Ellen Foley Discography

NIGHTOUT (1979)
We Belong To The Night / What's A Matter Baby / Thunder And Rain / Nightout / Stupid Girl / Sad Song / Hideaway / Young Lust / Don't Let Go - produced by Ian Hunter & Mick Ronson

SPIRIT OF ST.LOUIS (1981)
The Shuttered Palace / Torchlight / Beautiful Waste Of Time / The Death Of The Psychoanalyst Of Salvador Dali / M.P.H. / My Legionnaire / Theatre Of Cruelty / How Glad I Am / Phases Of Travel / Game Of A Man / Indestructible / In The Killing Hour - produced by Mick Jones

ANOTHER BREATH (1983)
Boys In The Attic / Johnny And Mary / Another Breath / Let Me Be The One You Love / Read My Lips / Nightline / Come To Me / Run For My Life / Come And Get These Memories / Spy In The House Of Love - produced by Vini Poncia

THE VERY BEST OF ELLEN FOLEY (1992)
We Belong To The Night / Theatre Of Cruelty / Indestructible / Torchlight / Johnny And Mary / Boys In The attic / The Shuttered Palace / Another Breath / Game Of A Man / Beautiful Waste Of Time / Don't Let Go / Come And Get These Memories / Let Me Be The One You Love / Thunder And Rain / How Glad I Am / My Legionnaire / Hideaway / Stupid Girl / What's A Matter Baby - produced by Ian Hunter & Mick Ronson, Mick Jones, Vini Poncia

VARIOUS ARTISTS - HAIR Original Movie Soundtrack (1979)
has Ellen Foley singing "Black Boys" (track unavailable elsewhere) - produced by

VARIOUS ARTISTS - CHILDREN OF THE WORLD (1980)
has Ellen Foley duetting with Jimmy Hall on "The Time Is Now" (also available as a single in Holland - see single discography) - produced by Steve Popovich / Bill Justis

VARIOUS ARTISTS - MEAT LOAF AND FRIENDS (1992)
with Ellen Foley - We Belong To The Night / Nightout / What's A Matter Baby. This album also has Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman tracks featuring Ellen on backing vocals, plus Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For A Hero, which was arranged by Ellen.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - EXPOSED (1981)
with Ellen Foley - Phases Of Travel / We Belong To The Night

VARIOUS ARTISTS - ROCK '80 (1980)
with Ellen Foley - Stupid Girl

VARIOUS ARTISTS - FRANKENSTEIN & OTHER ROCK MONSTERS (CBS)
with Ellen Foley - We Belong To The Night

VARIOUS ARTISTS - SOFT ROCK (CBS)
with Ellen Foley - We Belong To The Night

VARIOUS ARTISTS - ROCK MEMORIES (CBS)
with Ellen Foley - We Belong To The Night

VARIOUS ARTISTS - SUPER ROCK SESSION VOL 2 (CBS)
with Ellen Foley - We Belong To The Night

VARIOUS ARTISTS - WOMEN OF ROCK VOL 2
with Ellen Foley - We Belong to the Night

VARIOUS ARTISTS - HitStory of the 70's (1984)
With Ellen Foley - We Belong to the Night

PARTY AT THE PALLADIUM - King Biscuit Flower Hour (show # 380 - airdate 25 Oct 81)
2LP radio show (USA) with Ellen Foley - What's A Matter Baby live with Rick Derringer Band. Ellen also joins Hall & Oates, Ian Hunter, Dr. John, Todd Rundgren, Southside Johnny and Edgar Winter for a storming version of Hang On Sloopy.

ROBERT KLEIN RADIO HOUR (show # --- airdate13/Jan/80)
2LP radio show (US) with Ellen Foley - We Belong To The Night, Thunder And Rain live. Ellen also joins host Robert Klein and studio guests Ian Hunter and William Shatner (Star Trek) for a short interview.

KING BISCUIT FLOWER HOUR (show # --- airdate 11 Dec 89)
Radio show CD (USA) with Ian Hunter Band live at the Agora Ballroom, Cleveland (06/18/79). Has Ellen Foley on backing vocals.

To some extent, Ellen Foley relied on other peoples songs for her albums (she only released six of her own songs), but they were not all cover versions in the true meaning of the word! Sure enough, Ellen picked some classic songs to cover, but more often she had songs written for her, or (in some cases) she picked newly published songs and "made them her own". When criticised for doing too many covers, Ellen replied that the approach, the commitment and the understanding is more important than the actual writing of a song. To Ellen singing is similar to acting, and she believes in throwing herself fully into every performance and trying to bring out a song's character and feel. This list has every song Ellen Foley did as a solo artist, including demo and live performances. It also includes Ellen's songs from Original Sin (Pandora's Box / Jim Steinman), and songs written by Ellen for other artists. [Note: --> denotes a separate entry]

All Revved Up With No Place To Go (Jim Steinman)
--> Heaven Can't Wait (Jim Steinman)
--> My Little Red Book (Jim Steinman)
--> Want Ad (Jim Steinman)

Ellen covered two songs from Meat Loaf's million selling Bat Out Of Hell album on her first solo tour in 1979. Ten years later she collaborated with Jim Steinman (who wrote all of Meat's songs) on his Original Sin album, singing two of his newer compositions.

All The Way From Memphis (Ian Hunter)
--> Don't Let Go (Ian Hunter)

All The Way From Memphis was covered by Ellen on her 1978 demo tape. This Mott The Hoople classic dates back to 1973 when it was included on their Mott album (CBS 69038 - UK# / Columbia KC 32425 - US#). Ellen's version impressed former Mott vocalist Ian Hunter, and he ended up co-producing Nightout a year later with Mick Ronson, and wrote Don't Let Go for Ellen, a song he has never recorded himself.

Another Breath (Bob Riley)
--> Spy In The House Of Love (Ellen Foley / Bob Riley)

Bob Riley played with Ellen for three years (1981-1983). He was the only songwriter in the band (other than Ellen). Apparently Bob was "over the moon" when Ellen told him she would use his song as the title track for Another Breath. Ellen had wanted to call the album Lefty (she is left handed), but this was rejected by the record company.

Beat Of A Broken Heart (Ellen Foley / Fred Goodman)
Ghost Of A Chance (Ellen Foley / Fred Goodman)
Hideaway (Fred Goodman)
Jezebel (Ellen Foley / Fred Goodman)
--> Guardian Angel (Ellen Foley / Fred Goodman)
--> We Belong To The Night (Ellen Foley / Fred Goodman)

Fred Goodman was Ellen's first songwriting partner. They met in December 1978, and would write several songs together, but only two were released. Two others, Ghost Of A Chance and Jezebel were regulars in her live set throughout 1979/80 but were first recorded in January 1982, when Ellen and her tour band, augmented by Tommy Mandel on keyboards, recorded demos for what would be the Another Breath album (originally scheduled for summer 1982) in a New York studio. Produced by Mick Ronson (the original Nightout producer), they recorded Beat Of A Broken Heart, Ghost Of A Chance and Jezebel - plus about half a dozen other (new) songs which Ellen wrote with the help of Fred Goodman and Bob Riley (titles unknown). Interestingly, Ellen told her fan club at the time that "Jezebel is the only old song destined for the new album." Well, she was wrong! It was Beat Of A Broken Heart that was recorded later in the year for the Another Breath album, but it was only available as a UK and Continental single B-side.

Beautiful Waste Of Time (Tymon Dogg)
Game Of A Man (Tymon Dogg)
--> Indestructible (Tymon Dogg)

Tymon Dogg was another friend of The Clash; he would often tour and record with them. He also had his own band and reportedly performed Indestructible live a few times in the early 80s. It was also a UK single. Bette Middler (1983) and Owen Paul recorded the similar sounding (but different) song Favourite Waste Of Time.

Black Boys (James Rado / Gerome Ragni / Galt McDermot)

Ellen's version of Black Boys is only available on the Hair movie soundtrack album. The song was first recorded by Diane Keaton, Suzanna Norstrand and Natalie Mosco in the early 70s on the original cast recording from Broadway. The show opened on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre on April 29, 1968. It closed on July 1, 1972 after 1,742 performances. Ellen got her supporting role in the movie after playing the lead role of Sheila on Broadway in the unsuccessful revival of HAIR in October 1977 which closed after 43 shows.

Boys In The Attic (Ellie Greenwich / Jeff Kent / Rob Parissi)
Run For My Life (Ellen Foley / Jeff Kent / Ellie Greenwich)
--> Keep It Confidential (Ellen Foley / Jeff Kent / Ellie Greenwich)

Ellen was thrilled to meet Ellie Greenwich, a famous songwriter who's hits included Be My Baby and Baby I Love You for Ronettes, Da Doo Run Run and Then He Kissed Me for the Crystals and River Deep-Mountain High for Ike & Tina Turner (to name but a few....) and she formed a songwriting partnership with Ellie and her partner Jeff Kent that lasted for several months in 1982, but little is known of their collaborations. Besides Run For My Life, the only song to surface was Keep It Confidential - a hit for Nona Hendryx in 1983. Ellie Greenwich also recorded two solo albums in her own right, both of which Ellen rate very highly. The best one is perhaps Let It Be Written, Let It Be Sung, from 1973 but Composes, Produces And Sings from 1968 isn't bad either.

Come And Get These Memories (Brian Holland / Lamont Dozier / Eddie Holland)

Originally recorded by Martha And The Vandellas in 1963 on their album of the same name.

Come To Me (Karen Brooks / Randy Sharps)

The Death Of The Psychoanalyst Of Salvador Dali
--> In The Killing Hour

Said Ellen: "We tried to capture the feel of one of his paintings. I got in a kind of trance for the vocal. It's an aural interpretation."

Don't Let Go--> All The Way From Memphis

Written for Ellen by Nightout producer Ian Hunter, this beautiful ballad is perhaps Ellen's finest recorded moment. Said Ellen: "It was done live and it was done once. It's not technically perfect, but I just had a feeling about that song, and we left it as it was."

Great Balls Of Fire (Jerry Lee Lewis)

A regular show stopper at her live concerts during 1979/80, Great Balls Of Fire was first recorded by Jerry Lee Lewis.

Guardian Angel--> Beat Of A Broken Heart

The BMI database on the World Wide Web list Guardian Angel as a Foley/Goodman composition, but I don't know what happened to this one. Probably demo'ed for Another Breath. BMI is an organisation that collect royalties on behalf of songwriters and arrangers. They handle all the Foley compositions.

Heaven Can Wait--> All Revved Up With No Place To Go

According to Jim Steinman, Ellen wanted to record Heaven Can Wait for her Spirit Of St.Louis album in 1981 (having performed it live many times in 1979/80), but Mick Jones wouldn't let her. Karla DeVito who replaced Ellen in Meat Loaf's live band (and lip synced to Ellen's vocal in his videos) recorded Heaven Can Wait for her first solo album.

How Glad I Am (Jimmy Williams / Larry Harrison)

Originally recorded by both Mary Wilson and Aretha Franklin in the early Sixties. Said Ellen: "It has an incredible range that song. That was my chance to do a bit of showing off, but I had to practise it a lot. It's very optimistic. I could have done a Smokey Robinson one about breaking up or something, but this is better." The song had also been a UK hit for Kiki Dee in 1975.

In The Killing Hour (Joe Strummer / Mick Jones)
M.P.H. (Joe Strummer / Mick Jones)--> The Death Of The Psychoanalyst Of Salvador Dali (Joe Strummer / Mick Jones)
--> The Shuttered Palace [Sons Of Europe] (Joe Strummer / Mick Jones)
Theatre Of Cruelty (Joe Strummer / Mick Jones)
Torchlight (Joe Strummer / Mick Jones)

Ellen met Mick Jones in 1980, and became a part of the Clash entourage for almost two years. She wouldn't tour with the Clash, but she appeared with them in the King Of Comedy movie (1981), guested on their albums - and she recorded her second album with them. Mick Jones and Joe Strummer wrote six songs for Spirit Of St.Louis. Said Ellen: "Mick and I had a few ideas for songs. We went to England to record the album; the record company thought we did demos. When we'd finished they needed a lot of convincing. Mick had ideas for the music and Joe would miraculously appear with these lyrics. From not a lot of conversation he was able to write the songs for me and he wrote lyrics he wouldn't normally sing himself."

Indestructible --> Beautiful Waste Of Time

Of the three songs Tymon Dogg offered Ellen for Spirit Of St.Louis, he only recorded one himself. Indestructible was a UK only single in 1980; it was B-side to Lose This Skin (Ghost Dance Records G HO 1)

Johnny And Mary (Robert Palmer)

Ellen was a long standing fan of Robert Palmer, who wrote and recorded Johnny And Mary in 1980 for his Clues album (Island ILPS 9595 - US/UK#). Ellen wasn't too pleased however, when Epic in England went for Johnny And Mary as the first single from the Another Breath album. She would have preferred Boys In The Attic instead (which was chosen for rest of Europe).

Keep It Confidential --> Boys In The Attic

Keep It Confidential was the standout track on Nona Hendryx' Nona album (RCA) in 1983. It was also released on single. Ellen never recorded it herself (but demos most likely exist). Nona Hendryx, of course, sprung to fame with Labelle in the Seventies.

The BMI database (mentioned earlier) also list the titles Keep Confidential and Confidential as Foley/Greenwich/Kent compositions, but they most likely are alternative titles of the same song.

Let Me Be The One You Love (Desmond Child / John Landau)
Read My Lips (Ellen Foley / Desmond Child)

Desmond Child has written songs for Kiss, Cher and Bon Jovi to name but a few, and was only glad to help Ellen out with songs for Another Breath. Ellen met him through Elaine Caswell and Maria Vidal, who had recorded some albums with Desmond Child as Rouge in the late 70s/early 80s. Elaine and Maria both guested on Ellen's Another Breath album and they also starred in the Boys In The Attic video with Ellen. John Landau has co-written several songs with Desmond Child for other artists over the years, but he is perhaps more known as a producer/guitarist.

Let's Spend The Night Together (Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)
--> Stupid Girl (Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

Over the winter of 1977/78, Cleveland International paid Ellen to record demos which got her the recording contract with Epic Records. The demos were recorded in New York with backing provided by The Boys, a heavy metal band from Illinios. Covers on the demo included --> All The Way From Memphis (Mott The Hoople) and Let's Spend The Night Together. Said Ellen: "They (The Boys) were a real heavy metal bar band. They were good for what they did." NOTE - The Boys referred to above, may be The Boyzz, described as a "mean and moody biker band in the tradition of Cream and Black Oak Arkansas" in one reference book, who in 1978 released the album Too Wild To Tame on Epic 35440 (US #).

Lightnin' Strikes (Lou Christie / Twyla Herbert)

Originally recorded by Lou Christie, this song was a regular in Ellen's live set throughout 1979/1980. Interestingly, Lou Christie teamed up with Ellen in 1983, to sing back-up on Boys In The Attic.

My Legionnaire (Raymond Asso / Marguerite Monnot / English lyrics by C.Mair)

Originally recorded by Edit Piaf, whom Ellen "discovered" in 1980 when she met Mick Jones, and later referred to as "the little sparrow". Said Ellen: "This song was done in the same way as Don't Let Go on the first record. I just sang live with the piano - did the track straight." The song was written by Raymond Asso, and was the first song he showed Piaf when they met. She turned it down but made the suggestion that the soldier in the song be a colonial soldier (a legionnaire)... he gave it to a singer by the name of Marie Dubas who made it a great hit in Paris in 1936. Piaf introduced Asso and Marguerite Monnot. Monnot was a great friend of Piaf's and wrote many of her Songs. Monnot wrote the music for Mon Legionnaire, which is the original French title. Piaf recorded the song in 1937, it can be found on many of her collections, and is a great Piaf classic.

My Little Red Book --> All Revved Up With No Place To Go

Mystery Dance (Elvis Costello)

This was another cover version Ellen played live on her first tour. Elvis Costello wrote it in 1977. It was a UK single B-side backing Red Shoes (Stiff BUY 15) and it was the standout track on his debut album My Aim Is True (Stiff SEEZ 3 - UK#, Columbia JC 35037 - US#).

Nightout (Philip Rambow)
--> Young Lust (Philip Rambow)

Rambow's own version of Nightout was available on a 1976 US-only compilation called Various Artists - Live At Max's Vol 2. It was also briefly issued in the UK as B-side to his 1981 single A Star In Her Own Right (Parlophone). Ellen later wrote some songs with Philip Rambow (in 1983), but to my knowledge they were never recorded.

Nightline (Glen Ballard / Brie Howard / David Faragher)

Randy Crawford also covered "Nightline" in 1983, and scored a massive hit with it on the Continent - in an arrangement similar to Ellen's version. Life can be cruel sometimes!

Phases Of Travel (Ellen Foley)

Described by Ellen "as a song that concerns the drudgery of constant long journeys, alienation and isolation," this is the only song she wrote without the help of outside writers. You can tell Ellen was not a fan of long overseas flights!

Sad Song (Mark Middler / Peter Mason)

The Shuttered Palace --> In The Killing Hour

Said Ellen: "I wrote it for Europe, but unfortunately people missed the meaning. It's meant to be me - I'm an American in Europe; this is what it's like."

Spy In The House Of Love --> Another Breath

Ellen reportedly wrote several songs with Bob Riley for the Another Breath album, but Spy In The House Of Love is the only one that was recorded. This was also a Doors title (different song, of course), from their Morrison Hotel album (US 1970 - Elektra EKS 75007). Ellen was always fascinated with the Doors, so this title was probably no coincidence!

Stagger Lee (Harold Logan / Lloyd Price)

Originally recorded in 1958 by Lloyd Price, Stagger Lee must be one of the most covered songs of all time. Ellen closed her 1983 concerts with this song.

Stupid Girl --> Let's Spend The Night Together

Ellen lists the Rolling Stones 1966 album Aftermath (Decca) as one of her all time favourites, so covering Stupid Girl from this album was something she enjoyed doing. And the critics loved it! It was not her first Rolling Stones cover though, but --> Let's Spend The Night Together was a demo only 1978 recording.

That's Life (performed by Frank Sinatra)

Around 1973/74 Ellen recorded demos with a hard rock group from Atlantic City named Big Jive. She also toured with them for a while. Said Ellen: "We played in bars in Atlantic City, by the sea, in the winter time, definitely off-off season. We made demos, got nowhere, the drummer took back his P.A, and we disbanded." Their live set included a cover of Frank Sinatra's That's Life.

Thunder And Rain (Graham Parker)

Graham Parker was another friend of Nightout producer Mick Ronson, and Parker's own version of Thunder And Rain can be found on his excellent 1977 Stick To Me album (Vertigo). Said Ellen: "It is such a great, compact piece and I think the strongest thing in it is the guitar hook. The story is so great, so cinematic; man and his romance battling against the elements."

The Time Is Now (Kenny Young / Perry Ford)

Recorded for a Cleveland International charity album, The Time Is Now has Ellen duetting with Jimmy Hall. Hall was lead vocalist and saxophonist with Wet Willie, and had just released his first solo album, Touch You, when this track was recorded. Royalties from this album would go to the Northern Ohio Children's Performing Music Foundation Inc., a non-profit organisation. The song dates back to 1970, incidentally.

Twentieth Century Fox (The Doors)

This outrageous cover of the classic Doors tune, complete with '80's-style samples of Jimi Hendrix's Foxy Lady, was the only track on the Original Sin album not penned by Jim Steinman. The Doors' original version can be found on their 1966 debut album The Doors (Elektra EKS 74007 - US#)

The Want Ad --> All Revved Up With No Place To Go

One of the standout tracks on Jim Steinman's Original Sin album, Ellen's completely manic Want Ad rap caused some controversy as she dons teenage girl persona replying to freaks who answered her newspaper ad.

We Belong To The Night --> Beat Of A Broken Heart

Said Ellen (1979): "We Belong To The Night is really all about New York. I've lived in the city for seven years. It never took any getting used to for me because I felt really comfortable as soon as I arrived there. (In the song) I wanted to put things in larger-than-life terms. Rather than saying ''I love you baby, you love me,' terms like 'the city' and 'night' are equated with your love. I'm interested in desperate situations, not ordinary ones, but extremes. I look for a sense of real needs."

What's A Matter Baby (Clyde Otis / Joy Byers)

Timi Yuro was another of Ellen's favourites, and her original rhythm and blues version of What's A Matter Baby was a (US) hit when it was released in 1962. The writers, Otis/Byers also wrote songs for Elvis Presley. In 1965, The Small Faces took the song to # 13 on the UK charts (it was B-side to their first single Whatcha Gonna Do About It?) and it has been covered by lots of artists since.

Young Lust --> Nightout

Said Ellen: "When we were ready to do the vocals, they (Hunter/Ronson) dimmed all the lights, and they created a real club atmosphere. Ronson took out his guitar, and we all pretended it was a performance in this very sensual setting to create a great vocal. It was a bit demonic, but really interesting." Philip Rambow was a friend of Nightout producer Mick Ronson. Ronson had produced some demos for Rambow in 1977, including Young Lust - and used the same arrangement for Ellen's version. Rambow's own version appeared on his 1979 Shooting Gallery album (EMI). Interestingly (trivia time!), Mick Jones played on Rambow's 1979 version.