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	1985
Format	7" vinyl
Genre	Pop
Writer(s)	Gunther Mende, Candy DeRouge, Jennifer Rush, Mary Susan Applegate
Jennifer Rush singles chronology
"Ring of Ice" (1984) "The Power of Love" (1985) "Madonna's Eyes" (1986)

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

Contents 1 History 2 Laura Branigan version 2.1 Formats and track listings 2.2 Charts 3 Céline Dion version 3.1 Formats and track listings 3.2 Official versions 3.3 Charts 4 Other covers 5 References

[edit] History

In 1985 Jennifer Rush's version spent five weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart in the process becoming the first single by a female soloist to sell a million copies in the UK, and is among the UK's best-selling singles of all time. This initial success stood in contrast to the song's reception in the U.S., where Rush's original could only scrape to number fifty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and did not even hit the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Anglo-Australian duo Air Supply (which changed the chorus to "You are my lady, and I am your man") also recorded the song for their 1985 album. It only peaked at number sixty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100 but peeked at number thirteen on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, making it an "AC Only" hit.

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-thirty hit on both Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts in late 1987; Céline Dion enjoyed a number-one U.S. hit on both Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts with her version, which was nominated for a 1995 Grammy Award. Another version was produced with lyrics in Swedish, "Ängel i natt" ("Angel Tonight"), with another theme, written (lyrics in Swedish) and recorded in 1985 by Elisabeth Andreassen. In 1995, Swedish "dansband" Sten & Stanley recorded "Ängel i natt." A Punjabi version of the song ("Sitam," sung by Amar) was featured in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham. A German version, "Die Macht der Liebe," made it onto West German pop charts in the 1980s.

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 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.

After the successful chart runs by Celine Dion, Jennifer Rush's version was added to many soft and mainstream Adult Contemporary radio stations' playlists as well. The Jennifer Rush and Celine Dion versions are both widely played on softer adult contemporary radio stations.

[edit] Laura Branigan version

“Power of Love”
Single by Laura Branigan from the album Touch
B-side	"Spirit of Love"
Released	1987
Format	7" vinyl, cassette single
Genre	Pop/Rock
Label	Atlantic
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" (#1 AC, #12 Pop) and minor success introducing the ballad "I Found Someone" (#25 AC, #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 forty, where it spent nine weeks. While the single actually peaked at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, its sales points outranked its pop airplay points, reaching #19 during the 1987-88 holiday season. Branigan's recording also peaked at #19 on the AC chart, and went to #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 #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.

[edit] Formats and track listings

7" Vinyl Single / Cassette Single

1. "Power of Love" (Edited Version) 4:44
2. "Spirit of Love" (Edited Version) 3:35

[edit] Charts

Chart (1987) Peak Position U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 17 Billboard Adult Contemporary 19 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales 19 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 26 U.S. Cashbox Pop Singles 29

[edit] Céline Dion version

“The Power of Love”
Single by Céline Dion from the album The Colour of My Love
Released	November 1, 1993
Format	CD single, cassette single, vinyl single
Recorded	The Enterprise, Ground Control, Record Plant
Genre	Pop
Length	5:43 (Album Version) 4:42 (Radio Edit)
Label	Columbia, Epic
Producer	David Foster
Certification	Platinum (Australia, United States) Gold (New Zealand) Silver (France)
Céline Dion singles chronology
"Plus haut que moi" (1993) "The Power of Love" (1993) "Love Lights the World" (1994)
Alternate cover
Japanese single
Audio sample
Info (help·info)

"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.^[1] 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.^[2]

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 CD All the Way… A Decade of Song in 1999.^[3] 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.

"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 four weeks, the first Céline Dion single to do so. It also went to #1 for five weeks on the Hot 100 Singles Sales and to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay. It was also #1 for four weeks on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks.

The song spent twelve weeks at the top in Canada and seventy weeks on the chart in total. "The Power of Love" was a top ten hit in the rest of the world (#3 in France and Poland, #4 in the United Kingdom and Belgium, #6 in Sweden, #7 in New Zealand). It was certified platinum in the U.S. (1,117,000 copies sold) and Australia (70,000), gold in New Zealand (5,000) and silver in France (221,000).

[edit] Formats and track listings

2-track CD-single

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

2-track CD-single - (JP)

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

3-track CD-single - (EU)

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

3-track CD-single - (JP)

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

Chart (1993) Peak Position Canadian Singles Chart[4] 1 Canadian Contemporary Hit Radio Chart 1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[5] 1 U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 1 U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream 2 U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 21 U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 1 Chart (1994) Peak Position Australian Singles Chart[6] 1 Brazilian Singles Chart 1 Belgian Singles Chart 4 Belgian Het Chart 5

Chart (1994) Peak position Belgian Humo Chart 5 Belgian VTM/Joepie Chart 10 Dutch Top 40 Chart 18 Dutch Mega Top 50 Chart 18 Dutch Mega Single Top 100 Chart 22 French Singles Chart 3 German Singles Chart 57 Irish Singles Chart 13 Israeli Singles Chart 1 Italian Singles Chart 1 New Zealand Singles Chart 7 Polish Radio 3 Chart 3 Swedish Singles Chart 6 UK Singles Chart 4

v • d • e Céline Dion Albums · Singles · Videography · Tours · Awards

[edit] Other covers

[edit] References

Preceded by "If I Was" by Midge Ure	UK number one single (Jennifer Rush version) October 8, 1985 – November 5, 1985	Succeeded by "A Good Heart" by Feargal Sharkey
Preceded by "All for Love" by Bryan Adams / Rod Stewart / Sting	Billboard Hot 100 number one single (Celine Dion version) February 12, 1994 – March 5, 1994	Succeeded by "The Sign" by Ace of Base