power ballad

Fee Waybill | I Don’t Even Know Your Name

“Read My Lips was the debut album of The Tubes’ lead singer and main songwriter, Fee Waybill,” (FozFan). “Released in 1984, Read My Lips was produced by David Foster and sounded like a textbook for the most refined AOR (Adult Oriented Rock). Foster brought his usual dream team to work on the record including famed engineer Humberto Gatica and hot session aces including Jerry Marotta, John Robinson and the late Jeff Porcaro (1954 – 1992) on drums, Larry Klein on bass, with Steve Lukather and Michael Landau playing guitars.

Lukather, the legendary Toto axe-man, played a big role on Read My Lips by co-writing the bulk of the album with Waybill and Foster. Already responsible for The Tubes’ one-two chart punch of ‘Talk to Ya Later’ and ‘She’s a Beauty,’ the trio of writers came up with a series of solid rock numbers that were channeled through the Hitman’s trademark high-tech atmospheres and showcased various funk and pop influences … the album’s power ballad, ‘I Don’t Even Know Your Name (Passion Play)’, another Foster/Waybill/Lukather co-write, was a killer rock ballad in a catchy style not too far from Lukather’s own legendary band Toto … The veteran singer probably doesn’t have as distinctive a voice as other rock stars, but his passion and strength make up for it … (it’s) easy to understand the chart potential of Read My Lips. All its musical qualities and radio-friendly appeal were killed by Capitol Records’ inexplicable decision to give the album zero support at a time when Foster ruled the North American charts.”

“I Don’t Even Know Your Name” begins in Eb; 0:50 brings a shift upwards to F major for the second section of the pre-chorus. The tune’s power ballad creds start to show as the chorus grows from 1:00 in Db major. At 1:29, Verse 2 begins, again returning to Eb. A bridge in B major begins at 2:44; at 3:18, the chorus returns, this time in E major, repeating into the faded ending.

Survivor | The Search is Over

“Where did Survivor’s soaring power ballad ‘The Search Is Over’ come from? It’s partly a mystery,” (The Tennessean). “The group’s Jim Peterik — who penned the tune with bandmate Frankie Sullivan — believes the title came from something he heard on a news broadcast. But as for that daring key change, which turns every chorus on its ear? Thirty-five years later, Peterik still doesn’t know how he came up with it, or why it works so well. But it did: ‘The Search Is Over’ became one of Survivor’s biggest hits, and a staple of its concerts.”

Peterik: “‘The Search is Over’ is still on the radio partly because it really has a message that sometimes you take for granted what’s right in front of your eyes, and you have to go full circle around the world to come back to where you started … one of my favorite royalties, and it’s not money — It’s the stories. ‘I got married to that song, and that’s our song.’ I get, ‘It was at my father’s funeral.’ Even Alcoholics Anonymous meetings use that song. ‘The search is over.’ You’ve got it right here.”

Built in a slightly de-tuned Eb major overall, the beginning of the chorus shifts to C major at 0:55. But partway through the chorus, the tonality returns to the original key (1:10). The pattern continues from there. Be forewarned: the video is 100% industrial-grade ’80s! Many thanks to regular contributor Rob P. for submitting this tune.

Ozzy Osbourne | Ordinary Man (feat. Elton John)

“Ozzy Osbourne … helped forge the sound that became known as heavy metal – and on top of that, the frontman practically invented the image of the wild rock star,” (BBC). “Ozzy’s band Black Sabbath made an indelible mark on music by pioneering heavy metal – and was hailed as a major influence by a range of artists who followed. With his wailing vocal style and ‘prince of darkness’ reputation, Ozzy led the band to become global stars – before he was fired, mainly because of his increasing dependency on drugs and alcohol. But he carved out a successful solo career before reuniting with the band, as well as becoming the unlikely star of a hit TV reality show which showcased his erratic domestic life.

He was born John Michael Osbourne in the Aston area of Birmingham (in) 1948. His father Jack was a toolmaker, while his mother Lillian worked at the Lucas factory, which made car components.” He seemed destined for a life at hard labor, starting his work life in a slaughterhouse. “What saved Ozzy was music: the sound of the Beatles singing ‘She Loves You’ out of a crackly transistor radio transformed his life. ‘It was such an incredible explosion of happiness and hope,’ he later told writer Bryan Appleyard. ‘I used to dream – wouldn’t it be great if Paul McCartney married my sister.'”

After layer upon layer of medical issues accumulated for Osbourne over the past few years, ” … he was determined to bow out of the public eye with a customary bang. He, (wife) Sharon, and his old Black Sabbath bandmates lined up a farewell concert at Villa Park football stadium, a stone’s throw from his childhood home, which took place just over two weeks ago. An array of fellow rock legends – including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler – lined up to perform and pay homage to him and Sabbath’s influence. Osbourne himself performed seated because of his mobility problems, but managed to recapture his old magic – belting out his hits while clapping, waving his arms and pulling wild-eyed looks, just like old times. ‘I’m proud of what I’ve achieved with my life,’ he once told an interviewer. ‘You couldn’t have written my life story if you’d been the best writer in the world.'”

Osbourne’s 2020 release “Ordinary Man” found the artist looking back both fondly and wistfully a full five years before his death today at the age of 76. With an assist by Elton John on piano and vocals, the track also features Slash on guitar, Duff McKagan on bass (both of Guns N’ Roses), and Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on drums. The tune was co-written by John Osbourne (Ozzy), Elton John, Andrew Watt (who also produced the track), Chad Smith, Duff McKagan, and Billy Walsh. This classic power ballad, lushly produced relative to Osbourne’s catalog overall, starts in E major. There’s a shift to B mixolydian for the chorus, first heard at 1:22 – 2:00. The pattern continues from there. Ozzy watches the compilation of photos and videos right along with us, making it a poignant experience for even the most casual of his fans.

Heart | What About Love

“This was Heart’s first single under their new contract with Capitol Records,” (Songfacts). “It marked a turnaround for the band, which after a triumphant run of hits in the ’70s got off to a rough start in the ’80s with a decline in sales and little airplay for their new material on radio or MTV … It was written by Brian Allen and Sheron Alton of the Canadian band Toronto, along with Jim Vallance, who co-wrote many of Bryan Adams’ hits. The song was written for Toronto but they didn’t record it. The demo found its way to Heart, which turned it into their first Top 10 US hit since their cover of ‘Tell It Like It Is’ in 1980. Their next two singles did even better: ‘Never’ hit #4 and ‘These Dreams’ went to #1.

The video was directed by David Mallet, who was known for avante-garde videos like David Bowie’s ‘Ashes To Ashes’ and Queen’s ‘Radio Ga Ga’ … It was the first Heart video to get significant airplay on MTV (and) was the first Heart song to chart in the UK, where it reached #14.”

Built in D minor overall, the 1985 track features a very late shift to the parallel D major at 3:12.

Kenny Loggins | The Rest of Your Life

“A list of Kenny Loggins’ biggest hits begs the question, ‘would the movie industry have been afloat in the ’80s if Loggins hadn’t been around?’ Between 1980 and 1988, Loggins scored four No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, all via soundtrack cuts—notably in Caddyshack, Footloose, and Top Gun,” (American Songwriter). “But those songs didn’t soar to the top of the charts simply because the films were popular; his music was what a large part of what gave them their edge in the first place. Songs like ‘Danger Zone’ or ‘Footloose’ have become paradigms of their era—instant reminders of all the earnest, schmaltzy ’80s movies that are fodder for nostalgia today.

“The Rest of Your Life,” featured on Loggins’ 1997 album The Unimaginable Life and co-written by Loggins, his then-wife Julia Loggins, and Jonathan Butler, “soared to the top of the charts without a blockbuster to bolster it. From the very opening trill of this song, the listener is hit with a wall of oh-so-’90s gated reverb. ‘The Rest of Your Life’ brought Loggins into a new decade—still at the top of the heap.”

Starting in A minor, the track only hints at its power ballad status through the its opening bars, two long verses, and first chorus. Backed by a band of A-listers including Greg Phillinganes (keys), Nathan East (bass), and Omar Hakim (drums), the intensity continues to build as verse 3 begins at 2:14 and chorus 2 follows at 2:48. At 3:10, a short bridge provides a mood shift, flipping the tonality over to the relative C major (albeit mixolydian mode). In the bridge’s closing moments, it seems as if we’ll be headed back to the traditional choice of a final chorus in the original key. But instead we plow headlong into a new key at 3:32 — shifting up a half step to Bb minor, led by a short but dizzyingly intense alto sax feature.

Joan Jett + the Blackhearts | Little Liar

“Joan Jett calls out a duplicitous lover in ‘Little Liar,’ the follow-up to her hit ‘I Hate Myself For Loving You,” (Songfacts). “She wrote both songs with Desmond Child, who was also working with Aerosmith (‘Dude (Looks Like A Lady)’) and Bon Jovi (‘Born to Be My Baby’) around this time.

… ‘Little Liar’ (1988) was a modest hit for Jett, reaching #19 in the US. Her biggest hits came early in the ’80s and were mostly covers, including ‘I Love Rock and Roll,’ originally by The Arrows. Jett had the chops to write her own songs, but there was such a big well of songs by male artists that she could transform, and those went over very well – ‘Crimson And Clover’ (Tommy James and the Shondells) and ‘Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)’ (Gary Glitter) are examples. “Little Liar” is one of the biggest hits she had a hand in writing; others include ‘Bad Reputation’ and ‘Fake Friends.'”

After a start in D minor, the second half of verse 1 shifts up to F minor at 0:34. At 0:44, verse 2 reverts to D minor and then features another jump into F minor at 0:54. The chorus (1:03 – 1:28) remains in F minor. Verse 3 (1:28) and chorus 2 (1:49) follow the same pattern. From 2:09 – 2:28, an instrumental chorus shifts to Ab minor. At 2:28, there’s another verse in D minor, but the last choruses of this raw power ballad jump all the way up to Ab minor again at 2:51 — this time with no intermediate step — to end the track.

Dan Hartman | Time and Space

“When you’ve written a classic banger like the Edgar Winter Group’s ‘Free Ride,’ a huge disco hit like ‘Instant Replay,’ a monster 1980s smash ‘I Can Dream About You,’ and James Brown’s rousing movie theme ‘Living in America’ (a co-writing collaboration), what do you do for an encore? In Dan Hartman’s case: combine yet more writing — along with production and session work duties — for a stunningly diverse list of groups and acts including The Plasmatics, Nona Hendryx, Steve Winwood, John Waite, Paul King, Tina Turner, Dusty Springfield, Bonnie Tyler, .38 Special, Foghat, Muddy Waters, Diana Ross, Average White Band, Neil Sedaka, Chaka Khan, Joni Mitchell, and more.

Hartman gained so much traction by writing, producing, and performing for others that his solo recording and performance career was very much obscured. Renowned contemporary music critic Robert Christgau slammed Hartman’s workhorse ways in his review of Hartman’s 1989 album Instant Replay, seemingly with compliments wrapped in insults: “Too bad one of the few disco albums that out-dollar-for-dollar the corresponding disco single is this super-efficient piece of rock funk … ” But on the slow tune, ‘Time and Space’ … “Hartman breaks his own rule by trying to write a meaningful lyric and then triples the misdemeanor by running it through his own larynx. Who does he think he is, Robert Plant? Machines can’t sing.”

The ballad “Time and Space” begins in A major, with dynamics ranging from hushed sections accompanied by soft piano to rhapsodic passages supported by string section, plentiful percussion, and more. 2:26 brings us to the bridge, which shifts to C major at 2:55 via bouncy syncopation. Ultimately, Hartman is at the helm of a full-blown anthem — a ballad eventually turned power ballad.

Boston | Amanda

” … For the first half of the ’80s, Boston were the ghosts in the corporate-rock machine … When Boston’s third album did come out … the lead single from that third album gave Boston their first and only #1 hit … By 1986, Boston were men out of time,” (Stereogum). “Scholz was still conjuring symphonies of antiseptic harmony out of his guitars, and (vocalist) Brad Delp was still wailing out Scholz’s melodies with a high-pitched fervor. “Amanda,” Boston’s only chart-topping single, came out late in 1986, but it was so perfectly ’70s that the song didn’t even have a music video.

… Scholz made guitars sound like keyboards and violins. Boston took crunching riffage from the Grand Funks of the world, the huge-selling and arena-ready boogie bands. They took crystalline harmonies from British prog and art-rock bands. They took at least a bit of melodic charge from the Beatles and the Beach Boys. These were disparate influences, but Scholz made them sound as sealed-off and airtight as the spaceships that he always put on his album covers.

… Before any of his peers, Scholz had figured out how to remove all the grit and grime from rock records, and that ultra-clean sound persisted, largely unchanged, into the mid-’80s. Scholz was playing with synths, and with guitars that sounded like synths, long before most other rockers, so he sounded relatively comfortable in the ’80s synth-rock zeitgeist. And “Amanda” came out at just the right time to capitalize on the growing backlash against the arty British synthpop of the early MTV era. Boston’s sound was a distant ancestor to the big pop sound of the mid-’80s, and that sound, combined with whatever nostalgic affection people had for those first two Boston albums, presumably helped drive “Amanda” up the charts.”

Built in G major overall, this power ballad shifts upward to a I/v progression in E major for its short bridge at 2:59. The key change is compelling enough that the chord progression majestically unwinds not once but twice, unaccompanied by a vocal or an instrumental solo — just a gentle, minimal guitar hook! The lead vocal eventually rejoins, followed somehow by a sneaky broad-daylight reversion to the original key while the bridge is still in effect (3:30).

Bon Jovi | I’ll Be There For You

“I like the whole expansive vastness of the song — the rising drone on the intro, the whispery opening line, the way it builds to massed heartbroken shouting,” (Stereogum). “‘I’ll Be There For You’ (1989) isn’t as clean and sharp as Bon Jovi’s best songs, but it still has a chorus that lands like a grand piano falling off a sixth-floor roof. As a band, Bon Jovi’s single greatest strength is the power to trigger arena-wide communal yelling. From that perspective, ‘I’ll Be There For You’ is a roaring success. It’s over-the-top even before the key change comes screaming in at the end.

… ‘I’ll Be There For You’ does give Jon a chance to do some of his most effective vocal work. Jon Bon Jovi is a famously limited singer, but he puts a whole lot of force and emotion into everything. The chorus … is mostly half-drunk shouting, but if you’re trying to get a whole arena to sing along, then half-drunk shouting is a good means to that end … Bon Jovi weathered the grunge-era storm, shed their big-hair trappings, and became a venerated staple on the arena rock circuit. ‘I’ll Be There For You’ was Bon Jovi’s last #1 hit.”

You’d expect a key change as the guitar solo wraps up at 3:37, or perhaps as the bridge ends at 4:03. Nope! There’s yet another chorus before the whole-step modulation finally hits at 4:30. All in all, quite the power ballad stadium anthem specimen, with a total run time of close to six minutes.

Faith Hill | Where Are You Christmas?

Written for the end credits/soundtrack of the 2000 film How The Grinch Stole Christmas, “Where Are You Christmas” is a pop adaptation of the song “Christmas, Why Can’t I Find You” that is featured in the movie.

Mariah Carey, who wrote both songs, originally recorded the former, but due to a legal dispute with her husband it could not be released, leading to Faith Hill recording it instead.

The power ballad starts in Bb, modulates briefly to C at 2:59, and ultimately lands in D at 3:16.