By the beginning of 1985, San Francisco's Huey Lewis & The News had secured their place as one of the most popular music acts in the States. Their 1983 album Sports had sold more than seven million copies and spawned five Top 40 hits in the US. However, despite four of those songs reaching the Top Ten, none had climbed any higher than #6 (a peak reached by "I Want A New Drug," "The Heart Of Rock & Roll," and "If This Is It").

It would take one of the most popular movies of the '80s to give the group their first chart-topping single. The movie was Back To The Future and the song was "The Power Of Love." It wasn't surprising. The movie starred '80s icon Michael J. Fox and was produced by Steven Spielberg, making the movie the hit of that summer.

As for Huey Lewis & The News, their contribution was not only limited to providing their music to Back To The Future (in addition to "The Power Of Love," their song "Back In Time" also is in the film), lead singer Huey Lewis has a cameo as a judge in the band competition. However, it is "The Power Of Love" that made a lasting impact. With its exuberant, upbeat melody and catchy chorus, the song matched the film's popularity throughout the summer of 1985.

In July, "The Power Of Love" became the band's seventh US Top 40 hit and it would indeed prove to be lucky. A month later it reached the Top Ten and, in September, it reached #1 for two weeks, giving Huey Lewis & The News their biggest hit to date. The song also reached #1 on the album rock chart, the Top Ten on the adult contemporary chart, and even snuck into the R&B chart at #81, making "The Power Of Love" an across-the-board smash.

To hear this song, and many more hits from the '80s, log on to Pop Go The '80s

What You Can Expect If You Give Pop Go The '80s A Listen

Quick Reference To Pop Go The '80s Blog