Angelica Frey at JSTOR Daily:
“It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” “My Heart Will Go On,” “Without You,” “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing,” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart” are songs that have transcended their original moment and become enduring pop culture touchstones.
Formally categorized as power ballads, these songs are what David Metzer defines in Popular Music as “songs that grow bigger, louder, and more fervent on the way to impassioned finales.” Yet despite their cultural staying power, power ballads have historically received little scholarly attention, in part because they are often dismissed as schlocky and banal.
Culturally, power ballads are having a renewed moment: “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” draws inspiration from Wuthering Heights, whose 2026 adaptation, written and directed by Emerald Fennell, dominated pop culture conversations this past winter. This summer, the film Power Ballad traces the trajectory of a hit song in the genre, while in September 2026, Céline Dion is set to return to the stage in Paris.
More here.
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