The Power of Love, a song that catapulted Huey Lewis and the News into international stardom, was never expected to be more than just another film score. When Steven Spielberg and Bob Zemeckis approached the band with an unlikely request – writing a song for their upcoming movie Back to the Future – Lewis initially dismissed it as too ambitious.
The story goes that Chris Hayes, the band's guitarist and songwriter, had already begun working on a chord progression when the idea struck him during a jog. The result was an upbeat pop song, The Power of Love, which was sent over to Zemeckis for his review. However, the director felt it needed a bit more oomph, prompting Lewis and Hayes to revisit the track.
It was Johnny Colla, the band's saxophonist, who ultimately brought the song to its iconic form, suggesting a bold three-chord introduction that set the stage for a major-key anthem. As the vocals came together, Lewis delivered two takes that would go on to become one of his signature performances.
When The Power of Love finally hit the airwaves in 1985, it quickly racked up massive radio play and became the most added track in its first week. But what's striking is how little the song had to do with the film – a fact Lewis himself has admitted made him think at the time: "This doesn't sound plausible or like it's going to be good."
The film, which wrapped production just nine weeks prior to release, did indeed become a cultural phenomenon that helped propel The Power of Love into the stratosphere. But it wasn't just the movie's success that lifted Lewis and the News' profile; their existing hit records had already earned them international recognition.
Touring Europe and beyond became an easy prospect as The Power of Love soared to No 1, breaking new ground for the band on a global scale. Looking back, Chris Hayes reflects on how his simple chord progression came together in a pop masterpiece that continues to capture listeners to this day – one that even he had no idea would become such an integral part of popular culture.
The story goes that Chris Hayes, the band's guitarist and songwriter, had already begun working on a chord progression when the idea struck him during a jog. The result was an upbeat pop song, The Power of Love, which was sent over to Zemeckis for his review. However, the director felt it needed a bit more oomph, prompting Lewis and Hayes to revisit the track.
It was Johnny Colla, the band's saxophonist, who ultimately brought the song to its iconic form, suggesting a bold three-chord introduction that set the stage for a major-key anthem. As the vocals came together, Lewis delivered two takes that would go on to become one of his signature performances.
When The Power of Love finally hit the airwaves in 1985, it quickly racked up massive radio play and became the most added track in its first week. But what's striking is how little the song had to do with the film – a fact Lewis himself has admitted made him think at the time: "This doesn't sound plausible or like it's going to be good."
The film, which wrapped production just nine weeks prior to release, did indeed become a cultural phenomenon that helped propel The Power of Love into the stratosphere. But it wasn't just the movie's success that lifted Lewis and the News' profile; their existing hit records had already earned them international recognition.
Touring Europe and beyond became an easy prospect as The Power of Love soared to No 1, breaking new ground for the band on a global scale. Looking back, Chris Hayes reflects on how his simple chord progression came together in a pop masterpiece that continues to capture listeners to this day – one that even he had no idea would become such an integral part of popular culture.
it's crazy how that song just happened 
Chris Hayes' chord progression was meant for another song and then suddenly Bob Zemeckis comes along with this movie idea and BAM! iconic anthem We need to give credit to Johnny Colla too, his saxophone part totally elevates the track 
It's wild that it wasn't even made specifically for Back to the Future but the movie helped make it a huge hit worldwide The fact that Lewis himself thought it was just an average song at first is pretty cool too 
I mean, can you believe how underwhelming The Power of Love was initially? I heard it like 5 times back in the day and just didn't get it. Like, it's a great song don't get me wrong, but I'm not sure what made Steven Spielberg and Bob Zemeckis think it'd be a game changer for their movie Back to the Future. 
But can we talk about how overrated it's become? Like, I'm looking at the history and it just went from being a random film score to this huge pop hit because of that movie release... it feels kinda forced. And I know Lewis said he initially thought it wasn't a big deal, but now it's like everyone knows it and loves it. 
The thing is, even Huey Lewis himself thought it was gonna be a flop at first... talk about being wrong! 
The Power of Love is still giving us vibes today, and I'm so grateful for that nostalgic feeling 
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