It’s December. You’re in a supermarket. Between the rattle of shopping carts and the hum of industrial freezers, those familiar, shimmering chords start to drift through the speakers. Holly Johnson’s voice, hushed and almost ecclesiastical, begins to plead about protecting the lion from the wolf. You know the song. Everyone knows the song. Frankie Goes To Hollywood The Power Of Love has become a staple of the holiday season, cemented in the public consciousness right next to mulled wine and tinsel.
But here’s the thing. It isn't a Christmas song.
Not really. If you actually look at the lyrics, there isn't a single mention of snow, sleigh bells, or a chubby guy in a red suit. It’s a sweeping, majestic, and slightly terrifying ballad about spiritual devotion and the raw, transformative energy of human connection. Yet, every year, it shoots back up the charts. It has survived the 84-day reign of "Relax" and the leather-clad controversy of "Two Tribes" to become the band’s most enduring legacy. It’s a weird trajectory for a group that was mostly known for banned music videos and "Frankie Say" t-shirts.
The Liverpool Miracle and the ZTT Machine
To understand why this track hits so differently, you have to look at 1984. Most bands would be lucky to have one hit. Frankie Goes To Hollywood had a chokehold on the UK. They were the first act since Gerry and the Pacemakers to have their first three singles go straight to number one. It was a massive, expensive, Trevor Horn-produced juggernaut.
When it came time for the third single, the pressure was immense. "Relax" was the club anthem. "Two Tribes" was the Cold War protest. But The Power Of Love? That was the wildcard. It was Trevor Horn at his most indulgent, using the Fairlight CMI to create those icy, atmospheric textures that still sound expensive forty years later.
People forget how controversial FGTH were. They were the bad boys of pop. So, releasing a sincere, quasi-religious ballad was a masterstroke of subversion. It felt like they were suddenly behaving, which, of course, they weren't. They were just showing they had the musical chops to back up the hype. The song was recorded at Sarm West Studios, and the legend goes that the sessions were grueling. Horn was a perfectionist. He wanted every swell of the string section to feel like a religious experience.
That Nativity Video: The Reason for the Season?
If the lyrics don't mention Christmas, why is it a holiday staple?
Blame Godley & Creme. They directed the music video. Instead of featuring the band—who were, let's be honest, a bit too "leather and sweat" for a family Sunday—they opted for a literal retelling of the Nativity. You’ve got the Mary and Joseph, the wise men, the star of Bethlehem. It was beautifully shot, cinematic, and totally at odds with the band's image.
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It worked.
The imagery became inseparable from the music. By the time the song hit number one in December 1984, the public had decided: this is a Christmas record. It didn't matter what Holly Johnson was actually singing about. The visual of the baby in the manger paired with that soaring chorus "Make love your goal" was enough to seal its fate. Honestly, it’s a bit of a marketing miracle. They took a song about the metaphysical power of passion and turned it into something your grandmother would hum while peeling potatoes.
Stripping Away the Glitter: What the Lyrics Actually Mean
Let’s get nerdy about the words for a second.
Holly Johnson wasn't writing a jingle. He was writing about "The Hooded Claw," a reference to the villain in The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, but used here as a metaphor for the darkness or the "vampire" at the door. It’s a song about sanctuary. When he sings "I'll protect you from the hooded claw / Keep the vampires from your door," it’s a promise of absolute, sacrificial devotion.
It’s heavy stuff.
The "Purge the soul / Make love your goal" line sounds like a mantra. In the context of the early 80s, amidst the height of the AIDS crisis and the looming threat of nuclear war, a song that prioritized love as a defensive shield was radical. It wasn't "I love you, baby." It was "Love is the only thing that will save us from the abyss."
- The Spiritual Undertones: The use of "vampires" and "devils" creates a Manichean struggle between light and dark.
- The Orchestration: Anne Dudley’s string arrangement provides the "gravity" that pop songs usually lack.
- The Performance: Johnson’s vocal is remarkably controlled compared to his aggressive delivery on "Relax." He sounds vulnerable.
The 2012 Resurgence and the Gabrielle Aplin Effect
Fast forward a few decades. Every generation gets a new version of this song. The most famous, of course, is Gabrielle Aplin’s 2012 cover for the John Lewis Christmas advert.
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That ad changed everything.
It stripped away the 80s synth-glitter and replaced it with a delicate piano and a breathy, folk-inflected vocal. It was the moment the song officially transitioned from "80s classic" to "timeless standard." It also proved the song’s structural integrity. You can take away the Trevor Horn production, the Fairlight samples, and the booming drums, and the melody still breaks your heart.
Aplin’s version went to number one, exactly 28 years after the original. It’s rare for a song to have that kind of staying power. Most pop hits are flashes in the pan. They are tied to a specific fashion or a specific moment in time. But Frankie Goes To Hollywood The Power Of Love has this weird, elastic quality. It fits in a 1984 disco, a 2012 tear-jerker commercial, and a 2026 Spotify "Winter Vibes" playlist.
Why It Still Works Today
We live in a pretty cynical era. Pop music today is often self-referential, ironic, or hyper-processed. There is something refreshingly un-ironic about this track. It’s "big" music. It’s unashamedly emotional. It doesn't apologize for being grandiose.
Sometimes, you just want to hear a singer belt out a line about "tongue-tied and twisted" souls over a massive orchestral swell.
It’s also worth noting the technical brilliance of the mix. If you listen to it on a high-end system today, the separation between the instruments is incredible. The way the bass enters, the subtle layering of the backing vocals—it’s a masterclass in studio production. Trevor Horn was basically using the studio as an instrument in its own right.
The Legacy of a Masterpiece
Is it the best song Frankie Goes To Hollywood ever did?
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"Relax" has the energy. "Two Tribes" has the grit. But "The Power Of Love" has the soul. It’s the song that gave them longevity. Without it, they might have been remembered as a provocative flash-in-the-pan, a byproduct of Paul Morley’s clever marketing. Instead, they are the architects of a song that gets played at weddings, funerals, and, yes, every single Christmas.
It’s a reminder that pop music can be art. It can be pretentious and commercial and spiritual all at the same time.
How to Appreciate the Song in a New Way
If you want to really "get" the song, stop listening to it as a holiday background track. Do these things instead:
- Listen to the 12-inch version: The "Pleasuredome" mix gives the song more room to breathe and highlights the incredible synth work.
- Read the lyrics without the music: It reads like a modern psalm. The imagery of "the hooded claw" and "the vampire" is much darker than the melody suggests.
- Watch the original video: Notice how the band is almost entirely absent. They let the story take center stage, which was a huge ego sacrifice for a group that was the biggest thing on the planet at the time.
- Compare versions: Listen to the original back-to-back with the Gabrielle Aplin or Dalton Harris covers. See what remains when the production styles change.
The song isn't about a holiday. It’s about the terrifying, beautiful, and protective nature of being in love. Whether it’s December or July, that message doesn't expire. It’s a piece of pop history that managed to capture lightning in a bottle, and frankly, we’re lucky to still have it in rotation.
Next time it comes on the radio while you’re stuck in traffic, don't just hum along. Listen to the desperation in Holly’s voice. Listen to the way the strings try to lift the whole world off its feet. That's the power of Frankie Goes To Hollywood The Power Of Love. It’s more than a jingle. It’s a monument.
Practical Next Steps for Fans and Audiophiles
- Hunt down the vinyl: If you can find a clean original 12-inch pressing of the single, buy it. The dynamic range on the original ZTT pressings is significantly better than the compressed versions found on many modern streaming "Best Of" compilations.
- Check out the 'Welcome to the Pleasuredome' album: Don't just stop at the single. The entire album is an experimental pop masterpiece that explains the context of where this song came from.
- Explore ZTT's history: Look into the work of Trevor Horn and Paul Morley. Understanding the "Zang Tuum Tumb" label's philosophy helps you see how they manufactured a "legend" in real-time.
- Watch 'The Art of ZTT' documentaries: There are several deep dives online into how Trevor Horn used the Fairlight CMI, which was revolutionary for the sound of this specific track.