The winner of the best Power Ballad is......

[RomanyRoots]

Ok, putting together a playlist of Power ballads.
What is your favourite of all time. It can be from a film or not, it doesn't matter.

I"ve started with my favourite, really cliche but:

I don't want to miss a thing/ Aerosmith/ Armagedon.

Can't remember who mentioned More Than Words, but it was Extreme

Anything by John Waite for me. Also Kix - Don't Close Your Eyes 👀

Yup
... it’s over...brilliant song

Ooh have just refreshed thread - what’s the difference between power ballads and pop ballads WellGoshDarnIt? I have a horrible feeling that I love both...

Definitely Alone by Heart

Celine dion think twice

I’m Every Woman, Chaka Khan
I will survive Gloria Gayner

I was coming on to say Alone as well!

Broken wings
More than a feeling
I’m all out of love

The living years- Mike and the Mechanics. Despite the sadness behind the song I love it!

I feel compelled to point out though, (as a big fan of power ballads and long-haired rock in general), that a lot of the songs mentioned above are most definitely not power ballads, they are pop ballads. Equally good, but a different genre completely.

What separates the genre?

I remember having a passionate snog and receiving an up the jumper boob feel whilst slow dancing to More Than Words when I was about 14.

Love is only a feeling - The Darkness
When Love & Hate Collide - Def Leppard
Bringin' on the heart break - Def Leppard
Open Arms - Journey
Faithfully - Journey
Purple Rain - Prince

FlyMayBe that was me. Of course it was Extreme! Thank you. And you've had more fun with it than me Scandaloso, I just like the lyrics!

Nothings gonna stop us by Starship

Don’t Cry by Guns n Roses

@Karting1967 Just googled Power Ballad nights - who knew that such a thing existed .

Actually, as someone who spent many years selling things marketed as pop ballads , power ballads, rock ballads , driving ballads, etc - I don't think they are actually all seperate things. They kind of merge. A lot.

Air Supply- Making Love Out of Nothing at All
Meatloaf- Bat out of Hell,2

Power ballads are generally rock based, tons of guitars and over emotional vocals. Pop ballads are a bit more 'polite', (for want of a better word!), so stuff by Enrique, Whitney ,Mariah etc.
So for example:
Alone by Heart - power ballad, (big hair, shrieking vocals, crunching guitars etc)
I Have Nothing by Whitney - pop ballad, (powerful vocals, sleek production, lots of synth etc)

Now of course you can get crossovers - the Celine Dion song I mentioned is a prime example, and the result of a pop singer teaming up with a power ballad master, (J. Steinman)

Jeff Buckely - Hallelujah ... shivers

wellgosh. So no actual hard and fast definition? Just your opinion?

That all makes perfect sense to me. Thank you for the clarification!

Love Burning Heart by Survivor

Oh come on, even I know that there's a difference between Jeff Buckley and Alice Cooper.

Unbreak my Heart - Toni Brixton
Because of You - Kelly Clarkson
Hurt - Christina Aguilera

And yes, Wind of Change is fabulous! It was on one of the music channels the other day. Definitely an underrated classic.

I’m Every Woman, Chaka Khan
I will survive Gloria Gayner

Surely these are Soul songs, not Power Ballads?

No pounding rock drums, screaming guitar solos or tempo changes.