| "Power of Love/Love Power" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Luther Vandross | ||||
| from the album Power of Love | ||||
| Released | April 9, 1991[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1991 A&M Studios (Hollywood, CA) Right Track Recording (New York, NY) | |||
| Genre | R&B, soul gospel | |||
| Length | 6:42 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Luther Vandross, Marcus Miller, Teddy Vann | |||
| Producer(s) | Luther Vandross, Marcus Miller | |||
| Luther Vandross singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Power of Love/Love Power" on YouTube | ||||
"Power of Love/Love Power" is a single by American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross. It was released on April 9, 1991 by Epic Records as the lead single from his seventh album of the same name (1991). The song was written by Vandross, Marcus Miller and Teddy Vann, and produced by Vandross and Miller. The hit song spent two weeks at number one on the US R&B chart, and peaked at number four on the US pop chart, becoming his biggest pop solo hit.[2]
The song is a medley of two songs titled "Power of Love" and "Love Power." "Love Power" had been a minor hit in 1968 for the one-hit wonder R&B group The Sandpebbles. The Sandpebbles version of "Love Power" had made it number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 14 on the R&B singles chart.[3]
American singer Donna Summer recorded a version of the song for the 2005 album So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross.
Critical reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic picked the song as one of the "high points" of the album.[4] Larry Flick from Billboard commented, "First peek into Vandross' new album of the same name is a tasty blend of influences: pleasing pop melodies, funky guitars, gospel-tinged backing vocals, and (naturally) effective R&B vocals. Thoroughly satisfying."[5]
Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly wrote, ""Power of Love/Love Power" is as paradoxically playful and ambitious as its title." He added, "Here is a perfect example of the way pop improvisation can combine with technical precision to revitalize verbal clichés. In this case, Vandross has joined two different songs, both featuring gliding, colliding melodies that offer the singer an opportunity to apply his delicate tenor to witty, chanted variations on the songs' titles."[6]
Track listings
Charts
See also
- List of number-one R&B singles of 1991 (U.S.)
References
- ^ "Luther Vandross' new single;Catch Sting on the radio". USA TODAY. April 9, 1991.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 601.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 511.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Luther Vandross – Power of Love". AllMusic. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
- ^ Flick, Larry (April 20, 1991). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 72. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (May 31, 1991). "Power of Love". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ "Luther Vandross Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
- ^ "RPM 100 Hit Tracks of 1991". RPM. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
- ^ Nielsen Business Media, Inc (December 21, 1991). "1991 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. 103 (51): YE-14.
External links
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics