B-side "Much Higher" Genre Progressive rock Writer(s) Gary Wright | Released April 1976 Label Warner Bros. | |
Length 3:54 (album)
3:24 (single) | ||
"Love Is Alive" is a 1976 song by Gary Wright that was a hit single in the US, reaching No. 2 in the Billboard charts. Taken from the album The Dream Weaver, released the previous year, it features Wright on vocals and keyboards with Andy Newmark on drums.
The album's title cut and "Love is Alive" both peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. "Love is Alive" spent 27 weeks on the chart, seven weeks longer than "Dream Weaver." Billboard ranked "Love is Alive" as the No. 9 song of 1976. In Canada, the song reached No. 6.
Covers
Chaka Khan covered the song as "My Love Is Alive" on her 1984 album I Feel For You. The track was edited, mixed and co-produced by John Robie.
In 1989, New York rap group 3rd Bass sampled "Love Is Alive" for their song "Wordz of Wisdom" off their debut full-length album The Cactus Album.
Joe Cocker included this song on his 1992 Night Calls album and performed it on his Night Calls tour, which was recorded in Dortmund, Germany, and released as a video entitled The Best of Joe Cocker Live in 1993. A remastered version was released as part of The Best of Joe Cocker Live DVD in 2006.
In 1997, dance act 3rd Party recorded the song for their debut album Alive.
Survivor covered this track on their 1999 album Empires
Anastacia included "Love Is Alive" on her 2000 album Not That Kind.
Joan Osborne recorded the song for her album Righteous Love released in 2000. Her version was also used in promotion and on the soundtrack for the film One Night at McCool's in 2001.
Also in 2001, Vonda Shepard and Anastacia recorded a duet of the track for For Once in My Life, one of the soundtracks to Ally McBeal.
The song is heard briefly in Mr. Deeds, when Babe Bennett enters the pizzeria looking for Deeds.
In 2013, Susan Ashton recorded the track for her EP Thief.
American folk singer Richie Havens included his own version of "Love Is Alive" on Wishing Well, a 2002 recording for Evangeline (UK) Records.