I Want to Know What Love Is

Infobox Single
Name = I Want to Know What Love Is


Artist = Foreigner
from Album = Agent Provocateur
Released = 1984
Format = CD Single
Recorded = 1984
Genre = Power ballad
Length = 5:05
Label = Atlantic Records
Writer = Mick Jones
Producer = Mick Jones, Alex Sadkin
Certification = Gold (RIAA)
Last single = "Luanne"
(1982)
This single = "I Want to Know What Love Is"
(1984)
Next single = "That Was Yesterday"
(1985)

"I Want to Know What Love Is" is a power ballad recorded by the British-American rock band Foreigner. The song hit #1 in both the UK and the U.S. and is their most successful single. It remains one of the band's best known songs. Foreigner's other top seller, Waiting For A Girl Like You spent 10 weeks in the number two spot, so it is often considered to be a bigger hit.Fact|date=July 2008

ong information

Written by Mick Jones and produced by him and Alex Sadkin, it was the first single released from the album "Agent Provocateur" (1984). The song features backing vocals from the New Jersey Mass Choir (of the GMWA), "Dreamgirls" star Jennifer Holliday, and the Thompson Twins. The choir appears in the song's music video.

"I Want to Know What Love Is" reached number one in the "UK Singles Chart" on January 13, 1985, and stayed there for three weeks. It reached the top of the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100 on February 2, 1985, where it stayed for two weeks. It was Foreigner's first and only Pop chart-topper in either country, although the band had four #1 Mainstream Rock and one #1 Adult Contemporary radio hits in the U.S.

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". Their single peaked at #37.

In 2004 "I Want to Know What Love Is" was voted #476 on "Rolling Stone"'s list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

In 2006 this song was included on VH1's program "Top 100 Songs of the 80's".

Also in 2006, the song was made part of the videogame "" soundtrack as well as being the background music for the game's first trailer and intro cutscene. In 2007, the game SingStar '80s included this song. It was also played in one scene in .

Chart performance

Tina Arena version

Infobox Single
Name=I Want to Know What Love Is
Type=Single
Artist=Tina Arena


Released=August 6, 1998
Genre=Pop, rock
Length=
Label=Columbia
Producer=Mick Jones
Certification=Silver (France)
Reviews=
Last single="Burn"
(1997)
This single="I Want To Know What Love Is"
(1998)
Next single="I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You"
(1998)|

"I Want to Know What Love Is" was covered by Tina Arena and her recording was released as a single in 1997. Arena's version of the song was produced by Foreigner band member Mick Jones, who was the song's writer.

Track listings

CD1

Catalog 666286.2
#"I Want To Know What Love Is" (Single Edit)
#"I Want To Know What Love Is" (R & B Mix)
#"I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You" (G-Vo Extended Mix)
#"Not For Sale"

CD2

#"I Want To Know What Love Is" (Single Edit)
#"Now I Can Dance" (Spanglish Version)
#"Now I Can Dance" (Live)
#"If I Didn't Love You" (Remix)

Australian Maxi Single

#"I Want To Know What Love Is" (R'n'B Mix)
#"I Want To Know What Love Is" (Urban Mix)
#"I Want To Know What Love Is" (Extended Urban Mix)
#"I Want To Know What Love Is" (Single Edit)

Chart performance

Other covers

In 1997 this song was also covered by slain South African reggae star Lucky Dube on his Taxman album. It featured strong South African reggae drum beats by ace drummer Mnca Mtshali.

A cover by Gloria Gaynor appears on the 2002 K-Tel compilation "Tina Turner & Gloria Gaynor, Back To Back".

In 2003 Wynonna Judd's cover of "I Want to Know What Love Is" was released as a single from her album "What the World Needs Now Is Love". The track was also remixed for dance clubs.

The song was one of several covers chosen by Clay Aiken to appear on his 2006 album "A Thousand Different Ways".

In 2008 this song was covered by David Phelps on his album "The Voice".

The song was also performed by Celtic Thunder's Keith Harkin in concert, and it appears on that band's 2008 live album "Act Two".

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X17iJaUophY Video] on YouTube

References