Released January 20, 1990 Genre Pop, soul | Recorded 1989 | |
B-side "You Meant the World to Me" Format Cassette single
7" single
CD single Length 4:24 (single version)
4:39 (album version) | ||
"Love Will Lead You Back" is a song performed by American singer Taylor Dayne. Released as the second single from Dayne's second album Can't Fight Fate (following the more uptempo "With Every Beat of My Heart"), the ballad debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on January 27, 1990. It reached number one on April 7 that same year and spent 15 weeks in the Top 40, becoming Dayne's only chart-topping hit. It also reached number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and was certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
Contents
Diane Warren
The song, written by Diane Warren, is about a woman who is willing to set her lover free because she is confident that one day his love will lead him back to her: "Sometimes it takes some time out on your own now / to find your way back home". Warren has stated that she began writing the song while in a hotel in Russia, and that she had Whitney Houston in mind, but Arista Records president Clive Davis wanted to let Dayne record the song. It became Dayne's only number one single.
Music video
The video was very simple; it shows Dayne and her band in a studio performing the song. The video was released both in black-and-white and sepia tones. In the video, Dayne holds in her hand what seems to be the lyrics of the song, or possibly a letter from her lover.
Covers
The song was covered by Brazilian singer Sandra de Sá, by Filipina singers Kyla, Nina, and Marika Sasaki, by Mexican pop singer Yuri for her 1990 Soy Libre LP, and Australian pop group Young Divas. In 2000, Grammy Award winning artist Patti LaBelle covered the composition for her album, When A Woman Loves. Dutch pop singer Gordon also covered the song in 1994 and American Crooner Johnny Mathis also covered his version of the song from his 1998 album, Because You Loved Me.
On American Idol it has been covered three times, by Carmen Rasmusen (season 2), Mikalah Gordon (season 4) and Karen Rodriguez (season 10). All three were eliminated the next night after their performances of that song.