Title:
03 - 7” Single - Foreigner - I Want To Know What Love Is
Description:
I Want to Know What Love Is
1984 song by Foreigner
"I Want to Know What Love Is” is a power ballad[6] by the British-American rock band Foreigner. It was released in November 1984 as the lead single from their fifth album, Agent Provocateur. The song reached number one on both the United Kingdom singles chart and the United States Billboard Hot 100 and is the group’s biggest hit.
topper in either country, although the band had four number one Mainstream Rock hits and a number one adult contemporary radio hit in the US. This was the band’s third of four number one singles on the Mainstream Rock chart. The song spent five weeks at number one in Australia and also hit the top of the charts in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden, while peaking at number two in Switzerland and South Africa.
The song has received positive retrospective reviews from critics, with Bret Adams of AllMusic writing: "It’s not hard to see why it became Foreigner’s first number one single. Its dreamy, hypnotic feel is due in part to Lou Gramm’s soulful lead vocals and the New Jersey Mass Choir’s background vocals."[9]
The song was also issued as a 12-inch single with a longer running time of 6:23. This version contains a slightly longer intro and an extended vocal chorus/fadeout ending. The single’s B-side, "Street Thunder (Marathon Theme),” is an instrumental track originally appearing on The Official Music of the XXIII Olympiad – Los Angeles 1984 and later on the band’s 2-CD compilation Jukebox Heroes: The Foreigner Anthology (2000).
Soon after Foreigner’s single topped the charts, the New Jersey Mass Choir released its own similar-sounding version of the song on an album also titled I Want to Know What Love Is. The choir’s single peaked at number 37 on the then-Hot Black Singles chart and number 12 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
"I Want to Know What Love Is” was ranked as the number four Billboard Hot 100 single of 1985.[17] It was the band’s third platinum single in the US[18] and their first and only gold single in the UK.[19] It was certified double-platinum in the UK in 2023.[19]
Jones has rated it as one of his 11 favorite Foreigner songs.[20]
Originally consisting of three verses, a pre-chorus and a chorus, the song was extended with a bridge written by original songwriter Mick Jones specifically for Tina Arena’s cover in 1998.
1984 song by Foreigner
"I Want to Know What Love Is” is a power ballad[6] by the British-American rock band Foreigner. It was released in November 1984 as the lead single from their fifth album, Agent Provocateur. The song reached number one on both the United Kingdom singles chart and the United States Billboard Hot 100 and is the group’s biggest hit.
topper in either country, although the band had four number one Mainstream Rock hits and a number one adult contemporary radio hit in the US. This was the band’s third of four number one singles on the Mainstream Rock chart. The song spent five weeks at number one in Australia and also hit the top of the charts in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden, while peaking at number two in Switzerland and South Africa.
The song has received positive retrospective reviews from critics, with Bret Adams of AllMusic writing: "It’s not hard to see why it became Foreigner’s first number one single. Its dreamy, hypnotic feel is due in part to Lou Gramm’s soulful lead vocals and the New Jersey Mass Choir’s background vocals."[9]
The song was also issued as a 12-inch single with a longer running time of 6:23. This version contains a slightly longer intro and an extended vocal chorus/fadeout ending. The single’s B-side, "Street Thunder (Marathon Theme),” is an instrumental track originally appearing on The Official Music of the XXIII Olympiad – Los Angeles 1984 and later on the band’s 2-CD compilation Jukebox Heroes: The Foreigner Anthology (2000).
Soon after Foreigner’s single topped the charts, the New Jersey Mass Choir released its own similar-sounding version of the song on an album also titled I Want to Know What Love Is. The choir’s single peaked at number 37 on the then-Hot Black Singles chart and number 12 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart.
"I Want to Know What Love Is” was ranked as the number four Billboard Hot 100 single of 1985.[17] It was the band’s third platinum single in the US[18] and their first and only gold single in the UK.[19] It was certified double-platinum in the UK in 2023.[19]
Jones has rated it as one of his 11 favorite Foreigner songs.[20]
Originally consisting of three verses, a pre-chorus and a chorus, the song was extended with a bridge written by original songwriter Mick Jones specifically for Tina Arena’s cover in 1998.
Band or Artist:
Foreigner
Release Year:
1984
Length:
9
Country:
United States
Format:
7”
Speed:
45 rpm
Genre:
Rock
Pop
Progressive Rock
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Catalog Number:
A9596 (789 596-7)
Producer:
Mick Jones And Alex Sadkin
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AllMusic Rating:
3.5
Record Label:
Atlantic Recording
WEA Records Ltd.
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Recording Location:
New York City, USA
Number of Tracks:
2
Album Type:
Single
Quality:
N/A
Number of Discs:
1
Packaging:
Paper Sleeve
Automatic Estimated Date:
2024-02-10
Date Added:
2018-06-28 17:06:32
