The Power of Love (Jennifer Rush song)

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"The Power Of Love"
Single by Jennifer Rush
from the album Jennifer Rush
Released	June 30, 1985
Format	7" vinyl
Recorded	1984
Genre	Pop
Length	5:44
Label	Epic
Writer(s)	Gunther Mende, Candy DeRouge, Jennifer Rush, Mary Susan Applegate
Jennifer Rush singles chronology
"25 Lovers" (1984) "The Power of Love" (1985) "Ring of Ice" (1985) Audio sample file info · help

"The Power of Love" is a power ballad co-written and originally recorded by Jennifer Rush. It has been covered by several artists, most notably by Laura Branigan and Céline Dion, and translated into several languages, becoming a pop standard.

[edit] History

In 1985, Jennifer Rush's version spent 5 weeks at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart.^[1] However, the song spent much of the summer of 1985 being largely ignored, taking a massive 13 weeks of yo-yoing outside of the top 40, before the song climbed to No.1 in its 17th week on the chart. It total it spent 33 weeks on the chart and effectively eclipsed the success of the three follow up singles; "Ring of Ice" (#14), "Madonna's Eyes" (#84) and "Destiny" (#96). It became the first single by a female solo artist to sell a million copies in the United Kingdom and it remains among the UK's best-selling singles of all time.^[2] This initial success stood in contrast to the song's reception in the United States, where Rush's original could only scrape to number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 and did not even hit the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks despite a performance by Rush on the April 12, 1986 broadcast of American Bandstand.^[3] The song was a major hit in the rest of Europe — notably so in Germany, where Rush was based at the time. Her accompanying album became one of the biggest sellers of the decade there.^[4] The song itself is a straightforward love song, with the narrator telling of her first experience of true love.^[5] The song gained interest due to the strength of Rush's voice, which was classically trained and unusual in a pop ballad.

The song was subsequently covered by other artists, two of whose recordings eclipsed all earlier versions on the U.S. charts. A recording by Laura Branigan became a top 40 hit on both Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts in late 1987; Céline Dion enjoyed a number 1 U.S. hit on both Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks with her version, which was nominated for a 1995 Grammy Award.

[edit] Charts (Jennifer Rush version)

[edit] Laura Branigan version

"Power of Love"
Single by Laura Branigan
from the album Touch
B-side	"Spirit of Love"
Released	1987
Format	7", Cassette
Recorded	1987
Genre	Pop, Rock
Length	5:26
Label	Atlantic
Writer(s)	Gunther Mende, Candy DeRouge, Jennifer Rush, Mary Susan Applegate
Producer	David Kershenbaum
Laura Branigan singles chronology
"Shattered Glass" (1987) "Power of Love" (1987) "Cry Wolf" (1988)

Though best known for dance classics like "Gloria" and "Self Control," Branigan had previously had major success introducing the ballad "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" (number 1 AC, number 12 Pop) and minor success introducing the ballad "I Found Someone" (number 25 AC, number 90 Pop), among others. Incorrectly supposed by some to have introduced "Power of Love" as well, Branigan was the first to take the song into the U.S. top 40, where it spent 9 weeks. While the single actually peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, its sales points outranked its pop airplay points, reaching number 19 during the 1987-88 holiday season. Branigan's recording also peaked at number 19 on the AC chart, and went to number 17 on ARC Weekly Top 40. This success came without benefit of a music video.

"Power of Love" (Branigan's version omitted the "The") was the second single from the 1987 album Touch, following the number 13 Dance hit "Shattered Glass." Produced by Grammy winner David Kershenbaum, Branigan's vocal brought a rawer rock edge than Rush's mutedly operatic sheen. The song was a favorite of Branigan's to sing, and it continued to appear in even abbreviated set lists throughout the rest of her life.

The song appears on the 2007 re-release of Touch on Wounded Bird Records and on the collections The Best of Branigan, The Essentials: Laura Branigan and The Platinum Collection.

[edit] Formats and track listings

7" vinyl single/cassette single

1. "Power of Love" (single version) – 4:44
2. "Spirit of Love" (single version) – 3:35

[edit] Official versions

• "Power of Love" (album version) – 5:26
• "Power of Love" (single version) – 4:44

[edit] Charts

[edit] Céline Dion version

"The Power of Love"
Single by Céline Dion
from the album The Colour of My Love
Released	November 1, 1993 (1993-11-01)
Format	CD single, cassette single, vinyl single
Recorded	The Enterprise, Ground Control, Record Plant, 1993
Genre	Pop, Soft rock
Length	5:43
Label	Columbia, Epic
Writer(s)	Gunther Mende, Candy DeRouge, Jennifer Rush, Mary Susan Applegate
Producer	David Foster
Certification	Platinum (Australia, U.S.) Gold (New Zealand) Silver (France)
Céline Dion singles chronology
"Plus haut que moi" (1993) "The Power of Love" (1993) "Love Lights the World" (1994) Audio sample file info · help

"The Power of Love" is the second (if counting "When I Fall in Love" as first) single from Céline Dion's 1993 album, The Colour of My Love.^[22] It was released on November 1, 1993 in North America, in December in Japan, and the next year in the rest of the world.

"The Power of Love" is the second Jennifer Rush song Dion has covered. Earlier the same year she recorded a French adaptation of "Higher Ground," called "Plus haut que moi."

The music video made for the radio edit was directed by Randee St. Nicholas and released in November 1993. It appeared on Dion's 2001 DVD video collection All the Way… A Decade of Song & Video.^[23]

The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and an American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Single in 1995.

"The Power of Love" was included on Céline Dion's greatest hits compilations: All the Way… A Decade of Song in 1999 and My Love: Essential Collection in 2008.^[24] Live versions of this song can be found on À l'Olympia and Live à Paris albums. It's one of the most often performed songs by Céline Dion. She sang it also five nights a week in her show A New Day... at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, and later during her 2008-09 Taking Chances Tour.

"The Power of Love" became an international smash hit. The song rose to the top of the charts in the United States, Australia and Canada. In the U.S. it topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 4 weeks, the first Céline Dion single to do so. It also went to number 1 for 5 weeks on the Hot 100 Singles Sales and to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay. It was also number 1 for 4 weeks on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks.

The song spent 12 weeks at the top in Canada and 70 weeks on the chart in total. "The Power of Love" was a top 10 hit in the rest of the world (number 3 in France, number 4 in the United Kingdom and Belgium, number 6 in Sweden, number 7 in New Zealand). It was certified platinum in the U.S. (1,120,000 copies sold) and Australia (70,000), gold in New Zealand (5,000) and silver in France (225,000 copies sold).

[edit] Formats and track listings

Japanese CD single

1. "The Power of Love" (radio edit) – 4:42
2. "If You Asked Me To" – 3:55

Worldwide CD single

1. "The Power of Love" (radio edit) – 4:42
2. "No Living Without Loving You" – 4:23

European CD maxi single

1. "The Power of Love" (radio edit) – 4:42
2. "No Living Without Loving You" – 4:23
3. "Did You Give Enough Love" – 4:21

Japanese CD maxi single

1. "The Power of Love" (radio edit) – 4:42
2. "No Living Without Loving You" – 4:23
3. "If You Asked Me To" – 3:55

[edit] Official versions

1. "The Power of Love" (radio edit) – 4:42
2. "The Power of Love" (album version) – 5:43

[edit] Charts

[edit] Other versions

	The Power of Love Cover by Air Supply The Power of Love Cover by Andrea Bocelli The Power of Love Cover by Los Toros Band The Power of Love Cover by Michael Crawford The Power of Love Cover by Nana Mouskouri
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Anglo-Australian duo Air Supply reversed the pronouns in the chorus ("You are my lady, and I am your man") in their recording of the song from their 1985 album. It only peaked at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 but peaked at number 13 on Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks. Other male artists to have recorded the English version of the song include Andrea Bocelli and Michael Crawford. In addition to Jennifer Rush, Laura Branigan and Celine Dion, other female artists to have recorded the English version of the song include Nana Mouskouri and Shirley Bassey.

In Spanish the song was dubbed "Si Tú Eres Mi Hombre" ("If You Are My Man") and has been recorded by many Latin artists like Yolandita Monge, Amanda Miguel, Angela Carrasco, La India, also by Los Melódicos, and Operación Triunfo alumna Dulce. Some versions of the song have been made in a Latin style featuring salsa and merengue rhythms. Brazilian singer Rosana recorded a Portuguese version, "O Amor e o Poder," in the 1980s. Dominican singer Anaís sang a Spanglish version of the song in her Así Soy Yo Tour concerts.

Petra Janů, a Czech female singer, recorded with the band Golem Jana Václavíka a Czechoslovakian version of the song, "Už nejsem volná", which she released as a single from her album Už nejsem volná (1986). Janů released a live version in 1988 and re-recorded the song in 1997. A German version, "Die Macht der Liebe," made it onto West German pop charts in the 1980s. A Punjabi version of the song ("Sitam," sung by Amar) was featured in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham. Japanese singer Yuna Ito recorded the song for her sophomore album Wish.

A Swedish song with a different theme, "Ängel i natt" ("Angel Tonight"), was written and recorded to the music of "The Power of Love" in 1985 by Elisabeth Andreassen. In 1995, Swedish dansband Sten & Stanley recorded "Ängel i natt."

[edit] References