Waxing Nostalgic: Frankie Goes to Hollywood, “The Power of Love”

You know what kind of world we used to live in, kids? During the summer of 1984, the number one song in the world was about the importance of doing Kegel exercises. Now we have Carrie Underwood starring in The Sound of Music. We just get blander and blander. Miley and Gaga run around topless or in some kind of meat suit, and who cares? We’ve all seen boobs and steak.

It’s not edgy; it’s stupid.

But Frankie Goes to Hollywood? That was some ballsy music. It may not seem so now, with your jaded ears filled with the wax of cynicism and Wilco, but Frankie pushed everything to the limit. Their marketing plan was a finely planned mixture of saturation and nonsense. T-shirts and buttons appeared in shopping malls like alien spores with messages like, “Arm the Unemployed!” and “War! Hide Yourself!” Their videos played on MTV all the time and honestly, they weren’t that good. The original video for “Relax” simply features the band in a warehouse with a laser beam. “Thriller,” it ain’t.

The power of the insistent bass line of “Relax” drove it to the top of the charts. New videos arrived as the song’s popularity exploded. Suddenly, you could see live versions of the song, an extended mix, and a whole new video derived from the band’s strange appearance in Brian De Palma’s movie Body Double.

Lead singer Holly Johnson dressed like a maître d’, but had a fine crooner’s voice which belied how raunchy the lyrics of the songs were. Paul Rutherford sang back up and danced. Oh, how he danced. He careened around the stage like a big gay Superball, whacking the other members of the band with his tambourine and his cum-catcher moustache.

FGTH’s first album, Welcome to the Pleasuredome, was an ambitious and strange one. It was a double album, almost unheard of for a band’s debut. The first quarter of the set was pretty much nothing but jungle noises and the occasional shout of “Hoo-hah! Hoo-hah!” Owing more to Brian Eno than Nile Rodgers, Pleasuredome was more than just a dance album. Over-produced and wildly indulgent, it was the King Cake of the Eighties; you had to slice through a lot of fluff and dig deep to find the shiny prize.

There were a couple of gems that have been forgotten in the fervor surrounding “Relax” and “Two Tribes.” My favorite version of “Born to Run,” surpassing any Springsteen version, is by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Shocking, right? You should be used to my rock and roll blasphemy by now.

There’s also a sweet song towards the end called “The Power of Love.” This is not to be confused with the Huey Lewis and the News song of the same name. It’s not the Jennifer Rush song, either. By the way, every song in the Eighties was titled “The Power of Love.” Yes, even “Kickstart My Heart.” The full title is “Kickstart My Heart with the Power of Love, You Parisian Sex Workers.”

“The Power of Love” negates everything Welcome to the Pleasuredome seems to be about. The whole theme of Pleasuredome is hedonism. Look cool, don’t fight, listen to Burt Bacharach songs, and for the love of Robert Romanus, don’t ejaculate prematurely. In comparison, “The Power of Love” is, dare I say, substantial. It’s not about cheap thrills. It feels . . . I don’t know. Sincere.

“The Power of Love” was the band’s third Number One single in the UK. It’s not the one people remember them for, though. It deserves at least as much respect as “Relax” and is, overall, a more pleasant and less monotonous listening experience.

Holly Johnson himself said (it’s on Wikipedia, so you know it’s true), “I always felt like ‘The Power Of Love’ was the record that would save me in this life. There is a biblical aspect to its spirituality and passion; the fact that love is the only thing that matters in the end.” That’s a bit grandiose, but only a bit. There is something about this song, whether it is the somber tone, the slow orchestral build-up, or the nagging sense of urgency. Even if you hate songs like this, “The Power of Love” insists that you listen to it and allow your Grinchy little heart to grow three sizes this day. Then you can go back to listening to Heather Nova or Mazzy Star or whatever you disaffected kids are listening to these days.

Listen to this song and others mentioned in this article on the Waxing Nostalgic playlist on Spotify! We guarantee: all these songs are inherently music-based!