Meaning of “The Power of Love” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Emily Wong by SMF· Published · Updated
“The Power of Love” is a 1984 ballad by the iconic English band Frankie Goes to Hollywood. As the title implies, the song talks about the sheer power and strength of love. In the process of distilling love’s immense power, the lyrics touch on spirituality and religion.
');var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; })();In a 2018 article published by The Guardian, Holly Johnson cast some light on the song. According to him, he always had this feeling that the song had the power to save him on his earthly journey. He said the song’s passion and spirituality have a “Biblical aspect” to them. And what’s this Biblical aspect? It is the universal fact that whether we like it or not, at the end of the day, love becomes the most important thing in this universe.
FYI: Holly Johnson was from 1980 to 1987 the lead vocalist and frontman of Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
');var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; })();Facts about “The Power of Love”
- The song was composed by Johnson and his bandmates: Peter Gill, Brian Nash and Mark O’Toole.
- Grammy Award winning English music producer Trevor Horn produced this track.
- “The Power of Love” was released on November 19, 1984 as the third single from Welcome to the Pleasuredome. The aforementioned record was the band’s debut studio album. The album was so successful it reportedly sold over a million copies in the United Kingdom alone.
- In 2018, X Factor winner Dalton Harris released a very successful cover of this song. The song entered the UK Singles Charts at the fourth position.
- Despite the fact that this ballad make no mention of Christmas in it, many view it as a Christmas song.
- In addition to being a member of the new wave musical genre, this song also fits perfectly into baroque pop.
- To date, “The Power of Love” is one of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s most successful songs. It reached number one on the UK Singles Chart. Furthermore, it was a top ten seller in a number of countries, including Germany, Canada, Ireland and Australia.
- Upon reaching number 1 in the UK, this ballad gave the group their third consecutive number 1 single in the UK. It also ended up being the last number 1 UK single of the band’s career.
Does this ballad have an official music video?
Yes. The band released a video for this song in 1984. The video was directed by Kevin Godley and Lol Creme of 10cc fame.
Aside Dalton Harris’ version of “The Power of Love”, are there others?
Yes. In 1999, Holly Johnson recorded a solo version of this song. The song was released as a single from his third solo album Soulstream. That version peaked at number 56 in the United Kingdom. In 2012, singer Gabrielle Aplin worked on a cover version of this ballad. Aplin’s version was so successful that it reached number 1 in the UK.
