I Want to Know What Love Is by Foreigner

I am perfectly willing to admit that there is a lot of music I don't know.

While I believe I have a high level of musical literacy, I am constantly reminded of music in our culture that I’m not familiar with. When one of my co-workers who reads my blog was surprised that I wasn’t familiar with Foreigner, I told her honestly that I just never got around to getting to know this group.

My only exposure to Foreigner songs are through television commercials. There’s this awesome Old Spice ad:



Then there’s that Grand Theft Auto commercial:



These commercials seem to bring out what is silly about Foreigner’s music. “Hot Blooded” which is a catchy tune is kind of a silly declaration of love and “I Want to Know What Love Is” initially seems like just another 1980s power ballad. However, after listening to No End In Sight: The Very Best of Foreigner, it becomes clear that there is something much more to this band than meets the eye.

While Foreigner can be criticized as being overly commercial, one needs to keep in mind the that they were most active. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw a boom in record sales and an understanding of the potential for the mass-marketing and mass-appeal of music. The first platinum album, Their Greatest Hits by the Eagles in 1975, changed not only the business but the art of popular music.

Foreigner reflected the time around them with music that was radio friendly, familiar but also forward thinking in its sound and production. Early songs like “Feels Like The First Time” in 1977 were a solid representation of the late 1970s rock sound, driven by guitars with characteristic harmony.



What you find four years later in “I Want to Know What Love Is” is a synthesized reaction to New Wave music which came to characterize music of the early 1980s. While it may not seem significant to evolve from 1970s rock to `1980s synthesized rock, it’s a change that reflects an awareness of trends in popular culture that few band exhibit.

“Power Ballad” is a term that is thrown around to describe slower songs of 1980s rock groups. It has a negative connotation as many ballads in the 1980s were trite and a manufactured attempt at commercial success, but “I Want to Know What Love Is” is something very different.

Most songs have phrases that are structured around measures of 4 beats (4/4 meter) grouped into 8 measure phrases, making a total of 32 beats per phrase. Foreigner broke this pattern with “I Want to Know What Love Is,”creating a varied structure that reflects the wondering and longing in the lyrics.

[Introduction]:
28 beats (4+4+2+4+4+4)

I gotta take a little time, a little time to think things over:
18 beats (4+4+2+4+4)

I better read between the lines, in case I need it when I’m older:
18 beats (4+4+2+4+4)

[vocal break]:
16 beats (4+4+4)

Now this mountain I must climb, feels like a world upon my shoulders:
16 beats (4+4+2+4)

Through the clouds I see love shine, it keeps me warm as life grows colder:
12 beats (4+4+4+4)

Many of the phrase have unusual two-beat interjections that play with the listeners expectations, while the overall shortening of each phrase builds a subtle sense of momentum. When the phrase lengths become more consistent in the lines right before the chorus, this level of predictability is reflected in the strength expressed the lyrics.

“I Want to Know What Love Is” is not boastful. It’s honest and revealing. In the second verse we understand that this is someone who truly doesn’t know how to handle love, “it looks like love has finally found me.” Though the lyrics are simple, that reflects a depth of thought. Straight-forward lyrics often have more power that symbolic and technical poetry because they speak in voice of the audience. The use of the choir may seem cliché but at the time it was a fresh idea and it reminds us that there is a connection between love and spirituality.

After spending the past week listening to Foreigner for the past week, I got to know a lot of great songs, but there’s more. Whenever someone gives me music that they love, they are trusting you with something that is dear to them, something that is meaningful and real. It's not only getting to know a song but a person.

Next time one of your friends is raving about a song you've never heard, ask to borrow a copy, and take some time to get to know the song. Your friend will be really appreciate you for taking interest in something they love and you will get to know your better through the experience.

Sharing what we is meaningful to us to the people around us, maybe that's what love is.