That's What Love Is For

"That's What Love Is For" is a song by Christian music/pop music-crossover singer Amy Grant. It was written by three-time Grammy-Award winner Michael Omartian,[1] Mark Mueller and Amy Grant and produced by Omartian. It was the third Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 pop single [2] from her 5× platinum-selling album Heart in Motion [3] and the only one from the album to be released to both Pop and Christian radio.

"That's What Love Is For"
Single by Amy Grant
from the album Heart in Motion
B-side"Baby Baby" (No Getting Over You mix)
ReleasedSeptember 12, 1991
GenreCCM
Length4:17
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Michael Omartian
Amy Grant singles chronology
"Every Heartbeat"
(1991)
"That's What Love Is For"
(1991)
"Ask Me"
(1991)
Music video
"That's What Love Is For" on YouTube

The song topped Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and was No. 1 for three weeks, starting the week of November 29, 1991.[4] It spent a total of 13 weeks in the Top 10 and 32 weeks on the chart overall.[4] The song peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of November 23, 1991 [5] and ultimately spent four weeks in the Top 10. It finished the 1992 Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles chart ranked at No. 91.[6] In Canada, the song also topped the charts, reaching No. 1 on the RPM Magazine Adult Contemporary Chart. It peaked at No. 7 on the Pop Chart and was No. 61 on the RPM Magazine's Canadian Top 100 Singles Year-End Chart for 1991.[7]

There are two versions of the song, the album cut and the pop radio edit. For pop radio airplay, the strings were removed and the song was remixed with a new rhythm track.

Music video edit

A music video was produced to promote the single, and mixes shots of Grant wearing a red cloak and singing to the camera, while other shots of her singing are in black and white. The video was filmed at the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in Idaho. It also features a male/female couple, sitting together on a bench but not looking at each other. At the 3:12 mark of the video (just after Grant sings the bridge leading into the last chorus), the couple are seen in black and white, holding each other loosely while the music plays and Grant sings. The video fades out on a shot of Grant singing ad-libs in front of a sepia-toned background. Off in the distance is the man, and further off, presumably the woman. Behind them all are four large letters which spell the word "LOVE".

There are two versions of this video. One version has additional shots of Amy. One where she is in a giant, tall green dress. Another shot shows a black & white close up of Amy in a very retro-mod hair style.

Track listings edit

Remixes (featuring Chris Cox) – EP

  1. "That's What Love Is For" (featuring Chris Cox) [radio edit] – 3:13
  2. "That's What Love Is For" (featuring Chris Cox) [Mixshow edit] – 5:33
  3. "That's What Love Is For" (featuring Chris Cox) [club mix] – 7:26
  4. "That's What Love Is For" (featuring Chris Cox) [dub] – 5:41

UK retail single

  1. "That's What Love Is For" (album edit)
  2. "Baby Baby" (No Getting Over You mix)
  3. "That's What Love Is For" (extended single mix)
  4. "That's What Love Is For" (album version)

Personnel edit

  • Amy Grant – lead vocals
  • Michael Omartian – keyboards
  • Don Kirkpatrick – guitars
  • David Raven – drums
  • Diana DeWitt – backing vocals
  • Gary Chapman – backing vocals

Charts edit

Release history edit

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States September 12, 1991
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • cassette
A&M [citation needed]
United Kingdom October 14, 1991
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
[20]

References edit

  1. ^ "Michael Omartian". GRAMMY.com. November 19, 2019.
  2. ^ "Amy Grant". Billboard.
  3. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA.
  4. ^ a b "Amy Grant". Billboard.
  5. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
  6. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1992/Top 100 Songs of 1992". www.musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  7. ^ "Top 100 Singles of 1991 in Canada". March 17, 2016.
  8. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  9. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1696." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1691." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  11. ^ "Amy Grant – That's What Love Is For" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  12. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  13. ^ "Amy Grant Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  14. ^ "Amy Grant Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  15. ^ "USA Cashbox Charts Summaries". popmusichistory. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  16. ^ "RPM 100 Hit Tracks of 1991". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  17. ^ "RPM 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1991". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  18. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1992". Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  19. ^ "1992 The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 52. December 26, 1992. p. YE-38. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  20. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. October 12, 1991. p. 25.