Song · Foreigner
“I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner
From the album Agent Provocateur (1984)
“I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner appears on 19 radio countdowns from 10 stations between 2004 and 2026. It was first released in 1984 on the album Agent Provocateur. Its best result is #34 on the WMGK Philly 500 (2024). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #4,797 alternative song of all time.
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Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is" arrived in November 1984 as the first single from Agent Provocateur, their fifth album, and it's the sound of a hard rock band walking into church. Mick Jones wrote it alone and produced it with Alex Sadkin, and he lets the power ballad build slowly: Lou Gramm's weary, searching vocal over a hush of keyboards, Rick Wills and Dennis Elliott holding back, Tom Bailey adding extra keys, until the New Jersey Mass Choir and Jennifer Holliday lift the final stretch into full-blown gospel testimony.
It went to number one in Britain and on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains the group's biggest hit. Rolling Stone later placed it on its list of the greatest songs of all time.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
Classic Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
Also listed as: I Want To Know What Love Is.
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