Actor Patrick Labyorteaux recently welcomed his Heathers costar Lisanne Falk onto his podcast, The Patrick LabyorSheaux, where the conversation turned to one of the most controversial album covers in classic rock history: Head Games by Foreigner.
Falk, who played Heather McNamara in the 1988 cult classic Heathers, began her career as a teenage model signed with the Ford Modeling Agency. One of her earliest jobs turned out to be far more infamous than anyone involved seemed to realize at the time.
The Head Games cover shows a young girl sitting on a urinal in a men’s bathroom, washing something off the wall, with a sad, distant look in her eyes. Over the years, it has regularly appeared on lists of the “most shocking album covers of all time.” What many listeners didn’t know was that Falk was only 14 years old when the photo was taken.
When Labyorteaux brought it up, Falk immediately reacted with a knowing eye roll. “So here we go,” she said, before framing the situation as “perspective, from a different time.”
She explained that she was young, inexperienced, and didn’t fully understand what was happening. “I had maybe kissed somebody at that point,” she said, adding that she was “not super savvy.” The shoot was mostly men, and everyone present thought it was funny that she was posing in a men’s bathroom. Falk admitted she likely had never even seen a urinal before and did not grasp the adult implications of the image.
“It was a job,” she said simply. “Ford Models booked it.”
Falk recalled taking a Polaroid home to her mother afterward. Her reaction, Falk said, was hesitant but muted: “Uh… okay.”
At the time, no one intervened. No one questioned whether a 14-year-old should be placed in that situation. Looking back now, Falk was clear-eyed about how different things feel today. “I don’t think that would wash in today’s day,” she said.
The album itself went on to be a massive success. Released in 1979, Head Games was Foreigner’s third studio album and is certified five-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Songs like “Dirty White Boy” and the title track remain staples on classic rock radio.
Foreigner was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024 and continues to tour, though none of the current touring members are original bandmates. Founding guitarist Mick Jones remains officially involved but does not perform live. Original singer Lou Gramm appears for select songs, while Luis Maldonado handles lead vocals for most of the show.
As for the album cover that sparked the conversation, it now stands as a reminder of how differently young performers were treated just a few decades ago — and why many believe someone should have stepped in and said no.
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