The Power of Love (Jennifer Rush song)

"The Power of Love" is a song co-written and originally recorded by Jennifer Rush in 1984. It has been covered by several artists, most notably by Celine Dion and Laura Branigan.

Rush's original version, released in her native United States at the end of 1984 and in Europe during 1985, went to number one in the United Kingdom in October 1985 and became the biggest-selling single of the year in that country. It was also a number one single in several other European countries, as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Dion's version went to number one in the United States, Canada and Australia in 1994. The song has been translated into several languages, becoming a pop standard.

Laura Branigan version
Laura Branigan recorded "The Power of Love" under the title "Power of Love" for her 1987 album Touch. Produced by David Kershenbaum, the track was released in October 1987 as the album's second single - after "Shattered Glass" - to reach #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 that December, becoming Branigan's seventh (and final) Top 40 hit (she would appear one more time on the Hot 100 with "Moonlight on Water" in 1990). "Power of Love" also ranked - with a #19 peak - on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart (where Branigan would make one more appearance, with "Never in a Million Years #22 in 1990).

Branigan would say of "Power of Love": "[That] song to me is the ultimate in singing. It's a real emotional tear-your-heart-out kind of song. It's [like] a classic torch song [but] with [a contemporary] feeling. It is really challenging vocally and yet it is really emotional".

Celine Dion version
Canadian singer Celine Dion covered "The Power of Love" for her third English-language studio album, The Colour of My Love (1993). It was produced by David Foster and released as the first single in November 1993 in North America, in December 1993 in Japan, and in early 1994 in the rest of the world.

A music video for the song was released. It only used the radio edit, which was the opening track for all releases of the song.

"The Power of Love" became Dion's first US number-one song, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in February 1994. It also became her first Australian chart topper and second number-one single in Canada. The song also topped the adult contemporary charts in the United States and Canada. In the rest of the world, "The Power of Love" reached top ten in France, United Kingdom, Belgium, Sweden and New Zealand. It was certified Platinum in the United States and Australia, Gold in New Zealand and Silver in France. In the United States, it has sold 1.5 million copies.

"The Power of Love" won the ASCAP Pop Award for Most Performed Song in the United States. It was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Single, two Billboard Music Awards for Hot 100 Single of the Year and Hot Adult Contemporary Single of the Year, and for the Juno Award for Single of the Year. Thanks to "The Power of Love," David Foster was also nominated for the Juno Award for Producer of the Year.

"The Power of Love" became one of Dion's signature songs. She performed it during her 1994-95 The Colour of My Love Tour, her 1995-06 D'eux Tour, her 1996-97 Falling Into You Around the World Tour, her 1998-99 Let's Talk About Love World Tour, her two Las Vegas residency shows "A New Day..." (2003-07) and "Celine" (2011-19), her 2008-09 Taking Chances World Tour, her Tournée Européenne 2013, her Summer Tour 2016, her Live 2017 and Live 2018 Tours and during her BST Hyde Park concert in London on July 5th 2019.

"The Power of Love" is included on many of her live albums. "The Power of Love" was also featured on Dion's greatest hits compilations: All the Way... A Decade of Song (1999), Complete Best (2008), My Love: Essential Collection (2008) and The Best of Celine Dion & David Foster (2012). Live performances are included on À l'Olympia (album), Live à Paris (album), Live à Paris (video), Au cœur du stade (video), Live in Las Vegas: A New Day... (video), Taking Chances World Tour: The Concert (album/video), and Céline une seule fois / Live 2013 (album/video). She also performed the song at the American Music Awards of 1995 and her CBS television special That's Just the Woman in Me on 15 February 2008.