‘Cold as Ice’ is a 1977 song written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones that was first released by British-American rock band Foreigner from their self-titled debut album. It became one of the best-known songs of the band in the US, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was initially the B-side of some versions of the ‘Feels Like the First Time’ 45 rpm single.
The song describes a woman who is materialistic and selfish, with the singer warning that her behavior will come back to haunt her someday. Foreigner's guitarist Mick Jones, who formed the band in 1976 and wrote this song with lead singer Lou Gramm, told Songfacts: "Subconsciously you draw from stuff, things that happened in your past, things that came out of relationships, the pain and the heartache of love that is intense and then so deep, and then suddenly you lose it. The whole gamut of emotional feeling that you go through in a relationship. Sometimes they end, and sometimes they last, and when it's the final breakup, you're left with the memories of that relationship. So, I go for that quite a bit. You're kind of digging down deep into your well of significant things that you recall from sometimes near tragedy that you go through at the time."
‘Cold as Ice’ was a replacement for a song that was intended for Foreigner but which producer Gary Lyons didn't feel fit the album (Ian McDonald believes the replaced song may have been ‘Take Me to Your Leader’). According to Jones "I went home after Gary said this, sat down at my piano and out came the riff for Cold as Ice. And the rest of the song flowed from there.” Lyons said that “When I got back, they played me Cold as Ice and it worked for me. So we went into Atlantic Studios one night to cut it.”
Billboard described ‘Cold as Ice’ as having a "haunting feel" and a "surrealistic chilling effect" produced by its "richly textured instrumentals and gutsy vocals". Billboard also praised how the song maintains its momentum and intensity. Cash Box said that "listeners will recognize the controlled fury of Lou Gramm's lead vocal as well as the finely textured harmonies" and that "the orchestra lends an expansive effect". In a contemporary review, music critic Dave Marsh said that Jones' songwriting on this song and its predecessor single ‘Feels Like the First Time’ "places him among the better English hard-rock writers." Henry McNulty's contemporary review of Foreigner in the Hartford Courant called ‘Cold as Ice’ his favorite song on the album, saying it "is propelled by Dennis Elliott's drums – they carry the song in the best rock manner – but the interplay between Lou Gramm's lead vocal and Al Greenwood's electronic keyboard is what raises this from the rock pile."
Label – Atlantic
Songwriters – Lou Gramm, Mick Jones
Producers – Gary Lyons, John Sinclair
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]You're as cold as ice
You're willing to sacrifice our love
You never take advice
Some day, you'll pay the price
I know
[Chorus]
I've seen it before, it happens all the time (Ooh-ooh)
You're closing the door, you leave the world behind
You're digging for gold, you're throwing away (Ah, ah)
A fortune in feelings but, some day, you'll pay
[Verse 2]
You're as cold as ice
You're willing to sacrifice our love
You want paradise
But some day, you'll pay the price
I know
[Chorus]
I've seen it before, it happens all the time (Ooh-ooh)
You're closing the door, you leave the world behind
You're digging for gold, you're throwing away (Ah, ah)
A fortune in feelings but, some day, you'll pay
[Bridge]
Cold as ice
You know that you are
Cold as ice
As cold as ice to me
Cold as ice
[Outro]
Ooh, ooh, ooh, cold as, cold as ice
You're as cold as ice
You're as cold as ice, cold as ice, I know
You're as cold as ice, yes I know
You're as cold as ice, cold as ice, I know
You're as cold as ice, oh, yes I know
You're as cold as ice, cold as ice, I know
You're as cold as ice, oh, yes I know
You're as cold as ice, cold as ice