Juke Box Hero

Juke Box Hero, 1981 song written by Mick Jones and Lou Gramm of Foreigner was inspired by a fan who stood outside in the rain for hours. The young fan longed to see the concert, wanting to see a band he loved. Inspired by the fan’s dedication, Mick Jones invited him to the back-stage party. Then he wrote the song about it.

The song itself tells the story of a young man who cannot afford a ticket to a sold-out show for his favorite band. He stands in the rain, putting his ear to the wall to hear the concert he is missing inside. When he hears the sound of a guitar, he gets his RockStar dream that will inspire him to do great things. The song explains how the next day he buys a guitar in a pawn shop or second-hand shop. He learns to play the guitar with no lessons, inspired by the sound of that guitar he heard through the wall. The fact he could not get into the show drives him to Rock ‘n’ Roll success.

In our lives we will have dreams. Sometimes, we may not have the funds to get all the education we need. We might not be able afford the tools to do the job or build the business or dream we want right away. Even as I’m writing these posts this week, I am trying to work out a way to make it to an event with limited funds. I am inspired by the sound of the event and really think it would benefit me. But with low funds right now, I’m out working magic to make this RockStar dream of mine come true.

What inspiration is driving you now? Do you have something you want to do, but money, lack of education, or lack of contacts is holding you back? As I mentioned in the beginning of the week, this idea of Rocker Life Coach was to help people live a RockStar life – not to be a RockStar at work although that can be part of getting to your RockStar life. It’s also not about partying like a RockStar to get crazy. It’s about actually living, and living an ultimate dream that only you could dream for yourself. It’s about having the family life you want, having the job you want, doing what you want to do with your time and money.

So getting back to the song, it goes on to explain how years later this young man, after going to a concert one night in the shadows, gets a sight of someone who is outside in the rain – just like he once was. I have never met the guys from Foreigner, but I have read about the song. It tells how this man now has to keep rocking to stay on top.

In any industry you work in, you will always be working to stay on top once you get there. So if you are working now to be a top performer at your company, you will find once you have arrived that it takes work to stay there. That is why I help people build a complete life, not just a shooting star to the top. In fact, we will cover the story of shooting stars later in the week.

The song is called “Juke Box Hero” because that is where he must keep his music playing in order to stay on top. If you ever look at a juke box you will notice that many older songs are no longer in there; they have to keep popular recent songs available because that’s usually what people want to hear.

In life, to be a RockStar means you will live a life that others only dream about. I have put the quote up so many times: “I do today what other people won’t, but I will live tomorrow like others will only dream of.” You see, to keep a hit song longer in the jukebox it has to be a super hit, one that is long-lasting with fans. Next time you are at a juke box look to see how many songs are in the playlist from the ‘60s and ‘70s. Compare them to how many songs are there from the past 5 years.

Take your life and think of it in the big picture of the world. Like we mentioned yesterday with Rudy Ruettiger, he had a dream that was big but he achieved it through perseverance. Eventually they made a movie about his story. Is your life story the kind they will make a movie about? What Rudy did was not that big for many people, but it was a huge thing for him. Take that one thing that motivates you; don’t let the obstacles cause you to give up. Find a way to become a juke box hero with your RockStar dream.

I’m Tim Gillette, the Rocker Life Coach. It’s time to live your dream, to love what you do and those you share life with, find something to inspire you to live a RockStar dream with your life.