Ed Sheeran and Drake have made ballads cool again, both selling millions of copies of songs that are perfect for lovers, ballads that tough the heart. What were the best love ballads of the 80s and 90s?
George Michael and Wham’s “Careless Whisper,” is a favorite, as is “How About Us” by Champaign, “Cherish” by Kool and the Gang, “What’s Love Got to Do With It” by Tina Turner, and Whitney’s “I Will Always Love You.” The interesting fun fact about Whitney’s song is that it was Kevin Costner her ‘Bodyguard’ co-star that convinced her to sing the first portion of the song without instrumentation, something she did not initially want to do.
The British Spandau Ballet hit it big with a song called “True,” a rich soulful single that featured the saxophone, an odd choice for pop music at the time but did opens doors for lead singer Tony Hadley. Finally, Journey owned rock ballads in the 80s with “Faithfully,” “Open Arms,” and “The Eyes of a Woman.”
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