Love Is Strong
Encyclopedia
"Love Is Strong" is the opening track, and first single, by The Rolling Stones
from their 1994 album Voodoo Lounge
.
and Keith Richards
, "Love Is Strong" is a brooding number about an encounter between the singer and an unnamed person which leads the singer to a "love/lust at first sight" immediate attraction and longing for the couple to unite despite the obstacles.
The song was written in Ireland by Richards and originally had the name "Love is Strange". Popular bootlegs of the sessions abound, as Ron Wood
, Richards, Ivan Neville
and producer Don Was
worked the song while Jagger was supporting his record Wandering Spirit
. Later takes have Richards changing the title to "Love is Strong"; although the final release was significantly altered by Jagger's added lyrics and use of a harmonica, a trademark instrument for him rarely utilized in the Stones' middle period work. Jagger said at the time of its release, "We ran through it a bunch of times and I was playing harmonica, and I started singing through the harmonica mike, so you get this strange sort of sound. And then I started singing down an octave, so you get this kind of breathy, sexy tone... It was good to put harmonica on a track like this. You always think of playing it on a 12-bar blues, and it's kind of fun to put it on one which isn't. It's good to work with another sequence."
Recording began in September, 1993 at Wood's home studio in Ireland
and continued at A&M Recording Studios in Los Angeles
in 1994.
NOTE: Chuck Leavell is frequently credited with providing piano for the track. It is impossible to hear on released recordings however, because of the numerous guitar overdubs.
" was a Top 5 pop chart single. Considerable promotional expense was spent on the Voodoo Lounge CD release, as it was the first on Virgin Records
, including a popular music video
directed by David Fincher
and edited by Robert Duffy at Spot Welders
; the black and white video shows giant versions of the Stones, as well as a few residents locked in romantic embraces, rambling about New York City
.
The single's weaker than expected lead dampened CD sales despite positive critical reviews and even an eventual Grammy Award
. In time, the track proved popular in Europe going to number 14 in the United Kingdom
and received significant airplay in the United States
. The Rolling Stones performed the song at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards
.
Although it had disappeared from several recent concert tours setlists in favour of the more live friendly "You Got Me Rocking
" (the follow-up single from Voodoo Lounge), the Stones reintroduced "Love is Strong" to their A Bigger Bang Tour
setlist on July 22, 2007 at their Brno, Czech Republic show and at their Hamburg show in August.
It was included on their 2002 career compilation album Forty Licks
.
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
from their 1994 album Voodoo Lounge
Voodoo Lounge
Voodoo Lounge is the 20th British and 22nd American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in July 1994. As their first new release under their new alliance with Virgin Records, it ended a five-year gap since their last studio album, Steel Wheels in 1989...
.
Inspiration and recording
Written by Mick JaggerMick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
and Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
, "Love Is Strong" is a brooding number about an encounter between the singer and an unnamed person which leads the singer to a "love/lust at first sight" immediate attraction and longing for the couple to unite despite the obstacles.
The song was written in Ireland by Richards and originally had the name "Love is Strange". Popular bootlegs of the sessions abound, as Ron Wood
Ron Wood
Ronald David "Ronnie" Wood is an English rock guitarist and bassist best known as a former member of The Jeff Beck Group, Faces, and current member of The Rolling Stones. He also plays lap and pedal steel guitar....
, Richards, Ivan Neville
Ivan Neville
Ivan Neville is a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to members of The Neville Brothers....
and producer Don Was
Don Was
Don Was is an American musician, bassist and record producer.-Life and career:Was was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year...
worked the song while Jagger was supporting his record Wandering Spirit
Wandering Spirit (album)
Wandering Spirit is the third solo album by Mick Jagger. Released in 1993, it was his only solo album release of the 1990s.Following the The Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels , Jagger began writing new material for what would become Wandering Spirit...
. Later takes have Richards changing the title to "Love is Strong"; although the final release was significantly altered by Jagger's added lyrics and use of a harmonica, a trademark instrument for him rarely utilized in the Stones' middle period work. Jagger said at the time of its release, "We ran through it a bunch of times and I was playing harmonica, and I started singing through the harmonica mike, so you get this strange sort of sound. And then I started singing down an octave, so you get this kind of breathy, sexy tone... It was good to put harmonica on a track like this. You always think of playing it on a 12-bar blues, and it's kind of fun to put it on one which isn't. It's good to work with another sequence."
Recording began in September, 1993 at Wood's home studio in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and continued at A&M Recording Studios in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1994.
Personnel
- Mick Jagger - lead vocals, harmonica, maracas
- Keith Richards - electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals
- Ron Wood - electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals
- Darryl Jones - bass guitar
- Charlie Watts - drums
- Bernard Fowler and Ivan Neville - background vocals
NOTE: Chuck Leavell is frequently credited with providing piano for the track. It is impossible to hear on released recordings however, because of the numerous guitar overdubs.
Release and aftermath
Released as the first single from the album, "Love Is Strong" performed below expectations, barely making it into the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the United States. It became the lowest charting first single ever by the band and marked a change in the composition of the singles chart as well as the Stones role on it. Despite this, the song remains one of the band's well-known songs from the 1990s. Five years earlier "Mixed EmotionsMixed Emotions (Rolling Stones song)
"Mixed Emotions" is a song by The Rolling Stones from their 1989 album Steel Wheels.Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards while on vacation in Barbados, "Mixed Emotions" was recorded in Montserrat from March through June 1989. The song was a heavy collaborative effort between Jagger and Richards...
" was a Top 5 pop chart single. Considerable promotional expense was spent on the Voodoo Lounge CD release, as it was the first on Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
, including a popular music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
directed by David Fincher
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
and edited by Robert Duffy at Spot Welders
Spot Welders
Spot Welders is a film and television editorial house. Spot Welders was established in Venice, California in 1993 by editor Robert Duffy and producer David Glean.-Works:...
; the black and white video shows giant versions of the Stones, as well as a few residents locked in romantic embraces, rambling about New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
The single's weaker than expected lead dampened CD sales despite positive critical reviews and even an eventual Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
. In time, the track proved popular in Europe going to number 14 in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and received significant airplay in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Rolling Stones performed the song at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
.
Although it had disappeared from several recent concert tours setlists in favour of the more live friendly "You Got Me Rocking
You Got Me Rocking
"You Got Me Rocking" is a song by English rock and roll band The Rolling Stones, featured on their 1994 album Voodoo Lounge.Begun in early in 1993, "You Got Me Rocking" was initially a blues number; bootlegs have Jagger and Richards working the song as a slower, blues flavored ramble, with Jagger...
" (the follow-up single from Voodoo Lounge), the Stones reintroduced "Love is Strong" to their A Bigger Bang Tour
A Bigger Bang Tour
A Bigger Bang Tour was a worldwide concert tour by The Rolling Stones which took place between August 2005 and August 2007, in support of their album A Bigger Bang...
setlist on July 22, 2007 at their Brno, Czech Republic show and at their Hamburg show in August.
It was included on their 2002 career compilation album Forty Licks
Forty Licks
Forty Licks is a double compilation album by The Rolling Stones. A 40-year career-spanning retrospective, Forty Licks is notable for being the first retrospective to combine the band's formative Decca/London era of the 1960s, now licensed by ABKCO Records , with their self-owned post-1970 material,...
.
Track listing
- 7" VS1503
- "Love Is Strong" (Album Version)
- "The Storm"
- Cassette VSC1503
- "Love Is Strong" (Album Version)
- "The Storm"
- CD VSCDE1503
- "Love Is Strong" (Album Version)
- "The Storm"
- CD VSCDT1503 - "Special Collectors" edition
- "Love Is Strong" (Album Version)
- "The Storm"
- "So Young"
- "Love is Strong" (Bob Clearmountain Remix)
- CD VSCDX1503 - remix edition
- "Love Is Strong" (Teddy Riley Radio Remix)
- "Love Is Strong" (Teddy Riley Extended Remix)
- "Love Is Strong" (Teddy Riley Extended Rock Remix)
- "Love Is Strong" (Teddy Riley Dub Remix)
- "Love Is Strong" (Joe The Butcher Club Remix)
- "Love Is Strong" (Teddy Riley Instrumental)