Jennifer Rush
Encyclopedia
Jennifer Rush is an American/German-based pop
/rock
singer, best known for the million-selling single
"The Power of Love
", which she co-wrote and which went on to be covered by Laura Branigan
and Celine Dion
.
, Germany, that she first discovered her passion for music. She recorded her first album Heidi Stern in 1979, but it did not get much attention. Trying to establish her career as a singer, in 1982, she moved to Wiesbaden
, Hesse, Germany, with her father Maurice Stern
, an opera singer. Over the next several years she scored hit
s around Europe with songs "25 Lovers", "Flames of Paradise", "Ring of Ice", "Destiny", "If You're Ever Gonna Lose My Love", "I Come Undone" and "Madonna's Eyes".
Jennifer's mother Barbara was a pianist, and her brothers are musicians Bobby Stern and Stephen Stern. In 2010, Jennifer revealed that she adopted her artist name "Jennifer" upon the insistence of her record company, CBS
, who felt Heidi did not sound 'international' enough.
Her single "The Power Of Love
" was the biggest selling single of 1985 in the United Kingdom, (as well as becoming a significant hit in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Portugal, South Africa and Sweden) and was listed in the Guinness Book Of Records as "the best-selling single by a female solo artist in the history of the British music industry". It held that status until 1992, when it was outsold by Whitney Houston
's "I Will Always Love You
". "The Power of Love" topped the charts for more than eight weeks in Australia, South Africa and numerous European countries. Number one in several countries, Rush's version reached only number 57 in the United States Billboard
Hot 100
chart
. After several cover versions by other artists, the Celine Dion version made a U.S. chart
impact in 1994.
Rush remained successful in Europe and notably in Germany where her next two albums reached number 1 for 14 weeks and 9 weeks respectively. In the UK however, her chart career saw only a few sporadic bursts of success.
It was Rush's 1987 album Heart Over Mind
, featuring compositions by Desmond Child
and Michael Bolton
and guitar work from Richie Sambora
(Bon Jovi
), that finally brought her Top 40 success in her home country, with the Elton John
duet "Flames of Paradise". She also recorded duets with Michael Bolton, Plácido Domingo
and Brian May
.
While she continued to achieve platinum and multi-platinum sales of albums and singles in both English and Spanish, recognition eluded her in her home country. Rush built on her success through the 1990s in Europe (again, especially in Germany), releasing four albums, the last being 1998's Classics
(along with new songs, re-recording her biggest hits with the Hungarian Philharmonic Orchestra). After that she took some time off in New York, dedicating time to her daughter. A series of greatest hits compilation albums followed in the new millennium.
She released a boxed set Stronghold - The Collector's Hit Box
in August 2007. This compilation included all Rush singles from 1982 to 1991 (with her first record company), and in their "extended versions" as available. It also included all the B-sides and other rare or unreleased tracks (among them four James Bond
theme songs, recorded live in 1984 and only released in a very limited edition by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra).
In 2006 she moved to London with her daughter. On March 6, 2009 Rush announced on her official website that she had signed a worldwide recording contract
with Sony Music / Ariola. This meant a return to the recording label where she made her international breakthrough in the 1980s and released the first five studio albums of her career. Now Is the Hour
, produced by Berlin-based producer team Valicon, was released on March 5, 2010 in Germany, and on March 8, 2010 in the UK. It was her first album with completely new material in over thirteen years.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
/rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
singer, best known for the million-selling single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"The Power of Love
The Power of Love (Jennifer Rush song)
"The Power of Love" is a power ballad co-written and originally recorded by Jennifer Rush. It has been covered by several artists, most notably by Laura Branigan, Air Supply, and Céline Dion, and translated into several languages, becoming a pop standard....
", which she co-wrote and which went on to be covered by Laura Branigan
Laura Branigan
Laura Ann Branigan was an American singer-songwriter and actress of Italian and Irish ancestry. She is best known in the United States for her 1982 Platinum-certified hit "Gloria" and in Europe for the number-one single "Self Control"...
and Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
.
Career
Born Heidi Stern, in Queens, New York, she spent her childhood in both New York and the State of Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany. It was in FlensburgFlensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
, Germany, that she first discovered her passion for music. She recorded her first album Heidi Stern in 1979, but it did not get much attention. Trying to establish her career as a singer, in 1982, she moved to Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden is a city in southwest Germany and the capital of the federal state of Hesse. It has about 275,400 inhabitants, plus approximately 10,000 United States citizens...
, Hesse, Germany, with her father Maurice Stern
Maurice Stern
Maurice Stern is an American operatic tenor. He studied at the Eastman School of Music and with Franco Corelli in New York City. In 1959 he made his debut at the New York City Opera as The Emperor Altoum in Giacomo Puccini's Turandot. He performed regularly with the company through 1963...
, an opera singer. Over the next several years she scored hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
s around Europe with songs "25 Lovers", "Flames of Paradise", "Ring of Ice", "Destiny", "If You're Ever Gonna Lose My Love", "I Come Undone" and "Madonna's Eyes".
Jennifer's mother Barbara was a pianist, and her brothers are musicians Bobby Stern and Stephen Stern. In 2010, Jennifer revealed that she adopted her artist name "Jennifer" upon the insistence of her record company, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, who felt Heidi did not sound 'international' enough.
Her single "The Power Of Love
The Power of Love (Jennifer Rush song)
"The Power of Love" is a power ballad co-written and originally recorded by Jennifer Rush. It has been covered by several artists, most notably by Laura Branigan, Air Supply, and Céline Dion, and translated into several languages, becoming a pop standard....
" was the biggest selling single of 1985 in the United Kingdom, (as well as becoming a significant hit in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Portugal, South Africa and Sweden) and was listed in the Guinness Book Of Records as "the best-selling single by a female solo artist in the history of the British music industry". It held that status until 1992, when it was outsold by Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
's "I Will Always Love You
I Will Always Love You
"I Will Always Love You" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton in 1973, who first released the song as a single in 1974.-Dolly Parton version:...
". "The Power of Love" topped the charts for more than eight weeks in Australia, South Africa and numerous European countries. Number one in several countries, Rush's version reached only number 57 in the United States Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. After several cover versions by other artists, the Celine Dion version made a U.S. chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
impact in 1994.
Rush remained successful in Europe and notably in Germany where her next two albums reached number 1 for 14 weeks and 9 weeks respectively. In the UK however, her chart career saw only a few sporadic bursts of success.
It was Rush's 1987 album Heart Over Mind
Heart Over Mind (Jennifer Rush album)
Heart Over Mind is the third album by American singer Jennifer Rush. It was released in 1987 and featured the hit "Flames of Paradise" .-Background:...
, featuring compositions by Desmond Child
Desmond Child
Desmond Child is an American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.-Career:...
and Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
and guitar work from Richie Sambora
Richie Sambora
Richard Stephen "Richie" Sambora is an American rock guitarist, producer, musician, singer, and songwriter who is the longtime lead guitarist of the rock band, Bon Jovi. He and frontman Jon Bon Jovi form the primary songwriting unit of the band...
(Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
), that finally brought her Top 40 success in her home country, with the Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
duet "Flames of Paradise". She also recorded duets with Michael Bolton, Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
and Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
.
While she continued to achieve platinum and multi-platinum sales of albums and singles in both English and Spanish, recognition eluded her in her home country. Rush built on her success through the 1990s in Europe (again, especially in Germany), releasing four albums, the last being 1998's Classics
Classics (Jennifer Rush album)
Classics is the ninth studio album by American singer Jennifer Rush.Having been classically trained as a singer years earlier, Jennifer Rush went back to her roots and recorded a selection of her past hits with the Hungarian Philharmonic Orchestra...
(along with new songs, re-recording her biggest hits with the Hungarian Philharmonic Orchestra). After that she took some time off in New York, dedicating time to her daughter. A series of greatest hits compilation albums followed in the new millennium.
She released a boxed set Stronghold - The Collector's Hit Box
Stronghold - The Collector's Hit Box
Stronghold - The Collector's Hit Box is a compilation album by American singer Jennifer Rush.Released in 2007, the collection was widely anticipated by fans. The album came as a 3 CD box set featuring single releases, remixes and previously unreleased material. Among the rare tracks were four...
in August 2007. This compilation included all Rush singles from 1982 to 1991 (with her first record company), and in their "extended versions" as available. It also included all the B-sides and other rare or unreleased tracks (among them four James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
theme songs, recorded live in 1984 and only released in a very limited edition by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra).
In 2006 she moved to London with her daughter. On March 6, 2009 Rush announced on her official website that she had signed a worldwide recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Sony Music / Ariola. This meant a return to the recording label where she made her international breakthrough in the 1980s and released the first five studio albums of her career. Now Is the Hour
Now Is the Hour (album)
Now Is the Hour is the tenth studio album by American singer Jennifer Rush, released in Germany and Switzerland on March 5, 2010 and in the UK on March 8, 2010. The album has been available in the US as an import since March 17, 2010. This was Rush's first studio album since 1998.- Overview :At...
, produced by Berlin-based producer team Valicon, was released on March 5, 2010 in Germany, and on March 8, 2010 in the UK. It was her first album with completely new material in over thirteen years.
Singles
- 1982 "Tonight" (as Heidi Stern)
- 1983 "Into My Dreams" (France #7)
- 1983 "Come Give Me Your Hand / Witch Queen Of New Orleans"
- 1983 "Witch Queen Of New Orleans / Come Give Me Your Hand" (Sweden only, made in Netherlands)
- 1984 "25 Lovers" (France #9, West Germany #25)
- 1984 "Ring of Ice" (West Germany #22)
- 1985 "The Power of LoveThe Power of Love (Jennifer Rush song)"The Power of Love" is a power ballad co-written and originally recorded by Jennifer Rush. It has been covered by several artists, most notably by Laura Branigan, Air Supply, and Céline Dion, and translated into several languages, becoming a pop standard....
" (#1 in Australia, Austria, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, UK; Denmark #9, France #25, Netherlands #4, Spain #2, Sweden #3, Switzerland #3, West Germany #9, US #57) - 1985 "Si tu eres mi hombre y yo tu mujer" ("The Power of Love" Spanish version)
- 1985 "Ring of Ice" (Re-issue, UK #14, South Africa #1)
- 1986 "Madonna's Eyes" (France #5, UK #84, South Africa #12)
- 1985 "Destiny" ( West Germany #4, UK #96, Austria #5, Switzerland #5, Netherlands #23)
- 1986 "If You're Ever Gonna Lose My Love" (West Germany #24, Austria #15, Denmark #4)
- 1986 "No me canso de pensar en ti" ("If You're Ever Gonna Lose My Love" Spanish version)
- 1986 "If You're Ever Gonna Lose My Love / Madonna's Eyes"(Sweden only, made in Netherlands)
- 1986 "The Power of Love (Remix)" (UK #55)
- 1987 "I Come Undone" (Switzerland #9, South Africa #10, West Germany #11, Austria #28, UK #94)
- 1987 "Flames of Paradise" (Duet with Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
) (UK #59, US #36, Canada #17, West Germany #8, Switzerland #7, New Zealand #14) - 1987 "Heart Over Mind" (France #9, Austria #24, West Germany #25, Switzerland #29)
- 1988 "Another Way"
- 1988 "You're My One and Only" (France #3, West Germany #27, Switzerland #21, UK #90)
- 1988 "Viva de mi vida" ("You're My One and Only" Spanish version)
- 1989 "Keep All the Fires Burning Bright"
- 1989 "Solitaria mujer" ("Keep All the Fires Burning Bright" Spanish version)
- 1989 "Love Get Ready"
- 1989 "Till I Loved YouTill I Loved You"Till I Loved You" is a song from the never-staged musical Goya: A Life in Song, based on the life of the Spanish artist Francisco Goya.It was recorded as a duet by Don Johnson and Barbra Streisand,and appeared on Streisand's 1988 album of the same name, and later on her 2002 compilation, Duets...
" (Duet with Placido DomingoPlácido DomingoPlácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
) (UK #24) - 1989/1990 "Higher Ground" (Austria #30, Germany #54, UK #98)
- 1990 "Wings of Desire"
- 1990 "We Are the Strong"
- 1991 "Ave Maria (Survivors of a Different Kind)"
- 1992 "Never Say Never" (Germany #46)
- 1993 "Vision of YouVision of You"Vision of You" is the fifth single from Belinda Carlisle's Runaway Horses album, released in 1990.The single was a remixed from the album version, giving it a more uptempo sound. The song was the lowest charting single from the album...
" (Germany #56) - 1993 "Vision de Ti" ("Vision Of You" Spanish version)
- 1993 "A Broken Heart" (Germany #90)
- 1995 "Tears in the Rain" (Switzerland #26, Germany #45)
- 1995 "Out of My Hands"
- 1995 "Who Wants to Live ForeverWho Wants to Live Forever"Who Wants to Live Forever" is a song by the English rock band Queen. The song is the sixth track on the album A Kind of Magic, released in June 1986, and was written by guitarist Brian May for the soundtrack to the film Highlander, directed by Russell Mulcahy...
" (Featuring Brian MayBrian MayBrian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
– promomotional release only) - 1995 "Das Farbenspiel des Winds" (PocahontasPocahontasPocahontas was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in Tidewater Virginia...
' "The Colours of the Wind") (Germany #80) - 1997 "Credo" (Austria #32, Germany #75)
- 1997 "Sweet Thing"
- 1997 "Piano in the DarkPiano in the Dark"Piano In The Dark" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Brenda Russell . It was the first single to be taken from Russell's 1988 album, Get Here.-Song Information:...
" (promo release only) - 1998 "The End of a Journey"
- 1999 "Ring of Ice" ("Classics" version – promo release only)
- 2010 "Before the Dawn" (download only, no extra tracks)
- 2010 "Echoes Love" (download only, with one extra remix)
Albums
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or that no info is known, or that the album was not released on that market.| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
Germany | Norway | Sweden | Switzerland | Austria | South Africa | Greece | ||
| 1979 | Heidi Stern | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1984 | Jennifer Rush Jennifer Rush (1984 album) -Overview:Based In Germany, Rush teamed up with producers Candy DeRouge and Gunther Mende and released the first two singles from this album; "Into My Dreams" and "Come Give Me Your Hand" in 1983. It was in 1984 however that she found her first success with the hit "25 Lovers"... |
7 | – | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | – |
| 1985 | Movin' Movin' (album) -Overview:Originally released in Germany in late 1985, just as Rush was experiencing worldwide success with "The Power of Love" from her previous album, Movin became an instant hit there. The album reached No.1 for 14 weeks and went on to be the biggest selling album of 1986... |
32 | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | – |
| 1987 | Heart Over Mind Heart Over Mind (Jennifer Rush album) Heart Over Mind is the third album by American singer Jennifer Rush. It was released in 1987 and featured the hit "Flames of Paradise" .-Background:... |
48 | 118 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 2 | – |
| 1988 | Passion Passion (Jennifer Rush album) Passion is the fourth album by American singer Jennifer Rush.Following on from the success of her previous album, Rush continued working with much of the same team of writers and producers. This album however failed to find the same high level of success and didn't chart at all in the UK... |
– | – | 3 | – | 10 | 4 | 24 | – | – |
| 1989 | Wings of Desire Wings of Desire (album) Wings of Desire is the fifth album released by American singer Jennifer Rush.After working mainly with American writers and producers for her last two albums, Rush decided to bring her music back to Europe and collaborated with producers Christopher Neil, Phil Ramone and others, including a song ... |
– | – | 12 | – | 18 | 13 | – | – | – |
| 1991 | The Power of Jennifer Rush The Power of Jennifer Rush The Power of Jennifer Rush is a compilation album released by American singer Jennifer Rush.This was the first official collection released by Rush and as well as featuring her past hits, a new single was released from the collection, "Ave Maria" .Released in late 1991, the album only reached No.40... |
– | – | 40 | – | – | 34 | 37 | – | – |
| 1992 | Jennifer Rush Jennifer Rush (1992 album) Jennifer Rush is the sixth studio album by American singer Jennifer Rush.Released in Europe in 1992, the album proved less of a hit than her previous work and peaked in Germany at #35 . Singles released were "Never Say Never", "A Broken Heart" and "Vision of You"... |
– | – | 35 | – | – | 38 | – | – | – |
| 1995 | Out of My Hands | – | – | 15 | – | – | 28 | 30 | – | – |
| 1997 | Credo | – | – | 26 | – | – | – | 37 | – | – |
| 1998 | Classics Classics (Jennifer Rush album) Classics is the ninth studio album by American singer Jennifer Rush.Having been classically trained as a singer years earlier, Jennifer Rush went back to her roots and recorded a selection of her past hits with the Hungarian Philharmonic Orchestra... |
– | – | 34 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2007 | Stronghold - The Collector's Hit Box Stronghold - The Collector's Hit Box Stronghold - The Collector's Hit Box is a compilation album by American singer Jennifer Rush.Released in 2007, the collection was widely anticipated by fans. The album came as a 3 CD box set featuring single releases, remixes and previously unreleased material. Among the rare tracks were four... |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2010 | Now Is the Hour Now Is the Hour (album) Now Is the Hour is the tenth studio album by American singer Jennifer Rush, released in Germany and Switzerland on March 5, 2010 and in the UK on March 8, 2010. The album has been available in the US as an import since March 17, 2010. This was Rush's first studio album since 1998.- Overview :At... |
– | – | 21 | – | – | 61 | 51 | – | 6 |