There are love songs, and then there are over-the-top romantic songs. Popular for decades, the 1990s especially saw a rise in the popularity of overt love songs, including these three, which all came out in 1991.
“When A Man Loves A Woman” by Michael Bolton
On Michael Bolton’s Time, Love & Tenderness album is “When A Man Loves A Woman“. Written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright, the song was first a big hit for Percy Sledge, who released it in 1966. A massive No. 1 song for Bolton, he later won a Grammy for his version of the tune.
“When A Man Loves A Woman” is about how love can affect a man, regardless of if the feelings are reciprocated or not. The song begins with, “When a man loves a woman / Can’t keep his mind on nothin’ else / He’d change the world for the good thing he’s found / If she is bad, he can’t see it / She can do no wrong / Turn his back on his best friend if he put her down.”
“(Everything I Do) I Do It For You” by Bryan Adams
“(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” is written by Adams, Michael Kamen, and Robert John “Mutt” Lange. The song appears on Adams’ Waking Up The Neighbours. It is also part of the soundtrack for the blockbuster film, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.
“(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” says, “Look into my eyes – you will see / What you mean to me / Search your heart, search your soul / And when you find me there, you’ll search no more / Don’t tell me it’s not worth tryin’ for / You can’t tell me it’s not worth dyin’ for / You know it’s true: / Everything I do, I do it for you.“
“That’s What Love Is For” by Amy Grant
Amy Grant, Michael Omartian, and Mark Mueller are the three writers of “That’s What Love Is For”. On Grant’s Heart In Motion album, the sweet tune says, “That’s what love is for / To help us through it / That’s what love is for / Nothing else can do it / Melt our defenses / Bring us back to our senses / Give us strength to try once more / Baby, that’s what love is for.“
According to Songfacts, Omartian had already finished the lyric when he brought it to Grant. She only made a few changes, but he insisted that she take songwriting credit.
“That’s What Love Is For” is also the cusp of a new chapter for Grant. Known as a Christian singer for more than a dozen years, this is Grant’s first No. 1 song at pop radio.
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images