Dion's version peaked at number one in the United States, Canada, and Australia, and hit the top ten in several more countries in 1994. The song has been translated into several languages, becoming a pop standard.
"The Power of Love" was first recorded inMunich[citation needed] byJennifer Rush for her1984 eponymous album. 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 following a 16 week climb it peaked at the top of theUK Singles Chart for five weeks in October 1985 and becameBritain's best-selling song of 1985.[2] As of March 2017, it had sold 1.45 million copies in the United Kingdom.[3] The success of "The Power of Love" in the United Kingdom saw Rush perform the song on the British music TV showTop of the Pops in late 1985.[4]
The massive success of "The Power of Love" in the United Kingdom 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 theBillboard Hot 100 for the week ending of April 5, 1986, and spending 13 weeks within the Hot 100. The song was performed by Rush onThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in March 1986 andAmerican Bandstand in April 1986.
A Spanish re-recording of the song titled "Si tú eres mi hombre y yo tu mujer" (meaning "If You Were My Man and I Your Lady") was released in 1986. This version had lyrics adapted byLuis Gómez-Escolar [es].[5] The Spanish version entered the Spanish singles chart at number 16 in April 1986 while the original English version was still at number 2.[6] The Spanish version topped the Spanish singles chart for six consecutive weeks.[7] It was also the fifth best-selling single in Spain of 1986.[8]
"Si tú eres mi hombre y yo tu mujer" was added to the album on Spanish re-issues beginning in 1986.[9] The Spanish version was re-recorded by Jennifer in 1998 for herClassics and appeared on Spanish pressings of that album.[10] The original 1986 recording was later included on the 2007 box setStronghold – The Collector's Hit Box.
Michele Greppi fromThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution named "The Power of Love" the "best cut" of thealbum, 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)".[11] Tom Ewing ofFreaky 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 that the chorus is "so memorable".[12] Alan Jones fromMusic Week complimented it as "frankly superior".[13]Stephen Holden fromThe New York Times remarked that Rush "has a distinctive alto that combines an almost folkish intonation with a declamatory, quasi-operatic delivery. It is a voice that doesn't fit comfortably into any category."[14] Richard Defendorf fromThe Orlando Sentinel declared it as a "goopy ballad".[15]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".[16] In a retrospective review, Pop Rescue praised it as a "fantastically classicpower ballad" and "flawless", noting that the singer's vocals are "rich, strong, and wonderfully spine tingling".[17] Greg Kennedy fromRed Deer Advocate viewed the song as "plaintive" and "poignant".[18] A writer forThe Stage declared it a "superballad".[19]
Australian music channelMax included "The Power of Love" in their list of "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2011.[20]
The accompanying music video of "The Power of Love" was directed by German director Michael Leckebusch.[21] It was filmed inNew York City. As the video begins, we see the city in the early morning hours. Some villainous types are walking around an empty office, looking for something. They are being discovered by Rush's man, who obviously works at nights. Then the focus switches to Rush who is seen leavingMadison Square Garden. She starts singing and at home, she opens the door to her bedroom and finds her man 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. Apparently Rush is trying to help him out of the hands of these villains. Towards the end, she walks alone 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 and then she shuts the door. As of January 2025, the video had generated more than 161 million views onYouTube.[22]
British/Australian duoAir Supply covered "The Power of Love" for their1985 eponymous album. Since the song was sung byRussell Hitchcock, a man, the gender roles were reversed in the lyrics ("I'm your lady and you are my man" became "You are my lady and I am your man"). It was released as a single in July 1985 in the United States. Their version was titled "The Power of Love (You Are My Lady)" so as not to be confused with "The Power of Love" byHuey 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 filmDeath Note.
American singerLaura Branigan recorded "The Power of Love" under the title "Power of Love" for her fifth studio album,Touch (1987). Produced byDavid Kershenbaum, the track was released in October 1987 byAtlantic Records as the album's second single and reached number 26 on the USBillboard Hot 100 that December, becoming Branigan's seventh and final top-40 entry. "Power of Love" also peaked at number 19 onBillboard'sHot 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."[104]
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 singerCeline Dion covered "The Power of Love" for her third English-language studio album,The Colour of My Love (1993). It was produced byDavid Foster and released as the album's first single in November 1993. It reached number one in the US, Canada, and Australia and was a top-10 hit in several other countries. The accompanying music video was directed by Randee St. Nicholas, depicting Dion performing in a luxurious apartment.Billboard later ranked Dion's version of "The Power of Love" as the 46th Top Love Song of All Time.[112]
Dion's version ofThe Power of Love became the best-selling single by a female artist of 1994 in the United States, and 8th best-selling overall, selling 900,000 copies.[113] It became Dion's first US number-one song, topping theBillboard Hot 100 for four weeks in February 1994. It also topped theCash Box Top 100 and became her first Australian chart topper and her second number-one single in Canada. The song also topped theadult 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 2x Platinum in Canada, Platinum in the United States (selling 1.5 million copies), Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, and Gold in France and Denmark.
A music video for the Celine Dion version was directed by American director, photographer and designer Randee St. Nicholas, depicting Dion performing the song at different places inside a luxurious apartment.[119] It features scenes of Dion performing in a bed or sitting in a chair by a fireplace. Other scenes shows her standing in front of a wall with a rose wallpaper or behind a window. The video received heavy rotation on many music video networks and programs.
Dion's cover 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 "bigballad".[120]Stephen Thomas Erlewine fromAllMusic "highlighted" it in his review ofThe Colour of My Love.[121] A reviewer fromThe Baltimore Sun stated that the singer "sounds great" when she's working with "tunefully romantic stuff".[122] Dave Sholin from theGavin Report wrote, "A song this powerful places extraordinary demands on those who sing it. Only a rare few are up to the task... Add Celine's interpretation to producerDavid Foster's arrangement and the result is nothing short of superb".[123] AnotherGavin Report editor, Ron Fell, remarked that "it's made better than ever", praising it as "awesome!"[124]
Caroline Sullivan fromThe Guardian described it as a "bodice-bursting" version.[125] Mike Wass fromIdolator complimented Dion's "flawless vocal" on a "classy" Foster arrangement.[126] Dennis Hunt fromLA Times compared Dion's vocals favorably to those ofWhitney Houston andMariah Carey, noting "that grandiose, note-stretching finish".[127] Pan-European magazineMusic & Media described the song as a "tender rendition" and named it "the obligatory majestic ballad one can't leave out on any album within this genre anymore. Her US number 1 hit shows it works."[128][129] Alan Jones fromMusic Week said it "is so powerful it's sure to score".[13] A reviewer fromThe Network Forty considered it "a reflective ballad brought to life by Celine's brilliantly distinctive vocals".[130]The Plain Dealer described it as a "soaring rendition".[131] Christopher Smith from Talk About Pop Music complimented it as "powerful and faithful to the original version".[132]
Siren kings, members of a New Zealand street subculture devoted to the volume and clarity of music viapublic address system loudspeakers, value the Celine Dion version of "The Power of Love" as a perfect song for the medium.[133] 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."[133]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
The Spanish version of Jennifer Rush's "The Power of Love", "Si tu eres mi hombre y yo tu mujer" was introduced by Dominican singerÁngela Carrasco in 1986 and became very popular throughout Latin America. The same version was later recorded by a number of Latin artists includingYolandita Monge,Amanda Miguel, andLa India. La India's version of the song peaked at number thirty-eight onHot Latin Songs chart in the United States.[209] Brazilian singerRosana recorded a Portuguese version of the song, titled "O Amor e o Poder", which was included on the soundtrack of 8PMprime timetelenovelaMandala (1987–88), as the theme song for lead character Jocasta (Vera Fischer).[210] Her version was largely successful, becoming the sixth most played song in the country in 1988, as well as Rosana's biggest hit. It was also included on the tracklist for her albumCoração Selvagem and propelled its sales, selling over 300,000 copies.[211][212]Wilfrido Vargas's New York Band covered the song inmerengue which peaked at number thirty-seven on the Hot Latin Songs chart.[213] It was also covered byLos Melódicos and Dulce López fromLa Academia. Italian dance actFits of Gloom released their version in 1994 with vocals by British singerLizzy Mack which reached No. 49 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also covered vocals by singerSteve Burns version in 1996.[214]
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