Genre: Information/Explanation

Initially issued as a single in November 1984, and taken from the album Welcome to the Pleasuredome , "The Power of Love" followed its two predecessors, " Relax " and " Two Tribes ", to the top of the UK singles chart. It scored the band an early December number-one . "The Power Of Love" was also a top 10 hit in several European countries, in New Zealand, and in Canada. Since then, reissues and/or remixes of the Frankie Goes To Hollywood recording of this song have been top 10 UK hits on two other occasions, hitting #10 in 1993 and #6 in 2000. "The Power Of Love" has also charted in the UK in a version by Holly Johnson (a solo recording from 1999), and a 2012 version by Gabrielle Aplin . Aplin's recording of the song also went to #1 in the UK, exactly 28 years after the original Frankie Goes To Hollywood single topped the charts. Aplin's version also enjoyed a resurgence in 2014 thanks to it being the soundtrack to the advert/trailer for TV series "Resurrection". Holly Johnson, who co-wrote the song, later reminisced: "I always felt like The Power Of Love was the record that would save me in this life. There is a biblical aspect to its spirituality and passion; the fact that love is the only thing that matters in the end." "The Power of Love" became Frankie Goes To Hollywood's third consecutive (and last) #1 UK single in December, 1984. To commemorate the Christmas release, Godley & Creme directed a nativity themed video for the single, and the artwork for the single also used traditional Christian iconography . The original showing of the video on The Tube featured the nativity occupying the whole screen, however the borders of band members were added for later showings due to pressure from UK broadcasters. The 12" mix of the song featured actor Chris Barrie aping DJ Mike Read 's banning of the single " Relax ", as well as his impression of Ronald Reagan , instructing the listener in prayer . The single also featured a Christmas message from the band, entitled "Holier Than Thou". Best Listened To By Lovers is an orchestral instrumental from Anne Dudley's arrangement recorded as part of the original Welcome to the Pleasuredome album sessions in 1984. It was first released on the compilation CD Frankie Said earlier in 2012. Original 7" Instrumental is an instrumental version of the regular single / album track, and is unique to this release. Holly Johnson , former singer of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, recorded his own version of "The Power of Love" which was released on his 1999 album Soulstream and was released as a single which made #56 in the UK. The single stayed in the charts for 2 weeks. [ 13 ] A music video was created for the track although it is somewhat of a collectors item today. The single was released by two separate CD versions, each featuring different tracks, [ 14 ] with the second CD featuring "All U Need Is Love (Demo Version)", a demo version of the Soulstream album track. [ 15 ] Jon O'Brien of Allmusic reviewed the Soulstream album, and spoke of the song, stating "The William Orbit-esque production of the empowering opener "Lady Luck," and the subtle trip-hop-tinged title track show that Johnson still occasionally had his finger on the pulse. But unnecessary reworkings of 1984 chart-topper "The Power of Love" and the 1994 flop, gay anthem "Legendary Children (All of Them Queer)," only highlight the creative rut he appeared to be stuck in." [ 16 ] In 2012 English singer-songwriter Gabrielle Aplin released a cover version of the song produced by Mike Spencer and David Kosten . It was released on 9 November 2012 as a digital download as the lead single from her debut studio album English Rain (2013). The song was selected as the soundtrack to the John Lewis 2012 Christmas advertisement. [ 18 ] The song was also used during an episode of Hollyoaks on 16 November 2012 after the sudden death of one of the show's main characters. A music video to accompany the release of "The Power of Love" was first released onto YouTube on 9 November 2012. It shows Aplin in a room in a large house, playing a piano. Then, near the end of the video, fairy lights in the room light up. The video was directed by Alexander Brown . On 11 November 2012 "The Power of Love" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 36, a week later it climbed to number 5. On 9 December 2012 the single reached number 1. [ 19 ] Aplin's version was certified gold in the United Kingdom on 11 January 2013. [ 20 ] Dutch symphonic rock band Within Temptation covered the song during a special program on the Belgian radio station Q music during their special program Within Temptation Friday , [ 33 ] where the band choose some songs to cover not related to their style of music. The song was then included on their cover album The Q-Music Sessions , released in April 2013.