"Glory of Love" is a 1986 song performed by
Peter Cetera
Peter Paul Cetera ( ; born September 13, 1944) is an American retired musician best known for being a lead vocalist and the bassist of the rock band Chicago from 1967 until his departure in 1985, before launching a successful solo career. His c ...
, which he wrote and composed with his then-wife Diane Nini and
David Foster
David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...
. The song was recorded by Cetera shortly after he left the band
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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to pursue a solo career. Featured in the film ''
The Karate Kid Part II
''The Karate Kid Part II'' is a 1986 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the second installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise and the sequel to the 1984 film ''The Karate Kid'', ...
'' (1986), it was Cetera's first hit single after he left the band, reaching number one on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100,
and it was included on his album ''
Solitude/Solitaire'' (
1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
**Spain and Portugal ente ...
), which
Michael Omartian
Michael Omartian (born November 26, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, keyboardist, and music producer. He produced number-one records in three consecutive decades. He has earned 11 Grammy Awards nominations and won three. He sp ...
produced.
"Glory of Love" peaked at number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on August 2, 1986, remaining in that spot for two weeks. It also spent five weeks atop the US
adult contemporary chart
The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...
. ''Billboard'' ranked the
power ballad
A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...
as number fourteen on the Top Pop Singles of 1986,
and number four on the Top Adult Contemporary Singles of 1986.
The song achieved similar success in the UK, peaking at number three on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, where it was the
26th best-selling single of 1986.
Release and reception
"Glory of Love" made its first appearance on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the US at number 62, for the week ending on June 7, 1986, and debuted at number 59 on the ''
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' Top 100 Singles chart that same date. In the same issue, ''Cash Box'' also shows the single as a new release.
The single has not been certified gold or platinum by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
, although the record album that it appeared on, ''
Solitude/Solitaire'', has been certified both gold and platinum.
The song earned nominations for an
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is presented to the ''songwriters'' who have composed th ...
,
and a
Golden Globe in the category of
Best Original Song
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
.
It was also nominated for a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
in 1987 for
Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Male Artist,
and went on to win an
ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
Award for Most Performed Songs from a Motion Picture
and a
BMI Film & TV Award for Most Performed Song from a Film.
Background
Cetera has said that he originally wrote and composed "Glory of Love" as the end title for the film ''
Rocky IV
''Rocky IV'' is a 1985 American sports drama film written, directed by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the sequel to ''Rocky III'' (1982) and is the fourth installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise. It also stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Ca ...
'' (
1985), but it was passed over by
United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
, instead ultimately being used as the theme for ''
The Karate Kid Part II
''The Karate Kid Part II'' is a 1986 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the second installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise and the sequel to the 1984 film ''The Karate Kid'', ...
'' (1986).
The single of "Glory of Love" and the accompanying video were released in May 1986, while the album, ''Solitude/Solitaire'', was released within days of the release of the movie, ''The Karate Kid Part II'', a month later.
Upon its release, the song was often incorrectly credited as being a new song performed by Cetera's former band Chicago owing to its similarity in style to many of the band's popular songs for which Cetera had been the lead vocalist.
Cetera performed a shortened version of the song live at the
59th Academy Awards ceremony, which took place on Monday, March 30, 1987, at the
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center, which is one of the largest performing arts centers in the United States. The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt ...
.
Music video
The music video by Peter Cetera is set in a
Japanese martial arts dojo, with cut and fade scenes of the movie ''
The Karate Kid Part II
''The Karate Kid Part II'' is a 1986 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the second installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise and the sequel to the 1984 film ''The Karate Kid'', ...
'' throughout. The video was directed by Peter Sinclair.
Personnel
*
Peter Cetera
Peter Paul Cetera ( ; born September 13, 1944) is an American retired musician best known for being a lead vocalist and the bassist of the rock band Chicago from 1967 until his departure in 1985, before launching a successful solo career. His c ...
– vocals
*
Michael Omartian
Michael Omartian (born November 26, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, keyboardist, and music producer. He produced number-one records in three consecutive decades. He has earned 11 Grammy Awards nominations and won three. He sp ...
– keyboards
* Willie Alexander –
Fairlight CMI
The Fairlight CMI (short for Computer Musical Instrument) is a digital synthesizer, sampler, and digital audio workstation introduced in 1979 by Fairlight.
— with links to some Fairlight history and photos
It was based on a commercial lic ...
* Steve Azbill –
PPG Waveterm programming
* Erich Bulling – synthesizers
*
Dann Huff
Dann Lee Huff (born November 15, 1960) is an American record producer and songwriter. For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the ''Musician of the Year'' award in 2001, 2004, and 2016 at the Co ...
– guitars
*
Paul Leim
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
* Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
– drums
*
Jeff Porcaro
Jeffrey Thomas Porcaro (; April 1, 1954 – August 5, 1992) was an American drummer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work with the rock band Toto but is one of the most recorded session musicians in history, working on ...
– percussion
Cover versions
*David Foster in his 1991 album "David Foster Recordings".
*Australian boy band
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
covered the song, which was released as their debut single from their 2004 self-titled debut album ''North'', charting in a number of Asian music charts.
*In 2000, the American band
New Found Glory
New Found Glory (formerly A New Found Glory) is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida, formed in 1997. The band currently consists of Jordan Pundik (lead vocals), Ian Grushka (bass guitar), Chad Gilbert (lead guitar, backing vocal ...
covered the song on their EP of soundtrack covers ''
From the Screen to Your Stereo''.
*In 2010, Canadian artist
Zameer released an acoustic version of the song on his album ''
From Under the Bleachers''. The single reached number 73 on the
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...
chart.
*In 2011, the song was parodied by the Fringemunks as part of a medley that recapped ''
Fringe
Fringe may refer to:
Arts
* Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, known as "the Fringe"
* Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival
* Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre
* The Fringe, the ...
'' episode 3.21, "The Last Sam Weiss."
*In 2011, Canadian artist
Karl Wolf
Carl Abou Samah ( ar, كارل أبو سمح; born April 18, 1979), better known by his stage name Karl Wolf, is a Lebanese-Canadian musician based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has been a singer, songwriter, and producer since 2001, releasing ...
greatly sampled the song in his released single "
Ghetto Love" featuring Canadian rapper
Kardinal Offishall
Jason Drew Harrow (born May 11, 1976), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall (), is a Canadian rapper, record producer, DJ, and record executive. Often credited as Canada's " hip hop ambassador", he is regarded as one of the country ...
. The single was released in Canada on
Universal Republic
Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...
. The music video for the release was by
Director X
Julien Christian Lutz (born October 31, 1975), known professionally as Director X, is a Canadian filmmaker, commercial director, music video director, and television director. Having directed more than 100 music videos, he is widely known as a pr ...
and it was filmed in Jamaica. The song reached No. 20 on the Canadian Hot 100. A French version also exists, but retains the English-language chorus.
*In 2019,
Ninja Sex Party
Ninja Sex Party (often abbreviated as NSP) is an American musical comedy duo consisting of singer Dan Avidan and keyboardist Brian Wecht. They formed in 2009 in New York City and are currently based in Los Angeles. They are also known as two thi ...
released a cover of this song on their album ''
Under the Covers, Vol. III''.
References in other media
*"Glory of Love" was performed as the finale of the Irish stage show ''Riot'' in 2018 in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
, Australia.
*"Glory of Love" plays while a woman runs over a man with a minivan in season 2, episode 3 of the
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
broadcast television series, ''
Good Girls''. The episode first aired on March 17, 2019.
B-side
The song "On the Line" which was on the
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
of the
45 rpm single
was from Cetera's eponymously named first solo album, ''
Peter Cetera
Peter Paul Cetera ( ; born September 13, 1944) is an American retired musician best known for being a lead vocalist and the bassist of the rock band Chicago from 1967 until his departure in 1985, before launching a successful solo career. His c ...
'', which had been released in 1981.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
{{authority control
1986 songs
1986 singles
Peter Cetera songs
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Cashbox number-one singles
Number-one singles in Sweden
RPM Top Singles number-one singles
Songs written by David Foster
Songs written by Peter Cetera
Songs written for films
The Karate Kid (franchise)
Song recordings produced by Michael Omartian
Warner Records singles