About The Song
“The Power of Love” is a 1985 single by Huey Lewis and the News, written for the soundtrack of the 1985 blockbuster film Back to the Future. The song became the band’s first number-one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and their second number-one hit on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart. In the United Kingdom, it was released as a double-A side with “Do You Believe in Love,” becoming the band’s only top ten hit on the UK Singles Chart. The song is included alongside “Back in Time” on the film’s soundtrack, and appears as a bonus track on international editions of the band’s fourth studio album, Fore!
Huey Lewis was approached to write a theme song for the film. He met with Bob Gale, Steven Spielberg, and Robert Zemeckis, from the film’s production team, who intended that the band be Marty McFly’s favorite band. Though flattered, Lewis did not want to participate because he did not know how to write film songs and did not want to write one called “Back to the Future.” Zemeckis assured Lewis he could write any song he wanted. Lewis agreed to submit the next song he wrote, which was “The Power of Love.” The lyrics do not make any mention of the film’s storyline.
The song appears early in Back to the Future as Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) skateboards to school. Later in the film, McFly and his band play a hard rock version of the song for a Battle of the Bands audition, at which a judge played by Huey Lewis 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 collision 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.
Video
Lyrics
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, mm, make a wrong one right
Power of love that keep you home at night
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
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 (ooh)
But you know what to do (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?
Hm-hm
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
But you won’t feel nothin’ ’til you feel
You feel the power, just feel the power of love
That’s the power, mm, that’s the power of love
You feel the power of love
You feel the power of love
Feel the power of love