History Main / PowerBallad

* Music/{{AURORA}}'s "It Happened Quiet" and "Infections of a Different Kind".

* An unexpected proto-example is the 1972 Music/{{Carpenters}} hit "Goodbye to Love". It mostly just sounds like one of their typical ballads, but halfway through there's a fairly heavy fuzztone guitar solo that gives the song a bit of an extra bite.

* Rednex of "Cotton-Eyed Joe" fame has "Wish You Were Here" and "Hold Me for a While".

* Every other hit Music/{{Roxette}} had was one of these. The more well-known are: "Listen to your heart", "It must have been love", "Spending my time", "Almost unreal" and "Fading like a flower".

While those particular genres don't have a monopoly on the style by any means, Power Ballads are closely associated with HeavyMetal and especially HairMetal, with bands looking to switch up things by doing a song of a noticeably slower style than most of their fare, often as a way to showcase their singer's voice. A very common part of HardRock set lists in TheEighties, many Power Ballads broke through and became big hits, which often led to this trope overlapping with BlackSheepHit. Also overlaps a bit with SurprisinglyGentleSong, but the key difference is that Power Ballads still try to shoehorn in some HardRock stylings.

Basically, a slow and soft song using some of the bombastic elements of HardRock and Heavy Metal.

A song by a band (typically, but not exclusively, a hard rock/heavy metal band) which is of a noticeably slower style than most of their fare. Sometimes overlaps with BlackSheepHit, but this trope also covers songs that aren't necessarily popular. Can be done to showcase their singer's voice.

A typical power ballad will open with [[ProgressiveInstrumentation a solo keyboard or acoustic guitar, with more instruments and more elaborate melodies brought in as the song progresses]], building up to a dramatic finale. An electric guitar solo close to the halfway point is pretty much obligatory. The lyrics usually talk about love, but not always. If done wrong, power ballads are very susceptible to becoming {{Narm}} and called "cheesy" as a result; if done right, they can be powerful {{tear jerker}}s and be considered "epic". [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs Or]] a [[NarmCharm mix of the two]].

A very common feature in the setlists of HardRock and HairMetal bands in TheEighties, although they don't have a monopoly on the genre by any means.

* Music/{{Rush}} with "Emotion Detector", "Open Secrets", "Ghost Of A Chance", and "Cold Fire", although these were a lot more fast paced compared to other ballads.

* Vandal Moon have at least one per album, notably "Little Toy Soldier" from ''Teenage Daydream Conspiracy'', "Crying on the Dancefloor" from ''Wild Insane'', "We Live Forever" and "Pretend to Die" from ''Black Kiss'', and "War" from ''Queen of the Night''.

* Vandal Moon have at least one per album, notably "Little Toy Soldier" from ''Teenage Daydream Conspiracy'', "Crying on the Dancefloor" from ''Wild Insane'', "Pretend to Die" from ''Black Kiss'', and "War" from ''Queen of the Night''.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smUFDvltYrA "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You"]] by Music/LedZeppelin, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW3nPqPPBDw "Heartbreaker"]] by Music/GrandFunkRailroad predate that by a good two years. The Zeppelin is more musically-advanced and influential, but "Heartbreaker" is no less definitive.

** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smUFDvltYrA Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You]]" by Music/LedZeppelin, and "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW3nPqPPBDw Heartbreaker]]" by Music/GrandFunkRailroad predate that by a good two years. The Zeppelin is more musically-advanced and influential, but "Heartbreaker" is no less definitive.

** The main {{trope codifier}}s are probably "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bfd_LJA_A8o In Trance]]" by Music/{{Scorpions|Band}}, and "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrIo0783XpI Love to Love]]" by [=UFO=]. "In Trance" is the earliest example of the Scorpions' style of power ballad that was so popular during the 1980s, while "Love to Love" was the model for power ballads with lush arrangements, and had a very slow build-up. Triumph's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mZxOk0SYqU Lay it on the Line]]" is pretty much the blueprint for [[HairMetal the hair band]] version of the power ballad, with its vocal harmonies and borderline-MaritalRapeLicense lyrics, although Triumph themselves were not a hair band.

* Anders Enger Jensen's "[[https://soundcloud.com/eox-studios/song-for-thelma Song for Thelma]]" is an instrumental example. A more traditional vocal example is [[https://youtu.be/2md7VKhJqAk "Let's Fly"]], featuring Gina Evjen.

* Music/ArchEnemy - "Reason to Believe" from the band's tenth album ''Will to Power'' is a primarily clean-sung power ballad which showcases [[Creator/AlissaWhiteGluz Alissa White-Gluz]]'s vocal range[[note]]although there are still death growls in the song[[/note]]. The other songs on that album follow their usual Main/MelodicDeathMetal style.
* Music/{{Aqua}} - [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls0WfopgR9k "Turn Back Time"]], which is unusual for a bubblegum dance group.

* The Cover Girls' [[https://youtu.be/CY143BglPfA "Promise Me"]] and [[https://youtu.be/d-zjcWMKu0E "We Can't Go Wrong"]], the latter of which was [[BlackSheepHit their only Top 10 hit]] on the Hot 100.
* ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'': Parodied with the song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-anbK8DUOw "You Go First"]], seemingly heavily inspired by "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and others in this list.

* Music/DavidGlenEisley's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp3jda591M4 Sweet Victory]]" was featured in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' as one of these.

** Dream Evil also has a parody in the form of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sch7MiUoNH8 The Ballad]]".

* Music/ExistTrace have a few traditional power ballads, such as "Cradle". "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_RbOqW3Pe4 Little Mary to Utsukushimi Nikushimi no Danube]]" is probably one of the few examples of a power ''waltz''.
* Exposé's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0vr9TOR1-s "When I Looked at Him"]].

* Music/{{Falco}} - "[[https://youtu.be/YwcgBVQ3rb0 Out of the Dark]]".

* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6Dgj0K1oL8 Screaming in the Night]]", by Krokus. It's pretty fast for a ballad, but they are what they are.

* German Eurodance act Mr. President have [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEZ0waLxpl0 "Sweet Lies"]].
* Mýa's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0qoxlVYyTU "My First Night With You"]].

* NINA's "[[https://youtu.be/h3sn2P3BANg The Distance]]".

* Music/TheOffspring's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=numCZoBFcv4 Gone Away]] from their fourth album. One of the very few ballads the band has ever written.
* Ollie Wride's [[https://youtu.be/9gFuvwY-U80 "Luna"]].

** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9usWeNO8vBQ Revelation (Mother Earth)]]" and "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DcgpARcTCY Diary of a Madman]]" are structured this way, but are too scary and intense be described as "ballads".

* Parallels has "[[https://youtu.be/Mlm6G62BNBg Alchemy]]" on ''Supersymmetry''.

* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNhGeguo2OU Stevie]]" by Pat Travers, modeled after [=GFR=]'s "Heartbreaker".

* Piston Damp's "[[https://youtu.be/yillukls08M Another Pain]]".

** "[[https://youtu.be/GLxb7m0j5Jg?list=PLjACqN5i5sDUo3MfGtqogz7P3u5JUm3c- The Poet and the Muse]]", ''VideoGame/AlanWake's'' folky story-song by their HeavyMithril FakeBand Old Gods of Asgard, which reveals the terrible fates of the protagonist's predecessors, and offers a way for him to escape their EternalRecurrence.
** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIG1xnYdlFo War]]" the sweeping epic devotional about unexpectedly finding someone you could fight a common enemy with, also in ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' but credited (even in an in-game cameo) as a Poets song.
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LduJBDg4wGM Invisible Sun]]" by Music/TheProdigy.

* Music/EmeliSande - [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye-3d2QCz2o "Breathing Underwater"]].

* Music/SimplePlan has a song titled "Untitled" (alternatively, "How Could This Happen To Me
').

* Music/{{Suicide|Band}} - "[[https://youtu.be/mwMjhWn3OQ4 Surrender]]"

* Music/{{Ylvis}}'s [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbyzgeee2mg "Stonehenge"]], although this is probably more of a parody.

* Music/MindInABox's "Whatever Mattered" is an unusual {{chiptune}} infused example. Also, "Not Afraid" and "Second Reality". ([[NamesTheSame no relation to]] the Future Crew {{demoscene}} production).

* ''Music/FrankieGoesToHollywood's "The Power of Love"(unrelated to the Jennifer Rush ballad that was a UK hit around the same time).

* Music/SimplePlan has a song titled "Untitled" (alternatively, How Could This Happen To Me).

* ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend'': Parodied with the song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-anbK8DUOw "You Go First"]], seeminlgy heavily inspired by "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and others in this list.

* Music/BonnieTyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" is by far her most famous.

* Music/{{Aerosmith}}'s "Dream On", "Angel", "Hole in My Soul", "Cryin'", and "[[Film/{{Armageddon}} I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing]]".

* Music/BonnieBianco's "Miss You So" (please RefrainFromAssuming that the title is anything like "Fly With Broken Wings").

* Music/WeirdAlYankovic has "Stop Forwarding That Crap to Me", a pastiche of Jim Steinman-penned power ballads.

* Music/{{Suicide}} - "[[https://youtu.be/mwMjhWn3OQ4 Surrender]]"

* Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" is by far her most famous.

* Piston Damp's "[[Another Pain]]".

* "Captive" by Faith Assembly.