The Power of Love

The Power of Love

"The Power of Love" is a song by Huey Lewis and The News, which was specifically written for Back to the Future. It appears in the first and third parts. It gave the band their first number-one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and their second number-one hit on the U.S. Top Rock Charts chart.

Marty hears or plays the song on five (or six) occasions:

• He listens to it on his Walkman as he skateboards from Doc's garage to his school.
• Marty and The Pinheads play a hard rock variation that was called "too darn loud" at the Battle of the Bands.
• He listens to a short reprise on his Walkman after school, as he skates from Courthouse Square back to his house.
• He watches a music video of the song on the TV screens at the Cafe 80's in 2015. (novelization only)
• Jennifer hears Marty attempt to play the guitar part with his injured hand at their house in 2015.
• The song is playing on the radio in Needles' truck when he pulls alongside Marty's new truck.

The lyrics are as follows:

 The power of love is a curious thing
 Make a one man weep, make another man sing
 Change a hawk to a little white dove
 More than a feeling that's the power of love

 Tougher than diamonds, rich like cream
 Stronger and harder than a bad girl's dream
 Make a bad one good make a wrong one right
 Power of love that keeps you home at night

 Chorus 1 :
 You don't need money, don't take fame
 Don't need no credit card to ride this train
 It's strong and it's sudden and it's cruel sometimes
 But it might just save your life
 That's the power of love
 That's the power of love

 First time you feel it, it might make you sad
 Next time you feel it, it might make you mad
 But you'll be glad baby when you've found
 That's the power makes the world go round

 Chorus 2 :
 And it don't take money, don't take fame
 Don't need no credit card to ride this train
 It's strong and it's sudden it can be cruel sometimes
 But it might just save your life

 They say that all in love is fair
 Yeah, but you don't care
 But you know what to do
 When it gets hold of you
 And with a little help from above
 You feel the power of love
 You feel the power of love
 Can you feel it?
 Hmmm

 Chorus 3 :
 It don't take money and it don't take fame
 Don't need no credit card to ride this train
 Tougher than diamonds and stronger than steel
 You won't feel nothin' till you feel
 You feel the power, just the power of love
 That's the power, that's the power of love
 You feel the power of love
 You feel the power of love
 Feel the power of love

Behind the scenes

Score composer Alan Silvestri suggested Huey Lewis as an artist who could create an original song for Back to the Future. Robert Zemeckis showed Lewis a rough cut of the scene (where Marty skates to school) where the song would be used, with the Huey Lewis and The News song I Want A New Drug, and asked if something similar could be composed. Lewis responded with The Power of Love, and a second song, Back in Time (which plays over the closing credits). Although Universal Studios would have preferred a song with the title "Back to the Future", Lewis told Zemeckis "I don't work that way." The lyric "It's strong, and it's sudden, and it's cruel sometimes, but it might just save your life" is appropriate to the film; not only must Marty save his existence by bringing his parents back together to fall in love in 1955, Jennifer Parker's note "I love you!" provides Marty the chance to return to 1985 (since she wrote it on the back of the flyer from the Hill Valley Preservation Society). The song became a hit during the summer of 1985, reaching #1 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 for three weeks (August 24, August 31 and September 6).

Music video

Female clubgoer: "Hey, wow! Look at the stereo!"

Doc Brown: "No no no, don't touch that. It's not a stereo."

Female clubgoer: "What is it, then?"

Doc Brown: "It's...it's what it is!"

— Doc and a female clubgoer discussing the time circuits

The song's music video.

The music video for the song featured the band playing at a club called "Uncle Charlie's." Not much else happens throughout the course of the video.

However, an introductory sequence featured Emmett Brown and the DeLorean time machine encountering a group of clubgoers at the front of Uncle Charlie's, as Huey discusses the band's "new song" and the movie that it goes with, Back to the Future, with the audience. Upon learning that Huey Lewis is playing at the club, Doc runs in to investigate. As he does, a group of clubgoers steal the DeLorean and take it through time; Doc runs out of the club upon hearing the DeLorean revving up.

At the very end of the video, the DeLorean pulls back up to the front of the club. As one of the gull-wing doors opens, a female voice says, "Thanks, Doc. What a great trip!"

Notes

• The song was used as the main theme for the Back to the Future HUB world in LEGO Dimensions.

Appearances

• Back to the Future
• Back to the Future Part II first draft screenplay
• Paradox script
• Back to the Future Part II novelization
• Back to the Future Part II (Slightly played by 2015 Marty on his electric guitar.)
• Back to the Future Part II novelization
• Back to the Future Part III