Music Review: Air Supply "The Power Of Love (You Are My Lady)"/Laura Branigan "Power Of Love"/Celine Dion "The Power Of Love"

Air Supply

The Power of Love (You Are My Lady)

Album: Air Supply

Year: 1985

                  Russell Hitchcock knows what means to really love someone in the showy “The Power of Love (You Are My Lady).”

              Reluctant strings open the single, setting a hesitant tone. She murmurs and her hand brushes across his chest as she wakes. After she stretches, she asks him if he slept well. He answers her yes. She puts her hand back on his chest and says they can stay in a little longer. He rubs her shoulder, grateful to have such a wonderful woman in his life.(“The whispers in the morning/Of lovers sleeping tight/Are rolling like thunder now/As I look in your eyes/I hold on to your body/And feel each move you make/Your voice is warm and tender/A love that I could not forsake.”)

             In the chorus, he says the belong together and he will support her whenever she needs him. (“'Cause you are my lady/And I'm your man/Whenever you reach for me/I'll do all that I can.”)

                He needs her comfort after a long day. With her, the stress of work melts away. Sometimes it means he has to travel. It’s tough on her. He prefers to stay home but it’s not entirely possible. He promises her that he’s only a phone call away. She’s never bothering him. (“Lost is how I'm feeling lying in your arms/When the world outside's too/Much to take/That all ends when I'm with you/Even though there may be times/It seems I'm far away/Never wonder where I am/'Cause I am always by your side.”)

              The chorus is sung again.

                In the bridge, they are making plans together. He wants her to ask her to move in with him. While their relationship has always been serious, it’s far more intense than other relationships he’s ever been in. With her, it’s real. If it ends, he will be damaged and likely won’t ever recover. She gives him a sense of peace and hope, all which were missing for him. (“We're heading for something/Somewhere I've never been/Sometimes I am frightened/But I'm ready to learn/Of the power of love/The sound of your heart beating/Made it clear suddenly/The feeling that I can't go on/Is light years away.”)

                 The first part of the bridge is sung three times to end the single. (“We're heading for something…Of the power of love.”)

           The single, originally recorded by Jennifer Rush and released in 1984, has fluttering strings opening the single, setting an excited tone.  Rush is a devoted,  caring girlfriend who wants to make the relationship work. After several heartbreaks, she thought love wasn’ t meant for her. But with him, she can be open with her feelings. With her rousing vocals, she sets a high standard.

             Hitchcock, seems as though he’s trying to create the illusion of a perfect romance. It’s become a huge show that once people aren’t around, he will return to being the distant boyfriend.

              The insincere “The Power of Love” can’t even come close to the original.

Laura Branigan

Power of Love

Album: Touch

Year: 1987

                 Laura Branigan finally reveals how she feels in the declaratory “Power of Love.”

                 Branigan’s version is the best of both version so far. The arrangement, however, is synth-driven (which is similar to Air Supply). The orchestra which was gradually added into Rush’s has been phased out.

                  There is one minor lyric change. In the second verse, “lost is how I'm feeling lying in your arms/When the world outside's too/Much to take/That all ends when I'm with you” is edited out and shortened. It’s hardly noticeable.

                Branigan takes her time, pausing before expressing how she feels and then just lets it all out.  She’s never done anything like this. It’s her first major, serious relationship. She’s scared she’s going to screw her up. Branigan, a powerhouse vocalist, is still able to display her vulnerability, She cracks and growls, at times.  It differs from Rush, who was trying to be strong and in control. Rush had been through disappointment before. Branigan hasn’t had that experience.

                The explosive “Power of Love” Branigan gives it her all, equalling Rush’s version.

Celine Dion

The Power of Love

Album: The Colour of My Love

Year: 1993

                  A long-term relationship has survived its ups and downs for Celine Dion in the experienced “The Power of Love.”

                  Dion takes bits of pieces of each. The dawning strings open the single, setting a pondering tone. The orchestra returns from Rush’s version. Like Branigan, she maintains the second verse edit.

          It’s Branigan’s vocals Dion is following, though. Despite it, Dion is able to give her own intrepretation. They’ve been together for a long time. Married life has tested them both. However, seeing him in the morning makes her remember why she fell in love with him. It’s more than romance. It’s the little moments that keep them together.

                 The impassioned “The Power of Love” bests all the versions by knowing what worked while bringing her own individuality to it.