Lou Gramm on Foreigner’s ‘Agent Provocateur’: ‘It did some damage to our rock credibility’

Saturday, Dec. 14, marks the 40th anniversary of Foreigner’s fifth studio album, Agent Provocateur, which was a huge hit for the band.

The album was a top-five hit, landing at #4 on the Billboard 200, and earned a triple Platinum certification by the RIAA. The record is best known for its hit ballad “I Want To Know What Love Is,” which spent three weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 and became the band’s only #1 song.

But despite the success of “I Want to Know What Love Is,” Foreigner frontman Lou Gramm wasn’t particularly happy that it was the album’s first single, especially since the last hit from their previous album, 4, was another ballad, “Waiting for a Girl Like You.” 

“I seriously think it did some damage to our rock credibility,” he tells ABC Audio. “There were comments in editorials about how some of our rock fans felt like we were letting them down.”

As for the album itself, Gramm says “there’s some great songs on there,” noting that some of them were “completely overlooked.”

He adds, “So, you know, I think it’s a very good album.”

But apparently the album didn’t damage their rock credibility too much, as Foreigner was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October. Despite his feelings about the song, Gramm performed “I Want To Know What Love Is” with Kelly Clarkson during the induction ceremony.

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