The song features backing vocals from the New Jersey Mass Choir, affiliated with the Gospel Music Workshop of America, ‘Dreamgirls’ star Jennifer Holliday, and the Thompson Twins .
The song hit number one in both the United Kingdom and the United States and remains the group’s biggest hit to date. It reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on January 15th 1985, knocking ‘Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” from the top spot, and then stayed at number one for three weeks. In the US it reached number one of the US Billboard Hot 100 on February 2nd 1985, retaining that spot for two weeks.
To this day, it is still one of the band’s best known songs and most enduring radio hits, charting in the top 25 in the years 2000, 2001 and 2002 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Recurrents chart. In 2004, “I Want To Know What Love Is” was voted number 476 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest songs of all time. And in 2006 was included on VH1’s programmes “Top 100 Songs of the 80s” coming in at number 65. In 1985, the New Jersey Mass Choir released their own version of “I Want To Know What Love Is” as a single in the gospel music market which received several awards within the industry. The song was also covered by Australian singer Tina Arena in 1988 as a single from her album “In Deep”.
This version of the song was produced by Mick Jones from Foreigner and included a previously unrecorded bridge between the second and third choruses that was specifically written for Tina Arena by Mick Jones. “I Want To Know What Love Is” has also been covered and released by American country singer Wyonna Judd in the summer of 2004 and by Mariah Carey in 2009.
Numerous other versions and covers have been released with the latest being Tom Cruise and Malin Akerman covering the song for the screen version of ‘Rock of Ages’ with the soundtrack being released in June 2012.
'I Want To Know What Love Is' – Foreigner
I gotta take a little time
A little time to think things over
I better read between the lines
In case I need it when I'm older Aaaah woah-ah-aah
Now this mountain I must climb
Feels like a world upon my shoulders
And through the clouds
I see love shine It keeps me warm as life grows colder
In my life there's been heartache and pain
I don't know if I can face it again
Can't stop now, I've traveled so far
To change this lonely life
I wanna know what love is
I want you to show me
I wanna feel what love is
I know you can show me
Aaaah woah-oh-ooh
I'm gonna take a little time
A little time to look around me,
Oooh ooh-ooh ooh-ooh oooh
I've got nowhere left to hide
It looks like love has finally found me
In my life there's been heartache and pain
I don't know if I can face it again I can't stop now,
I've traveled so far
To change this lonely life
I wanna know what love is
I want you to show me I wanna feel what love is
I know you can show me I wanna know what love is
I want you to show me
And I wanna feel, I want to feel what love is
And I know, I know you can show me
Let's talk about love
(I wanna know what love is) the love that you feel inside
(I want you to show me) I'm feeling so much love
(I wanna feel what love is) no, you just cannot hide
(I know you can show me) yeah, woah-oh-ooh
I wanna know what love is, let's talk about love
(I want you to show me) I wanna feel it too
(I wanna feel what love is) I wanna feel it too
And I know, and I know, I know you can show me
Show me what is real, woah (woah), yeah I know
(I wanna know what love is) hey I wanna know what love
(I want you to show me), I wanna know, I wanna know, want know
(I wanna feel what love is), hey I wanna feel, love
I know you can show me, yeah
