The masses have spoken, and I have listened. Lo and behold, fuckers — every (week)day this month, I’ll be “treating” you to a power ballad!

(For more on why I’m doing this, click here.)

So. What’s a power ballad, you ask? Honestly, that’s a tough question, and I’m not sure there’s really an answer that will satisfy everyone. Hell, people can’t even agree on what to call these songs — some call them “big” ballads, some call them “monster” ballads. I’m not calling anything a monster ballad unless Godzilla is singing it to Mothra, and some of these songs are actually rather small, if you know what I mean:so as long as you’re under my roof, we’re calling them power ballads, and that’s final.

I go into this knowing full well that some of you will have problems with the songs I’ve selected. That’s fine. For one thing, I think the whole genre has enough gray areas that a spirited discussion or two is inevitable; for another, it’s my blog, nyah nyah nyah.

To me, the power ballad is a song that, on its own, might be nothing more than a garden-variety wimpy love song, but it’s given a little extra oomph through production and ostensibly macho delivery. Also, it has a big chorus. (This is why, going in, I’m excluding “More Than Words” and “To Be With You.” Drop your notes in the complaint box.)

Anyway, let’s get down to the balladry, shall we? Our first honoree is sort of obscure, but it comes from a man who’s no stranger to the genre. I’m talking about Steve Lukather, guitarist for Toto, and his 1989 solo album, Lukather. It starts off sort of soft, but get a load of that chorus! Bonus points for being written by (if I’m remembering this right) Diane Warren!

Steve Lukather - Turns To Stone

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 1st, 2007 at 7:30 am and is filed under Music, Power Ballads. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.