During a new chat with Paul Stephenson of VRP Rocks, Lou Gramm said he is unhappy that Mick Jones earns more than him.
The singer mentioned it’s sad that he and Jones don’t talk anymore because their friendship is bad:
“It’s very difficult because we worked our tails off together, writing most of those songs. And I think we were the focal part of the band too, so the live show was very important and stuff. And I thought we had a very good friendship during most of those years. But after that ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ [disagreement over songwriting credits] happened, it was different.”
Gramm Thinks Jones Did Wrong To Him
He continued, sharing his resentment towards Jones:
“We barely spoke to each other on tour even. I knew that what he did to me, he was wrong and he was dishonest. And he made a fortune, and I made nothing. And [I] got no credit from my peers or anybody. It’s that Mick Jones magic touch. ‘Look, he did it again. ‘I Want To Know What Love Is.’”
Gramm Shared The Private Talk With Jones About The Track
The band’s hit song ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ is credited only to Jones, but Gramm claimed several times before that he also contributed to the track. In an appearance on Monsters, Madness And Magic last year, the rocker explained why Mick wanted to take the song’s credit:
“Because he knew that song was gonna be number one, and he wanted it all for himself. But he would sacrifice five percent. I tore the piece of paper up, and I said, ‘Mick, I know why you’re doing this.’ I said, ‘You want the song for yourself, so it just says Jones under ‘writers.’ I said, ‘You do that.’ I said, ‘I don’t want any part of it.’”
Lou also expressed his regret for giving away the song:
“So he did. The song went to number one. The song itself sold millions — millions and millions of songs. I think it went two and a half times platinum just for the single. It was immediately re-recorded by Wynonna Judd. She re-recorded it and had a worldwide hit with it. So it was a number-one hit for three other artists. He made millions and millions of dollars off just that song. I didn’t see a nickel.”
In 2022, Gramm also said he believed Jones was greedy for taking the song’s credit to himself. The two may get together if Foreigner gets inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band is among the nominees for the class of 2024.
You can watch the rest of the singer’s interview below.