‘L’Amour Toujours’ N°84 – Vintage 80s Videos

1 . Jennifer Rush – The Power of Love

Jennifer Rush’s “The Power of Love” occupies an interesting place in the pantheon of ’80s ballads, straddling both a sense of grandeur and intimacy that resonated with listeners worldwide.

Released in 1984 and written by a veritable committee of creatives—Jennifer Rush herself, Mary Susan Applegate, Candy DeRouge, and Gunther Mende—the song quickly became a commercial juggernaut, arguably surprising for its relatively understated reception in North America compared to its massive success in Europe, where it topped charts and sold millions.

The track’s moody intro, paired with Rush’s icy yet emotive vocal delivery, set the stage for a crescendo that defined the ’80s power ballad aesthetic: dramatic, unabashedly emotional, and meticulously produced.

The lyrics, steeped in themes of strength, devotion, and timeless affection, became anthemic despite their personal origin, allegedly inspired by Rush’s Harvard-educated boyfriend—a quirky little detail that now feels almost incongruous with the song’s universal sentimentality.

The production—crafted by a team who spoke no English—somehow managed to meld technical precision with raw emotional pull, a combination that proved irresistible to the global market.

The music video, directed by Michael Leckebusch, leaned into the era’s penchant for visual drama, juxtaposing Rush’s controlled performance with sweeping cinematic storytelling.

While it didn’t immediately scoop awards, the song’s longevity and its inclusion in cultural moments such as weddings, including that of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, speaks louder than any trophy could.

Its afterlife, however, is arguably even more fascinating—covered prolifically, most notably by Celine Dion, whose version carried the song to lofty new heights in North America, her own “money note” becoming a defining emblem of her career.

Yet, what makes Rush’s original so fascinating is its status as a singular, towering triumph in a career otherwise marked by unfulfilled potential, particularly in the U.S., where potential confusion with the Canadian band Rush complicated matters further.

The Power of Love’ remains an enduring piece of pop nostalgia: a towering ballad that feels both of its time and oddly eternal, capable of stirring hearts even as it raises eyebrows for its sheer melodrama.

Featured on the 1984 album “Jennifer Rush”.

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2 . Rick Astley – When I Fall in Love

Rick Astley’s take on “When I Fall in Love” strides confidently into the world of pop ballads, borrowing grace from its 1952 origins while tethering itself firmly to the late ’80s aesthetic.

Released alongside the punchier “My Arms Keep Missing You,” this orchestral cover may not embody Astley’s dance-pop signature, but it marked an intriguing detour.

Its UK chart performance—peaking at No. 2 under the shadow of the Pet Shop Boys—speaks to its appeal without ever feeling like a full victory lap.

While Stock Aitken Waterman’s Midas touch typically leaned toward bubblegum beats, their production here leans lavish, with a chandelier’s worth of ornamentation in the arrangement.

Visually, the accompanying black-and-white music video doubled down on the song’s timeless aspirations but lacked any hint of irony, a rarity for the late ’80s.

Far from being just another cover, it exists as both homage and testament to Astley’s knack for inhabiting spaces well beyond simple pop crooning.

Standing on the shoulders of giants like Nat King Cole, Astley might not aim for reinvention, but the sheer effort pinpoints the enduring allure of the original composition.

The persistent cultural grip of “When I Fall in Love” owes as much to Victor Young’s swooning melody as it does to Edward Heyman’s earnest lyrics, a quality Astley highlights without eclipsing.

In essence, his contribution only adds to the historical mosaic of a well-trodden standard while providing a polished, if somewhat overly earnest, window into the performer’s early ambitions.

Featured on the 1987 album “Whenever You Need Somebody”.

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3 . Lionel Richie – Say You, Say Me

Lionel Richie’s “Say You, Say Me” emerged in 1985 as a cinematic ballad tied to the film *White Nights*, but its reach far exceeded the silver screen.

Crafted after Taylor Hackford, the movie’s director, tasked Richie with composing a theme, the song captures a poignant narrative of isolation and camaraderie, blending softness with subtle emotional turbulence.

Its initial charm lies in its deceptive simplicity—an understated arrangement buoyed by Richie’s unmistakable voice, oscillating between vulnerability and resolve.

The track’s mid-song shift into a sprightly rhythmic interlude, though unexpected, injects a surprising degree of energy into the ballad, without veering into theatrical territory.

Despite Richie’s allegiance to the project, legal wrangling with Motown Records prevented the song from landing on the film’s soundtrack, relegating it to his 1986 album *Dancing on the Ceiling*.

Even so, its resonance remained undiminished, topping not just Billboard’s Hot 100 but also Adult Contemporary and R&B charts, while securing global acclaim in territories as disparate as Norway and Canada.

Richie’s accolades—an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a Grammy nomination—speak to the song’s success, yet the tune’s longevity owes as much to its cultural ubiquity.

Reinventions like Richie’s 2012 *Tuskegee* duet with Jason Aldean and nods in modern pop culture, from *The Simpsons* to *Baywatch*, underscore its enduring appeal.

That said, the song isn’t without quirks—its halfhearted attempt at a titular album tie-in fizzled, and the disconnect between its wistful tone and exuberant bridge remains an unresolved creative choice.

Still, it stands as a finely balanced piece that resists ostentation while cementing Richie’s deft ability to blend heartfelt introspection with broader, universal themes.

Featured on the 1985 album “Dancing on the Ceiling“.

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4 . Whitney Houston – Saving All My Love for You

“Saving All My Love for You” is a bittersweet ballad that cemented Whitney Houston’s place in pop history, though not without controversy.

Released in 1985 as part of her debut album, the track is a masterclass in restrained production, allowing Houston’s breathtaking vocal prowess to command attention.

Written by Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin, the song’s lyrical focus on a clandestine affair raised eyebrows, including objections from Houston’s mother, Cissy Houston.

Despite the moral ambiguity of its subject, Houston’s emotive delivery lent a universality to themes of longing and sacrifice, making the song resonate with a global audience.

The music video, depicting a love triangle that mirrored rumors of Houston’s personal life, added an extra layer of intrigue and fueled public fascination.

Critically, the track became an enduring hit, earning Houston her first Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1986. It also marked the beginning of her unprecedented streak of Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers.

The minimal arrangement, punctuated by Tom Scott’s saxophone solo, conveys intimacy, leaving ample room for Houston’s soaring melismas to shine.

While celebrated for its emotional weight, the song faced detractors who critiqued its narrative centered on infidelity, reflecting broader cultural tensions of the era.

The production’s deliberate posturing for crossover appeal, as advised by Clive Davis, showcased a calculated effort to traverse racial and genre boundaries in mid-’80s pop.

Despite mixed interpretations, “Saving All My Love for You” remains a poignant snapshot of Houston’s early career, encapsulating her ability to transform even the most contentious themes into universally adored anthems.

Featured on the 1985 album “Whitney Houston“.

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5 . Cher – I Found Someone

When Cher reclaimed “I Found Someone” in 1987, she wasn’t merely covering a Michael Bolton and Mark Mangold composition initially brought to life by Laura Branigan—she was reclaiming her relevance in pop culture with a vengeance.

The song, infused with bold synths and driving electric guitar riffs, fit squarely into the glossy, radio-friendly pop-rock landscape of the late ‘80s, while giving Cher the sonic arsenal needed to pivot from her disco and folk-rock origins.

Her rendition carries the unmistakable emotional gravitas of someone navigating love’s second chances, a theme underscored by her rich contralto, stretching just enough to show vulnerability without losing its commanding heft.

Bolstered by Dieter Dierks’ slick production and a music video featuring Cher and then-boyfriend Rob Camilletti, the track became a cultural moment, climbing to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and finding similar acclaim overseas.

By contrast, Branigan’s original rendition, released two years prior, suffered from minimal promotional backing and peaked at a meager 90 on the U.S. charts—an outcome that feels as much a product of timing as anything else.

Branigan’s version leans more heavily into its soft rock roots, her voice shimmering with earnestness, but lacking the punch Cher’s interpretation would later bring to the table.

The track’s modest success marked a transitional stage for Branigan’s career, closing out her collaboration with producer Jack White and foreshadowing her shift toward new partnerships and further Bolton material.

Cher’s take, by contrast, arrived as both a turning point and a harbinger of a full-bodied renaissance, cementing her transition to the big-haired, leather-clad, rock ‘n’ roll powerhouse that would define her late ‘80s and early ‘90s career.

Even decades later, “I Found Someone” remains a fixture in her live repertoire—a song not merely embraced but weaponized in her ongoing fight against irrelevance.

Featured on the 1987 album “Cher”.

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6 . Jason Donovan – Especially for You

Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue’s “Especially for You” exists as both a time capsule and a pop anomaly, reflecting late-1980s sentimentality with a polish only Stock Aitken Waterman could provide.

This ballad—released in 1988 and tied to the duo’s on-screen romance in *Neighbours*—was marketed less as a song and more as a cultural moment, cementing the duo as soap opera royalty with a microphone.

The production, packed with shimmering synths and an emotive duet dynamic, defied initial criticism from its creators, who believed it lacked zeal.

Yet the public disagreed, driving it to claim the UK number-one spot for three weeks and ultimately becoming a platinum-certified phenomenon.

Its universal chart presence mirrored its broad appeal, making waves in New Zealand, Ireland, and Australia, though a second-place finish on the ARIA charts left Australian fans one step behind full domination.

Curiously, no official music video accompanied its ascent, leaving television performances, such as *Top of the Pops*, to shoulder its promotional weight.

The behind-the-scenes details add layers to its legacy—Donovan and Minogue allegedly recorded separately due to scheduling, a logistics workaround with no visible cracks in the final duet.

Further fueling its mystique is the ambiguous history of their real-life relationship, a persistent debate among fans and skeptics alike, as the narrative flips seamlessly between romance and marketing coup.

Decades later, the track’s cultural resonance is impossible to deny, functioning both as a standalone pop artifact and a nostalgic symbol for television-meets-music crossover success.

Whether fondly embraced for its sentiment or analyzed for its meticulous construction, this duet remains a keynote in both artists’ catalogs.

Featured on the 1988 album “Ten Good Reasons”.

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7 . Boy Meets Girl – Waiting for a Star to Fall

Boy Meets Girl’s “Waiting for a Star to Fall” captures a unique blend of late-‘80s optimism and radio-friendly pop polish, with a backstory as intriguing as the song itself.

Written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam—real-life couple and professional duo—it sprang from an epiphany at a Whitney Houston concert, where the sight of a shooting star collided with the promise of poetic lyricism.

Interestingly, the song was originally pitched to Houston, but after rejection from her team, it transitioned into a vehicle for Merrill and Rubicam’s own vocal chemistry.

The track, produced by the Grammy-decorated Arif Mardin, thrives on shimmering synths and buoyant melodies that unapologetically tether it to the decade’s sonic zeitgeist.

While its production might lean heavily into familiar tropes of the time, it’s hard to deny its knack for capturing a sense of yearning, flecked with a touch of the cosmic.

Commercially, it charted respectably—number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the UK Singles Chart—and carved out evergreen status through placements in films like *Three Men and a Little Lady.*

Yet what makes it remarkable is its posthumous cultural luster; remixes like Mylo’s “In My Arms” have revitalized its appeal among newer audiences, underscoring its enduring universality.

The lyrics walk the line between heartfelt and saccharine, a duality that either enchants or exasperates depending on the listener’s tolerance for metaphorical stargazing.

Some may argue it borders on schmaltzy, but it’s precisely that emotional sincerity—wrapped in unabashedly glossy pop packaging—that has sustained its infectious charm across the decades.

Love and longing, for better or worse, remain untouched by generational shifts, and this track serves as a testament to that eternal thematic resonance.

Featured on the 1988 album “Reel Life”.

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8 . Joyce Sims – Come into My Life

Joyce Sims’ “Come into My Life” sits comfortably within the late-1980s R&B and dance intersection, crafted with the precision of Kurtis Mantronik’s production and Sims’ own songwriting flair.

The track, both a chart-climber across the Atlantic and a club staple, managed to connect with audiences in its unpretentious, heartfelt plea for connection.

In the US, it found a home on R&B and Billboard Hot 100 playlists, while overseas, the UK Singles Chart and European pop rankings equally embraced its charm.

A key detail that often surprises listeners is Sims’ multitasking—she not only delivered the lead vocals but also wrote both the lyrics and music, a practice that stood out in an era dominated by producer-driven acts.

The extended remix, a favorite in underground club rotations, added a repetitive, hypnotic edge that amplified the song’s dancefloor appeal without alienating radio audiences.

It’s worth mulling over how the track’s minimalistic arrangement makes room for Sims’ earnest vocal delivery, which toes the line between vulnerability and command seamlessly.

Even the music video got people talking—though not groundbreaking, its steady rotation on MTV and European music channels gave the track visual reinforcement that pushed its reach further.

The larger *Come into My Life* album carries the same duality—an intimate, introspective collection that doesn’t shy away from dancefloor rhythms.

Listeners diving into the LP will find a textured yet coherent blend of tracks, from the groovy “Lifetime Love” to the emotive cover of Barbara Acklin’s “Love Makes a Woman.”

For all its chart success and international acclaim, the album’s songwriting credits remain arguably its most interesting feature, showing Sims’ ability to thread recurring themes of longing and resilience through varied sonic frameworks.

The balance between slick production and lyrical sincerity is what cements this collection as a standout moment in late-’80s R&B, even if it wasn’t clamoring for accolades at the time.

In retrospect, “Come into My Life” might not be the flashiest offering of its era, but that’s precisely what gives it staying power—a lingering simplicity that resonates just as strongly decades later.

Featured on the 1987 album “Come into My Life”.

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9 . Gregory Abbott – Shake You Down

Gregory Abbott’s 1986 release, *Shake You Down*, became an undeniable juggernaut of its era, gliding to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1987 and securing its place among the year’s biggest singles.

The track’s crossover appeal was nothing short of impressive; it not only dominated the R&B charts but also entered the top 10 in countries like the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Its commercial success, underscored by platinum certification and over a million copies sold in the U.S., was matched by widespread airplay, cementing its ubiquity on MTV and BET during its heyday.

Abbott’s smooth tenor, accompanied by a laid-back arrangement, oozes romantic intent, delivering a softer take on the R&B ballad formula that resonated with audiences yearning for tenderness.

Interestingly, the song’s creation originated from a phrase Abbott tested conversationally before crafting it into a chart-topper, blending personal charm with lyrical seduction.

Though *Shake You Down* achieved meteoric success, Abbott’s follow-up efforts, such as “I Got The Feelin’ (It’s Over),” failed to replicate its impact, casting him into the realm of one-hit wonders for many listeners.

Still, Abbott’s career and talents extend beyond a single hit, as fans often highlight his broader songwriting strengths and continued indie contributions to R&B.

Critics, however, weren’t universally enamored, with some accusing the track of treading too closely to the sonic territory of *Caravan of Love* by Isley-Jasper-Isley.

Even Abbott’s physical resemblance to *Miami Vice* star Phillip Michael Thomas somehow became part of the cultural chatter surrounding his brief moment at the forefront of pop culture.

Today, *Shake You Down* remains a nostalgic touchstone for fans of ‘80s R&B, standing as a testament to the genre’s ability to straddle charts while delivering an intimate yet widely palatable sound.

Featured on the 1986 album “Shake You Down”.

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10 . Oran Juice Jones – The Rain

Released in 1986, “The Rain” stands as Oran “Juice” Jones’s striking debut, a track that straddles the line between cautionary tale and theatrical storytelling.

It emerged under Def Jam’s OBR Records, signaling the label’s early foray into R&B, a genre it previously skirted in favor of hip-hop dominance.

Penned and produced by Vincent Bell, the song marries polished production with a spoken-word outro dripping in drama, where Jones unloads unfiltered ire at a deceitful lover.

Its chart success—a No. 9 finish on the Billboard Hot 100 and a two-week reign atop the R&B charts—reflects its resonance as both a narrative and a mood.

The accompanying video, which played like a mini vignette of betrayal complete with Jones’s cinematic confrontation, was equally impactful, receiving heavy rotation on MTV and BET.

What elevates “The Rain” beyond mere heartbreak fodder is its conversational finale, a verbal lashing that secured its spot as an ‘80s cultural artifact, referenced endlessly even decades later.

Defiant, raw, and unapologetically theatrical, the song reeks of heartbreak but with a swagger that says, “I’ll get the last word, always.”

Featured on the 1986 album “Juice”.

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11 . Kim Wilde – Four Letter Word

Kim Wilde’s “Four Letter Word” stands as a moody outlier within her 1988 album *Close*, shifting away from the driving pop sensibilities dominating the record.

Written by her brother Ricky Wilde and father Marty Wilde, this ballad trades in Wilde’s typical buoyancy for a contemplative exploration of emotional fragility.

Thematically, the song weaves through the familiar yet potent terrain of heartbreak, centering on the weight that the titular “four-letter word”—love—often carries.

Released as the fourth single from *Close*, it charted respectably, hitting number six in the UK and making notable ripples across Ireland, Sweden, and other European countries.

The song’s structure leans on simplicity: stripped-back arrangements allow Wilde’s vulnerable vocal delivery to lead, supported by restrained instrumentation that magnifies its reflective tone.

“Four Letter Word” also marked a rare career choice for Wilde—this was no synth-laden anthem, but her first pure ballad in an eight-year span, a tonal gamble that resonated with a more introspective audience.

A music video directed by Pete Cornish mirrored the song’s melancholic core, employing muted visuals that fit its themes of regret and lost affection.

Coinciding with Wilde’s stint as an opening act for Michael Jackson’s *Bad* tour in Europe, the track gained a visibility boost during one of pop music’s high-octane eras.

Yet, in juxtaposition to its sonic modesty, the song also reflects a broader pop tradition of grappling with love’s contradictions—a subject tackled by artists from Bob Dylan to Gossip.

For Wilde, “Four Letter Word” represented both a thematic nod to classic tropes and a subtle pivot in her artistic narrative, underscoring her capacity for emotional breadth amid her pop credentials.

Featured on the 1988 album “Close”.

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12 . Dollar – O L’amour

Dollar’s 1987 rendition of “O L’amour” represents a curious twist in the pop timeline—one act’s near-revival through another’s modest beginning.

Originally penned by Erasure, it was a synth-pop ballad dripping with unrequited love, dressed in shimmering electronic melancholy.

While Erasure’s 1986 original stumbled commercially out of the gate, Dollar’s cover arrived with an unlikely polish, thanks to Trevor Horn’s production wizardry.

The shimmering flourishes Horn added gave Dollar a final hurrah, landing the cover at #7 on the UK Singles Chart and putting a somewhat glossed-over career momentarily back in the spotlight.

But this wasn’t a simple karaoke hand-me-down—Dollar reshaped Erasure’s introspective yearning into a brighter, radio-friendly confection that resonated beyond Britain, reaching European charts with relative ease.

Perhaps the success was a reflection of synth-heavy pop’s mid-’80s ubiquity, a genre-wide obsession with turning heartbreak into fluorescent euphorics.

If irony could sing, it’d hum “O L’amour” in unison—Dollar’s rise through a reworked rejection anthem became their swan song, an elegant exit after flashing briefly in the dying embers of new wave pop.

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