The Power of Love (Frankie Goes to Hollywood Song)
| The Power of Love | |
|---|---|
| Frankie Goes to Hollywood | |
| publication | November 19, 1984 |
| length | 5:19 ("Make Love your Goal") 9:28 ("Leave the Rest to the Gods") |
| Genre (s) | Pop , rock , new wave |
| Author (s) | Peter Gill , Holly Johnson , Brian Nash , Mark O'Toole |
| album | Welcome to the Pleasuredome |
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Chart positions Explanation of the data |
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The Power of Love ( Engl. The power of love ) was to " relax " and " Two Tribes ", the third single from the British band Frankie Goes To Hollywood . The title was written by Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole and Holly Johnson . It appeared on the album Welcome to the Pleasuredome in late October 1984 , was released as a single on November 19, 1984, and was the band's third number one hit in the UK . On the B-side of the single is another recording from the double album entitled The World Is My Oyster . After the previous singles had dealt with sexuality and war, "The Power Of Love" is the third part of an originally planned trilogy of singles that deals with the topic of "religion".
Creation and publication
"The Power of Love" was first presented during the John Peel Sessions in 1983 and emphasized the artificial ironic content by the significantly slower rhythm compared to the previous singles. The "Hooded Claw" mentioned in the lyrics is the character of a villain from the American cartoon series "The Perils of Penelope Pitstop" ( Hanna-Barbera Cartoons ) from the early 1970s (line of text: I protect you from the Hooded Claw / Keep the vampires from your door ).
As an introduction to the nine-minute maxi version, the tirade of radio DJ Mike Read, imitated by actor Chris Barrie , was used, who refused to play the first single " Relax " on the radio in January 1984 . Barrie also imitates the then US President Ronald Reagan , who explains the prayer to the listener and then quotes parts of the Lord's Prayer .
covers
Around the time of publication - mid-November 1984 - some details became known that associated the title with Christian themes. The cover shows excerpts from the painting “ Assumption of Mary ” by the Italian painter Titian . The musical arrangement of the song is by Anne Dudley . In the long version, among other things, the Lord's Prayer is quoted. The song is also on numerous Christmas samplers. On the B-side of the maxi single, ironic Christmas greetings from the band members can be heard under the title “Holier Than Thou” (literally “holier than you”, colloquially “complacent”, “self-righteous”). In the video clip by Godley & Creme , the birth of Jesus is taken up in artistic form.
Commercial win
"The Power of Love" achieved consistently high placements in Europe. However, at the top of the UK sales lists just before Christmas, the single was titled “ Do They Know It's Christmas? “ Replaced by Band Aid . A new recording of the song by the band reached the German charts again in 1993.
Cover versions (selection)
There are many different cover versions of the title. The interpreters Holly Johnson and Brian Nash were members of the band Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
- 1996: Dune
- 1999: Holly Johnson
- 2002: Feeder
- 2003: ASP
- 2003: Michael Wurst
- 2006: Oomph!
- 2008: Il Divo The Power of Love (La fuerza mayor)
- 2008: Brian Nash feat. Connie Lush
- 2009: Anneke van Giersbergen (alias Agua de annique )
- 2009: Dellé
- 2012: Sharon the nobility
- 2012: Gabrielle Aplin : 28 years after the success of the original recording, this interpretation reached number 1 on UK sales lists.
- 2014: Within Temptation
- 2015: Helene Fischer
- 2018: Dalton Harris feat. James Arthur
literature
- B. Graves, S. Schmidt-Joos, B. Halbscheffel: The new rock lexicon . Rowohlt, Hamburg 1998, ISBN 3-499-16352-7 .
Web links
- Discogs: Frankie Goes To Hollywood - The Power of Love. Retrieved December 9, 2012 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Charts DE Charts AT Charts CH Charts UK Charts US
- ↑ The Power of Love on Whosampled.com
- ↑ Gabrielle Aplin: The Power of Love in the Official UK Charts (English)