When you hear the song title "Is This Love," you probably think about Whitesnake, right? I know I do, and I looked at Whitesnake's song with the same title in a previous post. Meanwhile, I completely forgot about the song "Is This Love" by Survivor. It was written in 1987, and after I heard it again this evening, I remembered it. I didn't think it got much airplay back in the day, but it hit number #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's definitely a great song, and I'm not sure why it is less than a stellar memory in the Survivor discography. It has the unmistakable Survivor sound, with Jimi Jamison's distinctive vocals. It also has wonderful lyrics about a man who is obviously in love, but it seems that he is questioning himself or maybe even fighting it a bit. "Is this love that I'm feelin'? Is this love that's been keepin' me up all night?" Yup -- it's love. Love is at the door, making you toss and turn and lose sight of your clear thinking. That is what love does to us, and luckily, we have some terrific Survivor songs to express this! I'm a big Survivor fan and truly enjoy all their songs. Their songwriting is really first rate and maybe a bit underestimated today. Survivor's "Is This Love" is probably eclipsed by the Whitesnake "namesake" tune, but this song really is terrific. Signature Jamison vocals, awesome guitar solo, and an excellent modulation make this one a keeper in my book. Hope you enjoy it as well!
There are many songs out there from the '80s about love - no doubt about it. Many of them ask us questions. "Why Can't This Be Love?" "Is ThisLove?" The list goes on and on, but for this evening, I thought I would look at Whitsnake's "Is This Love?" Great song from 1987, and it definitely takes me back to middle school. It was such an awesome song back in the day, but I am sure people mostly remember it for the video. Yes, Tawny Kitaen was in this video and the video for Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again." "Here I Go Again" is also an excellent song and one of my favorites (very upbeat, up tempo, high octane for sure). Anyway, Kitaen and Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale were a couple back in the '80s, so it is not surprising to see her featured in the video. Guys are probably still drooling, so I give her credit. David Coverdale may be overshadowed by her in the video, but I think he looks pretty good! Gotta love that hair, but hey, he was a good-looking rockstar! He could have any hairstyle he wanted. He has also really aged quite gracefully -- just in case anyone was wondering. (Throwing a pic out there for everyone to see).
David Coverdale
The song itself is pretty simple. The lyrics tell the tale of a man who is obviously deeply in love and cannot stand to be apart from the woman in his life. He can feel his love for her "growing stronger day by day," and he can't wait to see her again so he can hooooooold her in his arms..... Wow. This is pretty intense. Definitely some intense images in the video, too, with a plot that makes you feel for David. Seems like the relationship was a bit volatile. Anyway, I do hope you enjoy the video and the song -- it's a nice, slow-paced ballad for a change, but it maintains the rock intensity of the decade with its vocals and guitar. Very well done.
