"I Want to Know What Love Is" is a

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...

by the British-American rock band Foreigner. It was released in November 1984 as the lead single from their fifth album, ''

Agent Provocateur An agent provocateur () is a person who commits, or who acts to entice another person to commit, an illegal or rash act or falsely implicate them in partaking in an illegal act, so as to ruin the reputation of, or entice legal action against, th ...

''. The song hit number one in both the United Kingdom and the United States and is the group's biggest hit to date. It remains one of the band's best-known songs and most enduring radio hits, charting in the top 25 in 2000, 2001, and 2002 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Adult Contemporary Recurrents The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

chart. "I Want to Know What Love Is" has continued to garner critical acclaim, and is listed as one of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' magazine's greatest songs of all time at number 476 in 2004 and at number 479 in 2010. The song is also featured in a number of films.

Song information

"I Want to Know What Love Is" was the first

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

released from Foreigner's album ''

'' (1984). It is credited to Mick Jones, although an uncredited portion (somewhere between 5% according to Jones and 35% according to Gramm) was contributed by

Lou Gramm Lou Gramm (born Louis Andrew Grammatico; 2 May 1950) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer of the rock band Foreigner from 1977 to 1990 and 1992 to 2003 during which time the band had numerous successful albu ...

. It was produced by Jones and

Alex Sadkin Alex Sadkin (April 9, 1949July 25, 1987) was an American record producer, engineer, mixer and mastering engineer. Sadkin grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida across the street from Bennett Elementary School, and played saxophone in Sunrise Junio ...

. The song features backing vocals from the New Jersey Mass Choir affiliated with the

Gospel Music Workshop of America Gospel Music Workshop of America is an international music convention founded by Rev. James Cleveland. GMWA membership Active GMWA Membership ranges from professional and amateur Gospel vocalists to instrumentalists, composers, arrangers, directo ...

, ''

Dreamgirls ''Dreamgirls'' is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based on the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others,G ...

'' star

Jennifer Holliday Jennifer Yvette Holliday (born October 19, 1960) is an American actress and singer. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as ''Dreamgirls'' (1981–83), ''Your Arms Too Short to Box with God'' (1980–1981) and later became a su ...

, and featured keyboard work by

Thompson Twins Thompson Twins were a British Pop music, pop band formed in 1977 in Sheffield. Initially a New wave music, new wave group, they switched to a more mainstream pop sound and achieved considerable popularity during the mid-1980s, scoring a string ...

frontman Tom Bailey. The choir also appears in the song's

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

. According to Gramm, Jones was originally reluctant to let Gramm hear his initial rough version of the song. Gramm speculated that the song was emotional to Jones because it "represented things in his own life that he hadn't been able to resolve, and he wasn't too sure he wanted to have millions of people hear about it. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' reviewed the single, calling it "a highly dramatic and ultimately very touching song which amply displays Foreigner’s musical talents and versatility." ''Cash Box'' specifically praised the band's performances, especially that of lead singer Gramm, who they said "delivers a moving and personal quality which captures the essence of the lyrics. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' said that the "dramatic mood piece grows out of quiet introspection into a full-blown production number with choir." "I Want to Know What Love Is" reached number one on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

on January 15, 1985, displacing Band Aid's "

Do They Know It's Christmas? "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a charity song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. It was first recorded by Band Aid, a supergroup assembled by Geldof and Ure consisting of pop ...

", staying there for three weeks, and knocked

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

's long-running " Like a Virgin" out of number one on the ''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

on February 2, 1985. It was Foreigner's first and only pop chart-topper in either country, although the band had four number one

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...

hits and a number one

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

radio hit in the US. This was the band's third of four number one singles on the Mainstream Rock chart. The song spent five weeks at number one in Australia and also hit the top of the charts in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden, while peaking at number two in Switzerland and South Africa. The song has received positive retrospective reviews from critics, with Bret Adams of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

writing: "It's not hard to see why it became Foreigner's first number one single. Its dreamy, hypnotic feel is due in part to

's soulful lead vocals and the New Jersey Mass Choir's background vocals." The song was also issued as a 12-inch single with a longer running time of 6:23. This version contains a slightly longer intro and an extended vocal chorus/fadeout ending. The single's

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

, "Street Thunder (Marathon Theme)," is an instrumental track originally appearing on ''The Official Music of the XXIII Olympiad – Los Angeles 1984'' and later on the band's 2-CD compilation ''Jukebox Heroes: The Foreigner Anthology'' (2000). 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''. The choir's single peaked at number 37 on the then-

Hot Black Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart and number 12 on the

Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales In the issue dated March 16, 1985, '' Billboard'' magazine debuted its first chart devoted exclusively to 12-inch Singles Sales. The 50-position weekly ranking joined ''Billboard''s established Club Songs chart, reduced to the same 50 positions, ...

chart. "I Want to Know What Love Is" was ranked as the number four ''Billboard'' Hot 100 single of 1985. It was the band's third

platinum single Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

in the US and their first and only gold single in the UK. It was certified platinum in the UK in 2020. Jones has rated it as one of his 11 favorite Foreigner songs. Originally consisting of three verses, a pre-chorus and a chorus, the song was extended with a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

written by original songwriter Mick Jones specifically for Tina Arena's cover in 1998.

Personnel

Foreigner *

– lead vocals * Mick Jones – keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals *

Rick Wills Richard William Wills (born 5 December 1947) is an English bass guitarist. He is best known for his work with the rock band Foreigner and his associations with the Small Faces, Peter Frampton, Spooky Tooth, David Gilmour, Bad Company and The J ...

– bass, backing vocals *

Dennis Elliott Dennis Leslie Elliott (born 18 August 1950, in Peckham, London) is a British musician and artist, who was the original drummer for the rock band, Foreigner. He played with the band from 1976 until leaving between 1991 and 1993. He went on to ...

– drums Guest Musicians * Tom Bailey – synthesizers *

Don Harper Don Harper (192130 May 1999) was an Australian composer. Born in Melbourne in 1921, Don Harper showed an interest in music from an early age, learning to play the violin as a child. His formal study began at the New South Wales Conservatorium ...

– backing vocals *

– backing vocals and arrangements * New Jersey Mass Choir of the GMWA – backing vocals

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Tina Arena version

"I Want to Know What Love Is" was covered by Australian singer

Tina Arena Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena (born 1 November 1967) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, musical theatre actress and record producer. She is one of Australia's highest-selling artists and has sold over 10 million records worldwid ...

and her recording was released as a single in 1998 from her album '' In Deep''. Arena's version of the song was produced by Foreigner band member Mick Jones, who wrote the song. This version of the song includes a previously unrecorded

between the second and third choruses, specifically written for Tina Arena by Mick Jones.

Track listings

;European Maxi Single # "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" ;Australian CD1 Maxi Single # "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 CD2 Maxi Single – The Remixes # "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)

Charts

The song peaked at number 13 in France and finished 60th on the end-of-year chart of 1999.

Certifications

Wynonna Judd version

"I Want to Know What Love Is" was covered by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

singer

Wynonna Judd Wynonna Ellen Judd or simply Wynonna ( ; born Christina Claire Ciminella; May 30, 1964) is an American country music singer. She is one of the most widely recognized and awarded female country singers. In all, she has had 19 No. 1 singles, incl ...

and her recording was released on August 24, 2004, from her album ''

What the World Needs Now Is Love "What the World Needs Now Is Love" is a 1965 popular song with lyrics by Hal David and music composed by Burt Bacharach. First recorded and made popular by Jackie DeShannon, it was released on April 15, 1965, on the Imperial label after a relea ...

'' as fourth single. Wynonna's version of the song was produced by Narada Michael Walden, known for his work with

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

and

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...

, and Wynonna. This version of the song was included in a popular Brazilian soap opera, ''

Senhora do Destino ''Senhora do Destino'' (English: ''Her Own Destiny'') is a Brazilian telenovela that was produced and aired by TV Globo from June 28, 2004 to March 11, 2005, with a total of 221 episodes. Replacing ''Celebridade'' and being replaced by '' Améric ...

''.

Personnel

* Tim Akers –

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

* Robert Bailey – background vocals *

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...

–

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

Bekka Bramlett Rebekka Ruth Lazone Bramlett (born April 19, 1968) is an American singer and session background singer. She is the daughter of Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett, of the music duo Delaney & Bonnie. She has been a member of Mick Fleetwood's band the Z ...

– background vocals * Mike Brignardello –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

Tom Bukovac Tom Bukovac is an American session musician and producer. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in nearby Willowick, Ohio. He has been a Nashville-based musician since 1992. He previously owned 2nd Gear, a used music consignment shop in Sou ...

– electric guitar * David Campbell – string arrangements, conductor * Kim Fleming – background vocals * Paul Franklin –

steel guitar A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...

* Reggie Hamilton – bass guitar * Vicki Hampton – background vocals *

Dann Huff Dann Lee Huff (born November 15, 1960) is an American record producer and songwriter. For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the ''Musician of the Year'' award in 2001, 2004, and 2016 at the Co ...

– electric guitar * David Huff – loop programming * Ronn Huff – string arrangements *

– lead vocals * Suzie Katayama – string contractor * Jerry McPherson – electric guitar * Steve Nathan – keyboards *

Don Potter Donald Steele Potter (21 April 1902 – 7 June 2004) was an English sculptor, wood carver, potter and teacher. Don Potter was born in Newington, near Sittingbourne, Kent, the son of a school teacher, and attended a private school. He joined ...

–

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

* John "J.R." Robinson – drums *

Willie Weeks Willie Weeks (born August 5, 1947) is an American bass guitarist. He has gained fame performing with famous musicians in a wide variety of genres. He has been one of the most in-demand session musicians throughout his career. Weeks has also ga ...

– bass guitar

Track listings

Digital download # "I Want to Know What Love Is" – 5:41 Remixes # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Piper Remix) – 4:05 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Piper Club Mix) – 7:42

Charts

In the US, the song peaked at number 14 on the

Billboard Adult Contemporary The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stat ...

chart. On the

Hot Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

of ''

'', it debuted at number 50 and peaked at number 12. It is also her first single to chart in Sweden, where it debuted at number 67 and peaked at number 15.

Release history

Mariah Carey version

"I Want to Know What Love Is" was covered by American singer

and released as the second single from her twelfth studio album, ''

Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel ''Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel'' is the twelfth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on September 29, 2009, by Island Records. After promotion for her previous album, '' E=MC²'' (2008) ended, Carey began to ...

'' (2009). The single, produced by Carey, C. "Tricky" Stewart and James "Big Jim" Wright, was sent to European radio stations on August 28 and first impacted US radio on September 14, 2009. Mick Jones said of her version: "I think she's actually retained the integrity of the song. You know, the arrangement is very similar to the original. They haven't tampered with the song too much. She's captured a certain emotional thing, a feeling."

Critical reception

The single was generally well received by critics; Australian magazine ''Rhyme & Reason'' stated that " hile Carey stayed ..true to the original, this piano-led remake is less an overhaul of the classic '80s hit than it is a modest but impressive update." Bill Lamb from

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...

said that "Mariah Carey's new version could leave you speechless. The diversity of vocal coloring expressed in this recording is stunning. While the single ' Obsessed' remains disappointing, this single is a reminder of just how formidable Carey's talents are given a strong production and arrangement". Writing in a ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' music blog, Todd Martens said, " ckling a well-known power ballad seems like a safe choice. It's a comfortable fall-back plan after "Obsessed" performed well, but did far from blockbuster numbers. It will undoubtedly be a hit, but it's giving me more reason to fear ''Imperfect Angel''."

Performances and promotion

* Carey debuted "I Want to Know What Love Is" at her

Live at the Pearl Live at the Pearl, also known as ''Mariah Carey: Live in Las Vegas'' was a four-evening promotional concert residency by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. The concerts were showcased at the Pearl Concert Theater in Las Vegas. Background ...

concerts in the Pearl Arena at The Palms Casino & Resort, Las Vegas, on September 11 and 12, 2009. * Carey performed the song live on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...

'' on September 18. * A New York radio station contest featured as its prize a mini concert by Carey at the P.C. Richard Theater in TriBeCa, New York on October 5, where she sang the song as well as "Obsessed" and "H.A.T.E.U.", also from the album. * Carey performed the single on ''X Factor Italia'' in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

on November 11, 2009. *Carey performed the single on ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

on November 22, 2009. *Carey performed the song on the

Angels Advocate Tour The Angels Advocate Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. The tour supported her twelfth studio album, '' Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel'' (2009). The tour played 26 shows, primarily visiting the United Stat ...

, solely in Brazil, due to her version's massive success there.

Music video

Carey filmed a music video for "I Want to Know What Love Is" in September 2009 in New York City, directed by

Hype Williams Harold Williams (born August 1, 1970) is an American music video director, film director, film producer, and screenwriter. Early life Williams was born in Queens, New York. He is of mixed African-American and Honduran descent. He attended Adel ...

. The video premiered on Mariah's official website on November 13, 2009. The video features Carey singing in

Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer. Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the origi ...

, intercut with shots of the audience, often accompanied by loved ones, and some glimpses into the tough times in their past, as they grow emotional from the song's performance. A gospel choir joins Carey at the center of the stadium at the video's end. Carey wears the signature curly hairstyle from the initial stages of her career circa 1990–1993, maintaining the ''Memoirs'' theme of the album.

Formats and track listings

* Digital download # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (album version) – 3:27 * UK bundle # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (album version) – 3:27 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" ( Moto Blanco Club Edit) – 3:25 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (

Chew Fu Chew Fu is a New York-based electronic record producer, remixer and DJ, born in the Netherlands. He is best known for his official refixes for pop artists including Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Timbaland, Mariah Carey, Far East Movement and Robyn and h ...

Radio Fix) – 3:51 * European CD single # "I Want to Know What Love Is" – 3:37 # " Obsessed" (

Cahill Cahill (, or ) is a name of Irish origin. It is the anglicised version of the Gaelic "Ó Cathail" meaning "descendant of Cathal". "Cathal" consists of two parts: "cath" means battle; the second could be "val" (rule), so that the name as a who ...

Club Mix) – 6:23 * Digital maxi-single # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (album version) – 3:27 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Moto Blanco Club Edit) – 3:25 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Chriss Ortega Club Edit) – 3:36 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Cutmore's Club Shakedown) – 6:44 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Donni Hotwheel Tempo Mix) – 3:05 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Low Sunday Tempo Mix) – 3:14 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Chew Fu Radio Fix) – 3:51 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Nu Addiction Club Edit) – 3:29 * I Want to Know What Love Is (The Remixes) # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Donni Hotwheel Tempo Mix) – 3:06 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Low Sunday Tempo Mix) – 3:16 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Moto Blanco Club Edit) – 3:25 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Cutmore's Radio Shakedown) – 3:13 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Chew Fu Radio Fix) – 3:52 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Chriss Ortega Club Edit) – 3:36 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Nu Addiction Club Edit) – 3:30 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Moto Blanco Club Mix) – 6:53 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Cutmore's Club Shakedown) – 6:45 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Chew Fu Club Fix) – 6:03 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Chriss Ortega Club Mix) – 6:05 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Nu Addiction Club Mix) – 6:54 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Moto Blanco Dub) – 6:23 # "I Want to Know What Love Is" (Nu Addiction Dub) – 8:43

Credits and personnel

Adapted from CD liner notes.
Recording locations *Recorded at The Boom Boom Room (

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

), The Setai (Miami, Florida) and Honeywest Studios (New York City). *Additional background vocals and mixing at Soapbox Studios (Atlanta). Personnel *Backing Vocals – Big Jim Wright, Mary Ann Tatum, Sherry McGhee, Sherry Tatum *Drums – Jerohn Garnett *Engineer dditional– Carlos Oyanedel, Damien Lewis *Keyboards – Matthew Rollings *Keyboards, Organ ammond B3– Big Jim Wright, Tricky Stewart *Lead Vocals – Mariah Carey *Mixed By – Phil Tan *Producer – C. "Tricky" Stewart*, James "Big Jim" Wright, Mariah Carey *Producer dditional Bass – Randy Jackson *Programmed By eyboards– John Lemkuhl *Recorded By – Brian Garten, Chris 'Tek' O'Ryan*, Kevin Guarnieri *Recorded By ssistant Engineer– Luis Navarro *Written-By – Mick Jones

Chart performance

The song peaked on the US ''Billboard''

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

chart at number 10 bringing Carey's total number of Top Ten hits on that chart to 20, one short of

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

's record. She has since surpassed this and is now tied with Celine Dion after her single "

Oh Santa! "Oh Santa!" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey from her second Christmas album and thirteenth studio album, ''Merry Christmas II You'' (2010). Carey wrote and produced the song in collaboration with Jermaine Dupri and Brya ...

" reached number one in 2010. However, it only peaked at #60 on the US

. On the

, the song debuted at number 19 on the week ending November 29, 2009, becoming her highest debuting and peaking song since 2008's "

Touch My Body "Touch My Body" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey, released as the lead single from her eleventh studio album, '' E=MC²'' (2008), on February 12, 2008, by Island Records. Carey co-produced the song with Tricky Stewart, ...

", which peaked at number five. The song debuted at number six in France, selling 1,910 CDs in its first week. In

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, the song was boosted for its inclusion in popular

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...

Viver a Vida ''Viver a Vida'' (literally: Living Life, English title: ''Seize the Day'') is a Brazilian telenovela broadcast by Globo from September 14, 2009 to May 14, 2010. It is written by Manoel Carlos in collaboration with Ângela Chaves, Cláudia Lage, ...

'' and stayed at number one for 27 consecutive weeks on the airplay chart, becoming the longest running number one song ever.

Charts

Weekly charts Monthly charts Year-end charts

Release history

Other cover versions

Filipina Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or other ...

singer

Sarah Geronimo Sarah Asher Tua Geronimo-Guidicelli (, , born July 25, 1988) is a Filipino singer, performer and actress. Geronimo rose to prominence after winning the television singing contest '' Star for a Night'' earning her a recording contract with Vi ...

recorded her own version the song, released in 2005; this is based on Tina Arena's version with additional lyrics for the bridge.

References

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Song information

Personnel

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Tina Arena version

Track listings

Charts

Certifications

Wynonna Judd version

Personnel

Track listings

Charts

Release history

Mariah Carey version

Critical reception

Performances and promotion

Music video

Formats and track listings

Credits and personnel

Chart performance

Charts

Release history

Other cover versions

See also

References