Mick Jones was sitting in a dark London apartment at three in the morning when the chords first hit him. It wasn't some calculated attempt to top the Billboard charts. Honestly, he was just trying to figure out his own life. At that moment, the foundation for Foreigner: I Want to Know What Love Is was laid, though it would take nearly a year of agonizing studio work and a chance encounter with a legendary choir to turn those late-night thoughts into a global phenomenon.
Most people hear the song and think of high-school proms or rainy car rides. But if you dig into the sessions at The Town House in London, you find a story of a rock band on the verge of an identity crisis. Foreigner was known for "Hot Blooded" and "Juke Box Hero." They were riff-heavy. They were loud. Suddenly, their primary songwriter was handing them a spiritual seeker's anthem that felt more like a prayer than a stadium rocker.
Why Foreigner: I Want to Know What Love Is Almost Didn't Happen
Lou Gramm, the voice that eventually soared over those gospel harmonies, wasn't initially sold on the direction. He's spoken candidly in interviews about the tension. There was a fear that the band was drifting too far from its hard rock roots. When you've built a career on grit, a synth-heavy ballad with a choir can feel like a betrayal of the brand.
But Mick Jones was obsessed. He felt the song had a universal quality that transcended the "rock" label. He knew it needed something more than just a standard backing track. He didn't want a "rock choir" that sounded like a bunch of session singers trying to act tough. He wanted the real thing. This led him to the New Jersey Mass Choir.
The recording session with the choir is the stuff of music industry legend. They brought them into the studio, and the energy shifted immediately. It wasn't just a job for these singers; they were pouring genuine religious fervor into a secular pop song. Jones has often mentioned how he wept during the playback. It was the first time the song actually felt finished.
The Secret Ingredient: Tom Dowd and the Gospel Connection
You can't talk about Foreigner: I Want to Know What Love Is without mentioning Tom Dowd. If you don't know the name, you know his work. He was the guy who engineered Aretha Franklin and Eric Clapton. He understood how to bridge the gap between soulful emotion and technical precision.
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Dowd was the one who helped Jones navigate the complex layering of the track. It’s a dense recording. You’ve got the New Jersey Mass Choir, but you also have Jennifer Holliday—the powerhouse from Broadway’s Dreamgirls—adding ad-libs that give the song its raw edge. Then you have Thompson Twins' Tom Bailey on the synthesizers. It’s a weird mix of people on paper. Somehow, it worked.
The song was released in late 1984 as the lead single from the Agent Provocateur album. It hit number one in both the US and the UK. For a brief moment, a band known for "Double Vision" was the most emotional group on the planet.
Is It Actually a Religious Song?
There’s been a lot of debate over the years about the lyrical intent. Is Mick Jones asking a romantic partner or a higher power? Honestly, it’s probably both. Jones has stated that the song came from a place of spiritual searching. He’d been through the ringer emotionally, and the lyrics reflect a genuine vulnerability.
"I gotta take a little time / A little time to think things over."
Those opening lines aren't just filler. They represent a mid-life reckoning. By the time the choir comes in with the response, the song shifts from a lonely monologue to a collective plea. That’s why it resonates so deeply in places like Brazil or Japan, where the English lyrics might not be fully understood, but the feeling is unmistakable.
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Interestingly, the song caused a bit of a rift. Lou Gramm eventually moved toward Christian rock in his solo career, and some see this track as the bridge to that transition. It’s a song about the human condition. It’s about the gap between what we have and what we feel we’re missing.
The Production Magic You Probably Missed
If you listen to the track today on a good pair of headphones, you’ll notice how the drums don’t even come in for a long time. It’s a slow build. Most 80s hits hit you over the head with a drum machine in the first five seconds. Foreigner made you wait.
- The opening synth pad is eerie and cold.
- Lou Gramm’s vocal starts in a near whisper.
- The bass enters subtly, anchoring the melody.
- The choir is buried low in the mix at first, then explodes.
This dynamic range is why the song still sounds "big" on the radio today. It wasn't brick-walled like modern pop. There is "air" in the recording. When the New Jersey Mass Choir finally hits that final "I want you to show me," the frequency spectrum is completely full. It’s a wall of sound that feels earned rather than forced.
Common Misconceptions About the Music Video
The video is quintessential 80s, but it’s surprisingly grounded. No flashy pyrotechnics. Just the band and the choir in a studio setting. It reinforced the idea that this was a "serious" piece of music. It helped the song cross over into the adult contemporary market while staying on MTV.
Some people think the choir in the video is just actors. It’s not. That’s the actual New Jersey Mass Choir. Their reactions in the video—the swaying, the closed eyes—that’s genuine. They weren't just "performing" for the cameras; they were in the zone.
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Why It Still Matters in 2026
You see this song everywhere. It’s in Stranger Things. It’s in Miami Vice. It’s been covered by everyone from Mariah Carey to Wynonna Judd. Why? Because the central hook—the desire to understand a fundamental human emotion—never goes out of style.
Mariah Carey’s 2009 cover is perhaps the most famous remake. She leaned even harder into the gospel aspect, using a massive choir and her signature whistle notes. While it didn't quite capture the lightning-in-a-bottle vibe of the original, it proved that the song's structure is bulletproof. You can strip it down to a piano or blow it up into a gospel extravaganza, and it still holds water.
Actionable Takeaways for Music Fans and Creators
If you’re looking to truly appreciate the depth of Foreigner: I Want to Know What Love Is, or if you’re a songwriter trying to capture that same magic, here is how you should approach it:
- Listen to the "Extended Version": There is a 6-minute version that allows the choir more room to breathe at the end. It’s much more atmospheric than the radio edit.
- Study the Vocal Dynamics: Notice how Lou Gramm doesn't over-sing the verses. He saves the power for the moments when the lyrics demand it. This is a lost art in the era of "singing shows" where everyone oversings from bar one.
- Analyze the Lyrics as a Poem: Read the lyrics without the music. They are surprisingly sparse. The power isn't in "flowery" language; it's in the simplicity of the questions asked.
- Check out the Live at the Rainbow '78 footage: To understand how big of a jump this song was, you need to see what Foreigner sounded like just a few years prior. The contrast is staggering.
- Explore the New Jersey Mass Choir's Catalog: If you like the backing vocals, go to the source. Their album I Want to Know What Love Is (released after the hit) features more of that specific arrangement style.
The song remains a masterclass in collaboration. It took a British rocker, a New York singer, a legendary producer, and a Black gospel choir from Jersey to create something that feels like it belongs to everyone. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the best way to find out what love is, is to stop trying to control the process and let the right people into the room.
To get the full experience, find a high-fidelity version of the original 1984 recording—avoid the later "re-recorded" versions the band did in the 2000s. The original analog warmth is part of the soul of the track, and you can really feel the tape saturation on the choir’s peaks. Turn it up, wait for the second chorus, and listen for Jennifer Holliday's "I know you can show me" buried in the right channel. That's the moment the song goes from a hit to a masterpiece.