I Want to Know What Love Is is a song.
Sentimental ballads , also known as pop ballads , rock ballads or power ballads , are an emotional style of music that often deal with romantic and intimate relationships , and to a lesser extent , war -LRB- protest songs -RRB- , loneliness , death , drug abuse , politics and religion , usually in a poignant but solemn manner .. emotional. emotional. romantic. romance ( love ). intimate relationships. intimate relationships. war. war. protest songs. protest songs. loneliness. loneliness. death. death. drug abuse. drug abuse. politics. politics. religion. religion. pop. pop music. rock. rock music. Ballads are generally melodic enough to get the listener 's attention .. Sentimental ballads are found in most music genres , such as , pop , R&B , soul , country , folk , rock and electronic music , among others .. music genres. music genres. pop. pop music. R&B. contemporary R&B. soul. soul music. country. country music. folk. folk music. rock. rock music. electronic music. electronic music. Ballads tend to have a lush musical arrangement , emphasizing melody and harmonies .. arrangement. arrangement. melody. melody. harmonies. harmony. Characteristically , ballads use acoustic instruments such as guitars , pianos , saxophones , and sometimes an orchestral set .. acoustic. Musical acoustics. saxophones. saxophones. orchestral. orchestral. However though , many modern , mainstream ballads tend to feature synthesizers , drum machines and even , to some extent , a dance rhythm .. drum machines. drum machines. dance rhythm. Four on the floor ( music ). Sentimental ballads had their origins in the early Tin Pan Alley music industry of the later 19th century .. Tin Pan Alley. Tin Pan Alley. Initially known as `` tear-jerkers '' or `` drawing-room ballads '' , they were generally sentimental , narrative , strophic songs published separately or as part of an opera , descendants perhaps of broadside ballads .. strophic. Strophic form. opera. opera. broadside ballads. broadside ( music ). As new genres of music began to emerge in the early 20th century , their popularity faded , but the association with sentimentality led to the term ballad being used for a slow love song from the 1950s onwards .. ballad. ballad. love song. love song