It’s 1984. Mick Jones is sitting in his London apartment, alone, staring at the walls at 3:00 AM. He’s got a keyboard, a drum machine, and a feeling that’s basically chewing him up from the inside. He starts playing those haunting, synthesised chords that everyone on earth now recognizes within two seconds. He isn't thinking about a chart-topper. He's thinking about his own life—the breakups, the missed connections, the "mountain" he’s been climbing his whole career. That’s how I want to know what love is by foreigner lyrics came to life. It wasn't a corporate product. It was a guy having a bit of a mid-life crisis and wondering if he’d ever actually felt the real thing.
People usually categorize this as just another "80s power ballad," but that's a mistake. Honestly, if you look at the lyrics, they’re pretty dark. They aren't about having love; they’re about the desperate, bone-deep realization that you might be missing the point of existence. Lou Gramm’s vocals take that desperation and turn it into something almost spiritual.
What the lyrics are actually trying to tell us
Most love songs brag. They talk about how great the girl is or how much the guy misses her. But the I want to know what love is by foreigner lyrics take a different path. They admit defeat. "I've been blind," the song says. That’s a heavy admission for a rock star to make.
The first verse sets a bleak scene. You've got this person who has lived a lot of life, traveled the world, seen the "heartache and pain," but they’re still empty. It’s about that wall we all build up. You know the one. You protect yourself so much from getting hurt that you eventually realize you’ve just built a prison. When Gramm sings about having "nowhere left to hide," he’s talking about that moment when you can't lie to yourself anymore.
Think about the line: "In my life, there's been heartache and pain." It sounds simple, maybe even cliché. But in the context of the song, it’s the price of admission. The narrator is saying they’ve paid their dues, they’ve done the work, but they still don't have the answer. They’re asking for someone to show them. It’s an incredibly vulnerable position to be in.
The Gospel influence wasn't an accident
Mick Jones knew the song needed something bigger than a standard rock band. He’d heard the New Jersey Mass Choir and realized that to convey the scale of this "search for love," he needed a wall of voices. This is where the song shifts from a lonely ballad into a communal experience.
When the choir comes in, the lyrics change meaning. Suddenly, it’s not just one guy crying in his room; it’s a universal plea. It’s why the song works at weddings, funerals, and dive bars at 2:00 AM. We’ve all felt that "double life" the lyrics mention—the face we show the world and the person inside who is terrified of being alone.
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Interestingly, Lou Gramm, who grew up with a deep respect for soul and R&B, found the recording process for this song particularly intense. They did take after take. Jones was a perfectionist. He wanted the vocals to sound like they were being squeezed out of a soul. By the time they got the final cut, Gramm was exhausted, which is probably why that "I want to know!" belt at the end sounds so authentic. It wasn't just acting.
Why the "Mountain" metaphor hits so hard
"I gotta take a little time, a little time to look around me / I've got nowhere left to hide, it looks like love has finally found me."
This is the turning point. But wait—has love actually found him, or is he just ready for it? I’ve always argued it’s the latter. The lyrics aren't about a meet-cute. They’re about the readiness to be seen.
The "mountain" mentioned later—"I'm gonna climb this mountain / Feel the love that's inside"—is probably the most famous part of the I want to know what love is by foreigner lyrics. It represents the struggle of the ego. In the 80s, rock was all about ego. It was about leather pants, pyrotechnics, and being the "Man." To admit you have a mountain to climb just to feel a basic human emotion? That was radical.
Misconceptions about the song's meaning
A lot of people think this is a song about a specific woman. Jones has mentioned in various interviews over the years—most notably with Songfacts and in his own memoirs—that while his relationship at the time influenced the mood, the song is much more "universal" or "divine" than that. He felt like he was a vessel for the song. He’s even said he felt like there was a "higher power" involved in the writing process.
- It's not a "happy" song. It's a hopeful song, which is different.
- It isn't just about romantic love. It’s about the concept of love as a healing force.
- The "hidden" meaning often overlooked is the exhaustion of being a public figure. "I've traveled so far to change this lonely life."
People often miss the weariness in the second verse. The lyrics talk about the "world on my shoulders." If you're a multi-platinum rock star in 1984, the pressure is immense. You have everything—money, fame, fans—and yet the lyrics are screaming that none of it matters if you don't "know what love is."
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The production that saved the lyrics from being cheesy
Let’s be real. In the wrong hands, these lyrics could have been incredibly corny. Imagine a synth-pop version with a Casio keyboard. It would have been forgotten in six months.
Instead, Foreigner leaned into the "heavy" side of the ballad. They used a Tom Bailey (from the Thompson Twins) on the keyboard to give it that shimmering, atmospheric opening. They brought in Jennifer Holliday, a Broadway powerhouse, to help with the backing vocals.
Because the production is so lush and "big," the simplicity of the lyrics actually becomes a strength. "I want you to show me" is a basic sentence. But when it’s backed by a choir and a soaring guitar melody, it becomes a command. It becomes a demand to the universe.
The impact on Foreigner’s legacy
Before this song, Foreigner were known as "meat and potatoes" rockers. They had "Hot Blooded," "Urgent," and "Juke Box Hero." They were the guys you listened to while working on your car.
Then this song happened.
It changed the band’s trajectory forever. It was their only Number 1 hit in both the US and the UK. But it also sort of pigeonholed them. Suddenly, the "tough guys" were the "ballad guys." It’s a tension that eventually contributed to the friction between Jones and Gramm. Gramm wanted to keep rocking; Jones saw the power in the emotional connection of the ballad.
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How to interpret the lyrics in 2026
We live in an era of "situationships" and swipe culture. In a weird way, the I want to know what love is by foreigner lyrics are more relevant now than they were in the 80s. Back then, the obstacle was maybe "emotional repression." Today, the obstacle is "digital noise."
The song asks for something real. It asks to "feel" something. In 2026, where everything is curated and filtered, that raw desire to just know—without the fluff—is a vibe.
If you're looking at these lyrics today, don't just read them as a relic of your parents' record collection. Read them as a blueprint for vulnerability.
Actionable Insights for Music Fans
If you want to truly appreciate the depth of this track, try these steps:
- Listen to the 1999 "Anthology" version: The remastering brings out the subtle bass lines that ground the emotional soaring of the choir.
- Read the lyrics without the music: It sounds like a poem by someone who is genuinely lost. It changes the way you hear Lou Gramm's delivery.
- Watch the live version from the 1985 Farm Aid: You can see the physical toll it takes on the band to perform it. It wasn't an easy song to "get right" live because of the vocal demands.
- Look for the covers: Everyone from Mariah Carey to Wynonna Judd has tackled this. Notice how the meaning shifts depending on who is "asking" the question. Mariah makes it a diva showcase; Wynonna makes it a country prayer.
The song is ultimately about the courage to admit you don't have it all figured out. It’s okay to be "cold" sometimes, as the lyrics say, as long as you’re looking for the fire. Jones eventually found his peace with the song, recognizing it as his greatest contribution to the musical canon. Whether you’re a die-hard rock fan or just someone who likes a good melody, the message remains the same: the search for connection is the only mountain worth climbing.
Check out the original music video if you can find the high-def remaster. The look on the choir members' faces—many of whom weren't professional actors—tells you everything you need to know about the atmosphere in that studio. They weren't just singing lyrics; they were having a moment.