The Power of Love (Huey Lewis and the News song)

"The Power of Love" is the title of a 1985 single by Huey Lewis and the News written for and featured in the 1985 blockbuster film Back to the Future. It gave the band their first number-one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100,^[2] their second number-one hit on the U.S. Top Rock Tracks chart, and was a top ten hit on the UK Singles Chart, where it appeared on UK editions of the band's fourth studio album, Fore!. The song was nominated for an Academy Award at the 58th Academy Awards.

Use in Back to the Future

The song appears early in Back to the Future as Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) skateboards to school, then when he and his band played the song for a Battle of the Bands auditions (which a character played by Lewis himself is judging, and 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, 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. 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.

The music video shows the band playing in a nightclub with Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd) showing up in his DeLorean, apparently after time-traveling, and a couple stealing it for a joy ride.

Track listings

Chart performance

Cover versions

• In 2005, a cover version by Drive-Thru Records band The Early November appeared on the compilation album, Punk Goes 80's.
• In 2007, British indie band The Pigeon Detectives covered the song for the BBC Radio One compilation Radio 1 Established 1967.
• In 2008, Canadian band After the Anthems covered the song, and the track was released as a single to Canadian radio.
• In 2010, the song was covered by I Fight Dragons.
• In 2011, Christian parody band ApologetiX released it as "The Power Above" on their album Wise Up and Rock.

Contemporary use

• The popular Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, which is known for naming each episode after a 1980s hit song, named an episode after the song.
• It appears in the video games, Karaoke Revolution and Rock Band 3.
• In the episode "Baby Not on Board", from the animated comedy Family Guy, it was used in a parody of the Back to the Future scene in which this song was used.

See also

• List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1980s
• List of RPM number-one singles of 1985
• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1985 (U.S.)
• List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States)

References

External links

• Movie-List: Music Video