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Fan Reviews / Comments |
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THE POWER OF LOVE (THE TAO OF LOVE)
Song Facts: |
When we first started reviewing Tao, I started doing some internet research on Tao and Taoism basically to satisfy my curious nature. When the album first came out and I was a teen, I couldn't have cared less what all of it stood for. I was of the opinion that it was just something that Rick was "In To" and left it at that. Boy were my eyes opened after I started reading my research findings. This song, The Power of Love, is Rick rehashing everything that is taught about Tao & Taoism. Good thing it's an ancient religion, or someone might have had a problem with plagiarism :). The lines that are sung in the background, which appear in the lyrics in parenthesis are the basic mantras for the Tao religion. "All things return to you in time" "Everything comes to those who wait" "The race is not always to the fleet". So I guess that explains the "haunting" feel to this song. I always felt (even back "in the day") that these lines sounded more like a chant done in church rather than a rock song. Again, another facet on the kaleidoscope that makes up the wonderful man we know as Rick Springfield. When I first acquired this album, I spent many a night falling asleep to this song, specifically listening to Rick. I had a cassette walkman, and I'd put those headphones on and crawl into bed, into my Rick world, where no one was arguing in the night, or crying in the other room. Rick would sing me to sleep. Now, I always felt that I fell asleep to this song particularly because it was the last song on the first side, and the tape just ended there (no auto flip yet, it was 1985). But I do believe that the soothing sound of the music along with Rick's smooth voice echoing words about love, and life, and stars and jewels assisted me in wonderful slumber. To me, it didn't really matter that the song was about religion, and truthfully, I always thought of it to be another love song about a man/woman relationship that (I thought) Rick was famous for. This particular song is one of my favorites on the
album. I don't pretend to know what it means, but I have always taken it to be very
representative of what is surely one of the prevailing struggles in Rick's life, the
dichotomy between the "rock star" and the private person, both of which he seems
to need. Here he says "the one who seeks to pluck the stars will miss the
jewels at his feet" with what appears to be really heartfelt sincerity ... and yet
just a few years later, he's chasing stars again. Okay, I have listened to this song so many times to
review it. You know, I have to say it's about someone that finally realizes
the love of his/her life is right there in front of them all along, while he/she was out
searching elsewhere. But this person is wondering how that realization came about. Power Of Love. I have always gone back and forth, is he singing about religion or a personal relationship? I honestly think it could be about both, but when listening to it I always interpret it as "a relationship" song. "You must have found the secret path into my soul and now you're part of my life" is my favorite line. Confession time, I feel the same way about this line as I did when I was 17 years old, and that is it must be so incredible to be THE person who found the path to Rick Springfield's heart. I know that is not incredibly deep, but it is the truth. I am really drawn to the soothing melody of this song, it is very calming. The songs where you can hear Rick's voice clearly are my very favorites and this is one of them. This is another of the songs that I like. Rick doing
what Rick does best. A lyrical master. A song that is both a song of faith and religion
and a love song all in one. Interchangeable. The faith answers the love and visa versa. I
love the way he answers (sort of confirms in a sense) the relationship lyrical lines with
the Taoist lines. This is another one of those continuation songs for me. A continuation
of Written in Rock. All the hurt and the separation and finality of the lyrics in WIR
evolves into the new realization of himself and the relationship personal and spiritual.
Like he himself woke up and he finally realized the fame thing for what it really was. He
finds his true priorities here. The song musically is very soothing. The lines of lyric
feel like they just wash over each other. This is possibly my least favorite song on the album,
definitely one I'd always skip. The melody has nothing that catches my attention and
neither did the lyrics, until I started to see the quotes that others pulled out of it.
Seeing the complete lyric page today still didn't stir much in me though.
It's too slow, sappy, romantic, etc, all of those things that send me in to convulsions,
or at least, out of the room. I actually ended up liking the song more than what I had remembered. It is very soothing. I like to see it as a love song, though instead of the joy of having found a new "religion". It's like he was so resistant to accepting the love and somehow, when he wasn't looking, he let his guard down and realized what a wonderful thing it was, and now he can't believe he's so lucky to have it. I really like this part: "Blinded by momentary power, We almost had the final hour, I'll never know what caused the change in me." His fame made him loose track of what he really wanted and what was really important. If hadn't use the word "we", I would almost think the "final hour" reference may have referred to being depressed and thinking about suicide. I was going through my old Rick stuff a couple of weeks
ago, clippings from like 16 Magazine and stuff and read something about how Rick and
Barbara had ended their 8 month or so relationship. When I read the lyrics to this song, I
wondered if this was based on his revelation that he really loved her after they broke up,
his uncertainty "is this the power of love?" I mean, how many times have we
heard it asked "how do you KNOW when its really love?" In this article I read,
Rick suggested that it was too hard to maintain a relationship with all that was going on
in his career ("Blinded by momentary power, we almost had the final hour").
But the song suggests he later realized what was really important ("and the one
who seeks to pluck the stars, will miss the jewels at his feet...so better late than never
'cause my heart's yours forever")! |
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