gig at Palace Theater in Greensburg, Pennsylvania on 11 February 2017.
2020s
The lineup of Earl, Bassett, Huhn and O'Quinn would go on to record a live record in November 2019 called 8 Days on the Road. The album was released in July 2021. In January 2022, lead singer Charlie Huhn retired. Scott Holt, formerly a guitarist for Buddy Guy, became the new lead singer and guitarist. Holt had previously lent his vocals for Under the Influence and was lead vocalist in Foghat side project Earl & the Agitators. In August 2023, Foghat announced plans to release their 17th studio album, Sonic Mojo, with first single being “Drivin' On,” co-written by Kim Simmonds from Savoy Brown in November 2023.
Members
Current
Roger Earl – drums (1971–1984, 1993–present)
Bryan Bassett – lead guitar, slide guitar, backing vocals (1999–present)
Rodney O'Quinn – bass guitar, backing vocals (2015–present)
Scott Holt – lead vocals, lead guitar (2022–present)
Former
Dave Peverett – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1971–1984, 1993–2000; died 2000)
Rod Price – lead guitar, slide guitar, backing vocals (1971–1980, 1993–1999; died 2005)
Tony Stevens – bass guitar, backing vocals (1971–1975, 1993–2005)
Nick Jameson – bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1975–1976, 1982–1983)
Craig MacGregor – bass guitar, backing vocals (1976–1982, 1984, 2005–2015; died 2018)
Erik Cartwright – lead guitar, backing vocals (1981–1984; died 2017)
Kenny Aaronson – bass guitar (1983)
Rob Alter – bass guitar (1983–1984)
Charlie Huhn – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2000–2022)
Studio albums
Foghat (1972)
Foghat (1973)
Energized (1974)
Rock and Roll Outlaws (1974)
Fool for the City (1975)
Night Shift (1976)
Stone Blue (1978)
Boogie Motel (1979)
Tight Shoes (1980)
Girls to Chat & Boys to Bounce (1981)
In the Mood for Something Rude (1982)
Zig-Zag Walk (1983)
Return of the Boogie Men (1994)
Family Joules (2003)
Last Train Home (2010)
Under the Influence (2016)
Sonic Mojo (2023)
Take It or Leave It
Foghat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take it or leave it, tell me what you want to do,
Take it or leave it, now the choice is up to you.
Can't wait until tomorrow, tomorrow may be too late,
Take away the sorrow, I can't wait.
Take it or leave it, can't I make you understand?
If you can believe it, you hold the future in your hand.
Our world would be a free world, ain't no lie.
If our love was in vain, who's gonna help me hide the pain,
Lonely days, lonely nights, without you girl, it's just not right.
Oh it's just not right, whoa.
Take it or leave it, I can't wait another day,
I got love if you need it, won't you tell me right away.
Losin' track of all the hours, Hours run into days,
My mind is running out of power, you got me in a haze.
Take it or leave it, take it or leave it,
Got love if you need it, whoa, take it or leave it.
Baby I want to know, I've got to know,
Now if you need my love, tell me right now.
Oh yea, tell me right now, yeah, yea,
Lonely days, lonely nights,
You know baby, it's a- it's just not right.
In Foghat's song "Take It or Leave It," the singer pleads with a romantic interest to make a decision about their relationship. The song's chorus features the repeated phrase "take it or leave it," signaling to the listener that the ball is in their court when it comes to deciding whether they want to stay or go. The singer laments that waiting for a decision may be too late, and that the choice is up to their partner.
The verses of the song expand on this theme, with the singer emphasizing that the choice is theirs to make, and that they hold the future in their hands. He argues that if they were together, they could create a "free world" and that being apart is causing "lonely days, lonely nights." The song ends with the singer again urging the listener to make a decision, and noting that the current state of uncertainty is "just not right."
The song's lyrics are relatively straightforward, but there are a few interesting musical elements worth noting. First, the song features a classic rock riff that has become a recognizable part of the genre. Additionally, the song makes use of dynamic changes between verses and choruses, with the verses being relatively subdued and the choruses featuring a more driving rhythm. Finally, the song's outro includes a repeated fade-out of the "take it or leave it" phrase, further emphasizing the song's central theme.
Line by Line Meaning
Take it or leave it, tell me what you want to do,
You have a choice to make, decide if you want to pursue this relationship or not.
Take it or leave it, now the choice is up to you.
The decision is entirely yours to make.
Can't wait until tomorrow, tomorrow may be too late,
It's essential to make a decision now as you might miss out on an opportunity in the future.
Take away the sorrow, I can't wait.
I want to take away the pain and be with you.
Take it or leave it, can't I make you understand?
I want to make you comprehend the gravity of this decision.
If you can believe it, you hold the future in your hand.
You have the power to shape our future together.
If the choice was up to me girl, you would stay by my side,
If it were up to me, you would be with me forever.
Our world would be a free world, ain't no lie.
We would be in a world of our own where we are free to love without any restrictions.
If our love was in vain, who's gonna help me hide the pain,
If our love ends up being futile, I would have to bear the pain alone.
Lonely days, lonely nights, without you girl, it's just not right.
Being without you feels wrong, and I can't cope with the loneliness.
Take it or leave it, I can't wait another day,
I can't delay this decision any longer.
I got love if you need it, won't you tell me right away.
I am willing to love you, just inform me of your decision.
Losin' track of all the hours, Hours run into days,
The waiting is torturous, and the days seem never-ending.
My mind is running out of power, you got me in a haze.
I am mentally exhausted, and I can't seem to focus.
Take it or leave it, take it or leave it,
Reiterating the fact that you have a choice to make.
Got love if you need it, whoa, take it or leave it.
My love is available, but it's up to you to take it or leave it.
Baby I want to know, I've got to know,
I need to have an answer from you.
Now if you need my love, tell me right now.
If you want to be with me, let me know immediately.
Oh yea, tell me right now, yeah, yea,
Emphasizing the importance of an immediate response.
Lonely days, lonely nights,
Being alone is a miserable experience.
You know baby, it's a- it's just not right.
It's just not fair or right to be without you.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAVID PEVERETT, NICK JAMESON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind