B-side "On the Line" Format 7" single Length 4:20 | Released June 1986 Recorded 1986 | |
Genre Pop rocksoft rockadult contemporary | ||
"Glory of Love" is a 1986 song by Peter Cetera written and composed by Cetera, David Foster, and Cetera's then-wife Diane Nini, and recorded by Cetera shortly after he left the band Chicago to pursue a solo career. Featured in the 1986 film The Karate Kid Part II, it was Cetera's first hit single after he left the team, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was included on his 1986 album, Solitude/Solitaire, which Michael Omartian produced. (Cetera released this album to coincide with the theatrical release of The Karate Kid Part II.)
Contents
According to Cetera, he originally wrote and composed "Glory of Love" as the end title for the 1985 film Rocky IV, but was passed over by United Artists, and instead it was used as the theme for The Karate Kid Part II.
"Glory of Love" peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on August 2, 1986, remaining in that spot for two weeks. It also spent five weeks atop the U.S. adult contemporary chart. The song achieved similar success in the UK, peaking at number three on the UK Singles Chart, where it was the 26th best-selling single of 1986.
The version released as a single and featured on Cetera's album Solitude/Solitaire is edited, missing the beginning eight-second section of the song's bridge which is heard in The Karate Kid Part II. He performed a shortened version of the song live at the 59th Academy Awards ceremony, which took place on Monday, March 30, 1987 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
Awards
The song earned nominations in 1986 for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and a Golden Globe in the category of Best Original Song. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award in 1987 for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Male Artist.
It went on to win an ASCAP Award for Most Performed Songs from a Motion Picture and a BMI Film & TV Award for Most Performed Song from a Film.
Music video
The music video by Peter Cetera is set in a dojo, with cut and fade scenes of the movie The Karate Kid Part II throughout. The video was directed by Peter Sinclair.
Personnel
Cover versions
45 rpm single
The song "On the Line," which was on the B-side of the 45 rpm single, was from Cetera's eponymously named first solo album, Peter Cetera, which had been released in 1981.
The single came out at a time when sales of 45-rpm vinyl records were in rapid decline. One record company executive estimated that sales of the "Glory of Love" single was down by a over quarter of a million units compared to what it might have been a few years earlier.
"Glory of Love" made its first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.A. at number 62, for the week ending on June 7, 1986, and debuted at number 59 on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles chart that same date. In the same issue, Cash Box also shows the single as a new release.