"The Power of Love" is a 1985 single by

Huey Lewis and the News Huey Lewis and the News are an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually achieving 19 top ten singles across the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, Adult Contempo ...

, written for the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrac ...

of the 1985 blockbuster film ''

Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, ...

''. The song became the band's first number-one hit on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and their second number-one hit on the U.S.

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active ro ...

chart. In the United Kingdom, it was released as a

double-A side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

with " Do You Believe in Love", becoming the band's only top ten hit on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The song is included alongside " Back in Time" on the film's soundtrack, and appears as a bonus track on international editions of the band's fourth studio album, ''

Fore! ''Fore!'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News, released on August 20, 1986. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 and went on to score five top-ten ''Billboard ...

''.

Development

Huey Lewis Hugh Anthony Cregg III (born July 5, 1950), known professionally as Huey Lewis, is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Lewis sings lead and plays harmonica for his band, Huey Lewis and the News, in addition to writing or co-writing many o ...

was approached to write a theme song for the film. He met with

Bob Gale Michael Robert Gale (born May 25, 1951) is an American screenwriter, comic book writer, film producer and director. He is best known for co-writing the science fiction comedy film ''Back to the Future'' with his writing partner Robert Zemecki ...

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

, and

Robert Zemeckis Robert Lee Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an American filmmaker. He first came to public attention as the director of the action-adventure romantic comedy '' Romancing the Stone'' (1984), the science-fiction comedy '' Back to the Future'' film ...

, from the film's production team, who intended that the band be

Marty McFly Martin Seamus "Marty" McFly is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ''Back to the Future'' franchise. He is portrayed by Canadian actor Michael J. Fox in all three films. McFly also appears in the animated series, where he was voice ...

's favorite band. Though flattered, Lewis did not want to participate because he did not know how to write film songs and did not want to write one called "Back to the Future". Zemeckis assured Lewis he could write any song he wanted. Lewis agreed to submit the next song he wrote, which was "The Power of Love". The lyrics do not make any mention of the film's storyline.

Use in ''Back to the Future''

The song appears early in ''Back to the Future'' as Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) skateboards to school. Later in the film, McFly and his band play a hard rock version of the song for a Battle of the Bands audition, at which a judge played by

tells Marty's group that they are "just too darn loud", and later when Marty returns to his neighborhood. In the sequel, ''

Back to the Future Part II ''Back to the Future Part II'' is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale and a story by both. It is the sequel to the 1985 film '' Back to the Future'' and the second installment in the ...

'', the 2015 version of Marty attempts to play the song on his guitar just after being fired but ends up playing it very poorly due to his damaged hand from his 1985 accident with a

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

. Finally, it can be briefly heard playing in the car where Needles and his buddies are driving when Needles challenges Marty to the fate-determining car race near the end of ''

Back to the Future Part III ''Back to the Future Part III'' is a 1990 American science fiction Western film and the final installment of the ''Back to the Future'' trilogy. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis, and stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Ste ...

''.

Music video

The music video, filmed in June 1985,''Huey Lewis and the News: World Tour'' 1986 tour book shows the band playing in a nightclub (Uncle Charlie's, a frequent stop for the band in their early career)http://www.hueylewisandthenews.com/wp/?page_id=1038 Huey Lewis Fan Q&A: March 27, 2017 with

Emmett Brown Emmett Lathrop Brown, Ph.D., commonly referred to as Doc Brown, is a fictional scientist character in the ''Back to the Future'' franchise. In the world of the franchise, he is the inventor of the world's first and second time machines, the f ...

(

Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the ''Back to the Future'' tril ...

) showing up in his DeLorean, apparently after time-traveling, and a couple stealing it for a joy ride. Lewis said filming took the entire day and night to complete, with the band finishing up at 3:00 AM. The video is included as a bonus feature in several home video releases of ''Back to the Future''.

Mixes

Three different mixes of the song have co-existed since its release in 1985. The ''Back to the Future'' soundtrack version, also the version used in the music video, has a run time of 3:51. A 12" version of the song was released to most countries, remixed by

John "Jellybean" Benitez John Benitez (born November 7, 1957), also known as Jellybean, is an American musician, songwriter, DJ, remixer, and music producer. He has produced and remixed artists such as Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and the Pointer Sisters. H ...

, features a seven-minute dance version with changes in its mix such as additional backing keyboards and an extended guitar solo. A 7" single released in 1985 to radio in some countries as promotion of the film contains an edit of the aforementioned extended remix, with a run time of 4:21. In selected countries, this shorter edit was featured on the B-side of the 12" single. Whilst this version is occasionally played on radio, it has only ever been included on one Huey Lewis "Best Of", and as a result is a very rare version of the song.

Reception

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

'' said that "the inimitable charm and drive which made ''

Sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

'' such a pop/rock winner is displayed from the first chords." At the 13th Annual American Music Awards, the song was nominated for "Favorite Single" and "Favorite Video Single", winning in both categories. The song was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Original Song The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed ...

at the 58th Academy Awards but lost to

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recor ...

's "

Say You, Say Me "Say You, Say Me" is a song written and recorded by American singer and songwriter Lionel Richie for the film ''White Nights''. The single hit number one in the US and on the R&B singles chart in December 1985. It became Richie's ninth number-on ...

". It was also nominee at the

28th Annual Grammy Awards The 28th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 25, 1986, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year, 1985. The night's big winner was USA For Africa's "We Are The World", which won ...

for

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

, but lost against

USA for Africa United Support of Artists for Africa (USA for Africa) was the name under which 47 predominantly U.S. artists, led by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, recorded the hit single "We Are the World" in 1985. The song was a U.S. and UK number one for ...

's "

We Are the World "We Are the World" is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album '' We Are the World''. Wi ...

", to which Lewis and his bandmates had contributed backing vocals.

Track listings

;7" Chrysalis / HUEY 1 United Kingdom # "The Power of Love" - 3:53 # "Bad Is Bad" - 3:46 ;7" Chrysalis / HUEY 3 United Kingdom # "The Power of Love" # "Do You Believe in Love?" * also released as a 7" picture disc HUEYP 3 * 1986 re-issue ;7" Chrysalis / 107 614 Canada # "The Power of Love" – 4:21 # "Finally Found a Home" – 3:41 ;7" Chrysalis / CHS-42876 Canada # "The Power of Love" - 3:53 # "Bad is Bad" - 3:46 ;12" Chrysalis / CS 42889 United States # "The Power of Love" (Long version) – 7:10 # "The Power of Love" (Instrumental) – 4:12 # "The Power of Love" (Short version) – 4:18 ;12" Chrysalis / HUEYX1 United Kingdom # "The Power of Love" – 7:10 # "Bad Is Bad" – 3:46 # " It's All Right" (Live version) (

Curtis Mayfield Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer, and one of the most influential musicians behind soul and politically conscious African-American music.

) – 3:03 # "I Want a New Drug" (Live version) – 5:57 ;12" Chrysalis / HUEYX3 United Kingdom # "The Power of Love" (Extended version) # "Do You Believe in Love?" # "Back in Time" * 1986 re-issue ;12" Chrysalis / 601 822 Germany # "The Power of Love" – 7:10 # "It's All Right" (Live version) (Curtis Mayfield) – 3:03 # "I Want a New Drug" (Live version) – 5:57

Credits and Personnel

– lead vocals * Sean Hopper – keyboards, backing vocals * Bill Gibson – drums, percussion, backing vocals *

Johnny Colla John Victor Colla (born July 2, 1952) is an American musician (playing the guitar and saxophone), singer and songwriter. He is a founding member of the American rock band Huey Lewis and the News. He has been heavily involved in the San Francisc ...

– rhythm guitar, backing vocals *

Mario Cipollina Cipollina is Italian for chives. ''Cipollina'' may also refer to: People * Adriano Cipollina, Belgian soccer player who entered free agency in 2018; see List of Belgian football transfers summer 2018 * Amara Cipollina, French gymnast and bronze ...

– bass *

Chris Hayes Christopher Loffredo Hayes (; born February 28, 1979) is an American political commentator, television news anchor, activist, and author. Hayes hosts '' All In with Chris Hayes'', a weekday news and opinion television show on MSNBC. Hayes also ...

– lead guitar, backing vocals

Charts and certifications

"The Power of Love" debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at No. 46 for the week ending June 29, 1985, with ''Billboard'' calling the song "an out-of-the-box monster hit".

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Power of Love, The 1985 songs 1985 singles Huey Lewis and the News songs Chrysalis Records singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Number-one singles in Australia RPM Top Singles number-one singles Songs written by Chris Hayes (musician) Songs written by Johnny Colla Songs written by Huey Lewis Songs written for films Music from Back to the Future (franchise)