"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 eponymous debut album. It became one of the best known songs of the band in the US, peaking at #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 single version is a second shorter than the album version, but adds an orchestra track. Background "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.” According to McDonald, “Gary and I were in there all night working on the vocals. And when we got out of the studio we discovered that a blizzard had been raging. Everywhere was covered in snow, and we heard on the radio that it had been coldest night in New York on record! Somehow that seemed to be a good omen for the song.” Jones has also said of the subject: Salt Lake Tribune staff writer Terry Orme identified the message of "Cold as Ice" to be "a banal, sleazy claim of unrequited love." Reception 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