"Power of Love/Love Power" is a song by American singer-songwriter Luther Vandross. It was released on April 9, 1991, by Epic Records as the first single from his 1991 album with the same name. The song reached number one on the US R&B chart for two weeks and reached number four on the US pop chart. This made it Vandross's most successful pop solo song.

The song combines two tracks: "Power of Love," written by Vandross and Marcus Miller, and "Love Power," which was a minor hit in 1968 by the R&B group The Sandpebbles. The Sandpebbles version of "Love Power" reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 14 on the R&B singles chart.

In 1995, the song was re-recorded for the collection Greatest Hits 1981–1995. It was released as a single with remixes by Frankie Knuckles and Uno Clio.

American singer Donna Summer recorded a version of the song for the 2005 album So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross.

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic called the song one of the "important parts" of the album. Larry Flick from Billboard magazine described it as a "mix of different styles: catchy pop melodies, funky guitar sounds, backing vocals inspired by gospel music, and strong R&B vocals. Very enjoyable." Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly said the song is "both playful and ambitious in a surprising way." He also noted, "This is a perfect example of how creative music can be combined with careful techniques to make common phrases sound fresh. In this case, Vandross has combined two songs, both with smooth, overlapping melodies that allow the singer to use his gentle voice to perform clever, repeated variations of the songs' titles."

James Hamilton from Record Mirror mentioned the song's "smooth, bouncy rhythm" and called it a "pleasant 0-92.2bpm swaying tune." After the song was remixed in 1995, the British magazine Music Week gave it a score of four out of five and named it "Single of the Week," writing, "Not typical Luther, but still very enjoyable. This upbeat song, taken from the soul artist's new greatest hits album, has all the elements needed to become a popular hit." Music Week editor Alan Jones commented, "The main melody is less important than the rhythm, which has a lively, fast-paced house beat. Vandross is a skilled singer, and songs like this do not show his strengths well."

Track listings

• US CD and 12-inch remix single (12" Power Mixes)

• "Power of Love/Love Power" (Powerful Mix) — 7:55
• "Power of Love/Love Power" (Radio Edit) — 5:20
• "Power of Love/Love Power" (Love Dub) — 5:54

• 12-inch vinyl single

• "Power of Love/Love Power" — 4:15
• "I Wanted Your Love" — 5:38
• "Any Love" — 4:59

• 7-inch vinyl single

• "Power of Love/Love Power" — 4:15
• "Power of Love/Love Power" (Instrumental) — 6:43

• 12-inch vinyl Austria single (1995)

• "Power of Love/Love Power" (The Absolutely Fabulous Club Mix) — 10:27
• "Power of Love/Love Power" (The Franktified Mix) — 6:40
• "Power of Love/Love Power" (Uno Clio Main Vocal Remix) — 7:50
• "Power of Love/Love Power" (Colin Peter & Carl Ward 12" Remix) — 6:06
• "Power of Love/Love Power" (The Classic Instrumental) — 6:51

• US, UK, CD maxi single (1995)

• "Power of Love/Love Power" (The Frankie Knuckles Radio Remix) — 4:15
• "Power of Love/Love Power" (Original Version – Radio Edit) — 4:15
• "Power of Love/Love Power" (Uno Clio 7" Vocal Remix) — 4:18
• "Power of Love/Love Power" (Colin Peter & Carl Ward 7" Vocal) — 4:25
• "Power of Love/Love Power" (The Dance Radio Mix) — 6:28
• "Power of Love/Love Power" (The Absolutely Fabulous Club Mix) — 10:27
• "Power of Love/Love Power" (The Power Reprise) — 3:37

Personnel

• Luther Vandross – performed lead vocals and helped arrange the singing parts
• Marcus Miller – played keyboards, programmed the synthesizer, played bass guitar, provided background vocals, and helped arrange the rhythm
• Nat Adderley Jr. – played piano
• Jason Miles – helped program the synthesizer sounds
• Paul Jackson Jr. – played guitar
• Paulinho da Costa – played windchimes
• Cissy Houston, Fonzi Thornton, Darlene Love, Paulette McWilliams, Lisa Fischer, Tawatha Agee, Brenda White-King, Pat Joyner, Tamira C. Sanders, Genobia Jeter, Kevin Owens – provided background vocals