"The Power of Love" is a song co-written and originally recorded by American singer Jennifer Rush in 1984. It has been covered by several artists, most notably by Air Supply, Laura Branigan and Celine Dion.
Recorded in Frankfurt, Germany (where Rush is based) and released in West Germany without much success in late 1984, Rush's original version reached number one on the UK Singles Chart in October 1985 and subsequently became the biggest-selling single of the year in the UK as Rush became the first female artist ever to have a million-selling single in the UK—it became the ninth best-selling single of the decade.[1] It also topped the charts in several other European countries, as well as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
Dion's cover version peaked at number one in the United States, Canada and Australia in 1994. The song has been translated into several languages, becoming a pop standard.
"The Power of Love" was first recorded in Frankfurt, West Germany by Jennifer Rush for her 1984 eponymous album. This was a year after the band Frankie Goes to Hollywood conceived a song with the same title. It was released as a single in West Germany in December 1984. In June 1985, "The Power of Love" was issued as a single in the United Kingdom, where it topped the chart for five weeks in October 1985 and became the best-selling single of the year.[2] As of March 2017, it had sold 1.45 million copies in the UK.[3] The success of the song saw Rush perform it live on the BBC’s Top of the Pops in late 1985.[4]
The massive success of "The Power of Love" in the UK followed with widespread international success for the single in the last months of 1985 and the first of 1986, including a German re-release with a resultant number-nine charting. Eventually "The Power of Love" reached number one in Australia, Austria, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa and Spain (where Rush topped the chart with a version in Spanish called "Si tú eres mi hombre y yo tu mujer", translated as "If you are my man and I'm your woman"), number three in Switzerland, Sweden and Belgium, and number seven in the Netherlands.
CBS held off on releasing "The Power of Love" in North America feeling the disc was too European. It finally saw release in the United States and Canada in January 1986 but despite rising to number one in Canada, "The Power of Love" failed to become a significant US hit, stalling at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending of April 5, 1986, and spending 13 weeks within the Hot 100. The song was performed by Rush on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in March 1986 and American Bandstand in April 1986.
Critical reception[]
Michele Greppi from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution picked "The Power of Love" as the "best cut" of the album, complimenting Rush's voice, noting that her "operatic training shows in her incredible range (with no apparent loss of power or flexibility at either top or bottom)".[5] Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger stated that it's "a song about how love removes your own sense of scale, makes existence itself unfamiliar, so the disorientating disconnect between it and anything resembling my emotional reality makes a sort of warped sense." He added the chorus as "so memorable".[6] Alan Jones from Music Week declared it "frankly superior".[7] Richard Defendorf from The Orlando Sentinel deemed it a "goopy ballad".[8]People magazine wrote that "what's most impressive is Rush's voice. Throaty, intense and wide-ranging". The reviewer also noted that there is "intelligent passion" in the "broody" "The Power of Love".[9] Pop Rescue described it as a "fantastically classic power ballad" and "flawless", adding that the singer's vocals are "rich, strong, and wonderfully spine tingling".[10] Greg Kennedy from Red Deer Advocate viewed the song as "plaintive" and "poignant".[11] A writer for The Stage called it a "superballad".[12]
Australian music channel Max placed the song at number 771 in their list of "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2011.[13]
Music video[]
The music video of "The Power of Love" was directed by German director Michael Leckebusch.[14] It was filmed in New York City. As the video begins, we see New York City in the early morning hours. Some villainous types are walking around an empty office, obviously looking for something. They are being discovered by Rush's man, who obviously works at nights. But it's too late, they've already seen him. Then the focus switches to Rush who is seen leaving Madison Square Garden Center. On her way home, she starts singing. At home, she opens the door to her bedroom and sees that her man is lying asleep. When the chorus starts, Rush is standing in a freight elevator that is moving upwards. There are glimpses of the villainous men pushing her man to do things for them. Some scenes show Rush wearing black sunglasses, standing on the dock by the sea, while she watches the guys meeting on a pier to plot something. They are also hitting her man on the street by car. It seems like Rush is trying to help him out of the hands of these villains. She tries to talk to them. Towards the end, she walks through the city in the evening hours, singing. At home, she once again opens the bedroom door, checking that her man is lying there asleep. Then she shuts the door.[15]
Official versions[]
Original album version (6:00)
Special radio edit (4:43) [This is an edit of the original album version]
Orchestral remix (6:00)
International album version (5:45) [Remixed by Walter Samuel]
Remix (4:20) [Remixed by Walter Samuel. This is an edit of the international album version]
Extended remix (7:10) [Remixed by Walter Samuel. Different mix to the international album version/remix]
Track listings[]
Europe 1st press 7-inch single (CBS CBSA 5003)
No.
Title
Length
1.
"The Power of Love" (Original Album Version)
6:00
2.
"I See a Shadow (Not a Fantasy)"
4:20
Europe promotional 7-inch single (CBS PROSI 24)
No.
Title
Length
1.
"The Power of Love" (Special Radio Edit)
4:43
2.
"The Power of Love" (Original Album Version)
6:00
Europe 1st press 12-inch single (CBS CBSA 12.5003)
No.
Title
Length
1.
"The Power of Love" (Original Album Version)
6:00
2.
"Nobody Move"
3:12
3.
"Into My Dreams"
4:00
Europe 2nd press 7-inch single (CBS CBSA 5003) / UK 1st press 7-inch single (CBS A 5003)
No.
Title
Length
1.
"The Power of Love" (Orchestral Remix)
6:00
2.
"I See a Shadow (Not a Fantasy)"
4:20
Europe 2nd press 12-inch single (CBS CBSA 12.5003)
No.
Title
Length
1.
"The Power of Love" (Orchestral Remix)
6:00
2.
"Nobody Move"
3:12
3.
"Into My Dreams"
4:00
UK 1st press 12-inch single (CBS TX 5003)
No.
Title
Length
1.
"The Power of Love" (Orchestral Remix)
6:00
2.
"Come Give Me Your Hand"
3:49
3.
"I See A Shadow (Not a Fantasy)"
4:20
UK promo 7-inch single (CBS A 5003)
No.
Title
Length
1.
"The Power of Love" (Remix)
4:20
2.
"The Power of Love" (Orchestral Remix)
6:00
UK 2nd press 7-inch single (CBS A 5003) / US 7-inch single (Epic 34-05754)
Australian duo Air Supply covered "The Power of Love" for their 1985 eponymous album. Since the song was sung by Russell Hitchcock, the gender roles were reversed in the lyrics ("I'm your lady and you are my man" became "You're my lady and I am your man"). It was released as a single in July 1985 in the United States, and later in Canada and New Zealand. Their version was titled "The Power of Love (You Are My Lady)" so as not to be confused with "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News which was on the charts at the same time. Air Supply's version was a moderate success in New Zealand and Canada, reaching the top 40 in both countries in late 1985. In the US, it peaked at number 68. Their cover was featured in the 2017 film Death Note.
American singer Laura Branigan recorded "The Power of Love" under the title "Power of Love" for her fifth studio album, Touch (1987). Produced by David Kershenbaum, the track was released in October 1987 as the album's second single and reached number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 that December, becoming Branigan's seventh and final top-40 entry. "Power of Love" also peaked at number 19 on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary chart.
Branigan would say of "Power of Love": "There's a song on this album" ("Power Of Love") "that to me is the ultimate in singing. It's a real emotional tear-your-heart-out kind of song. It's a classic torch song with today's feeling. I think those are the ones that live on forever.
"It has a range that keeps going on and on. It is really challenging vocally and yet it is really emotional. Emotion of the most important thing for me.".[53]
Julie Ann Gigante, Ralph D. Morrison III, Clayton Haslop, Alexander Horvath, R.F. Peterson, Arthur Zadinsky, Michael Nowak, Raymond J. Tischer II, Margot MacLaine, Armen Ksjikian, Dennis Karmazyn, Michael Matthews – strings
David J. Holman – engineering, mixing, PPG programming
Canadian singer Celine Dion covered "The Power of Love" for her third English-language studio album, The Colour of My Love (1993). It was produced by David Foster and released as the first single in November 1993 in North America, in December 1993 in Japan, and in early 1994 in the rest of the world.
A music video for the song was released. It only used the radio edit, which was the opening track for all releases of the song.
"The Power of Love" became the 8th best selling single of 1994 in the United States and the best selling by a female artist with 900,000 copies sold that year alone.[59]
"The Power of Love" became Dion's first US number-one song, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in February 1994. It also became her first Australian chart topper and second number-one single in Canada. The song also topped the adult contemporary charts in the United States and Canada. In the rest of the world, "The Power of Love" reached the top ten in France, United Kingdom, Belgium, Sweden and New Zealand. It was certified Platinum in the United States (selling 1.5 million copies) and Australia, Gold in New Zealand and Silver in France. "The Power of Love" won the ASCAP Pop Award for Most Performed Song in the United States.[60] It was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Single, two Billboard Music Awards for Hot 100 Single of the Year and Hot Adult Contemporary Single of the Year, and for the Juno Award for Single of the Year. Thanks to "The Power of Love," David Foster was also nominated for the Juno Award for Producer of the Year.[61][62][63][64]
"The Power of Love" became one of Dion's signature songs. She performed it in all her tours including her most recent, Courage World Tour. "The Power of Love" is included on many of her live albums. "The Power of Love" was also featured on Dion's greatest hits compilations: All the Way... A Decade of Song (1999), Complete Best (2008), My Love: Essential Collection (2008) and The Best of Celine Dion & David Foster (2012). Live performances are included on À l'Olympia (album), Live à Paris (album), Live à Paris (video), Au cœur du stade (video), Live in Las Vegas: A New Day... (video), Taking Chances World Tour: The Concert (album/video), and Céline une seule fois / Live 2013 (album/video). She also performed the song at the American Music Awards of 1995 and her CBS television special That's Just the Woman in Me on February 15, 2008.
Critical reception[]
Dion's version of "The Power of Love" received acclaim from music critics. About.com placed the song at number seven in their ranking of "Top 10 Celine Dion Songs", calling it a "big ballad".[65]Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic "highlighted" it in his review of The Colour of My Love.[66] A reviewer from The Baltimore Sun wrote that the singer "sounds great" when she's working with "tunefully romantic stuff", like "The Power of Love".[67] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report commented, "A song this powerful places extraordinary demands on those who sing it. Only a rare few are up to the task and who better than Celine Dion to revive the song first made a hit around the world by Jennifer Rush. Add Celine's interpretation to producer David Foster's arrangement and the result is nothing short of superb".[68]
Another editor, Ron Fell said "it's made better than ever", adding it as "awesome!"[69] Mike Wass from Idolator complimented Dion's "flawless vocal" on a "classy" Foster arrangement.[70] Dennis Hunt from LA Times compared Dion's vocals to those of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. He noted "that grandiose, note-stretching finish".[71] Pan-European magazine Music & Media described the song as a "tender rendition".[72] Alan Jones from Music Week said it "is so powerful it's sure to score".[73] A reviewer from The Network Forty declared it "a reflective ballad brought to life by Celine's brilliantly distinctive vocals".[74]The Plain Dealer deemed it a "soaring rendition".[75] Christopher Smith from TalkAboutPopMusic viewed the song as "powerful and faithful to the original version".[76]
Cultural impact[]
, members of a New Zealand street subculture devoted to the volume and clarity of music via public address system loudspeakers, value the Celine Dion version of The Power of Love as a perfect song for the medium.[77] Siren king Purp Ci’i stated that it "will smash anyone in a battle—that song is dangerous...It’s an old favourite from when sirens first started."[77]
^Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN978-951-1-21053-5.
