View source for Love Is the Answer (Utopia song)

{{Short description|1977 single by Utopia}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Love Is the Answer
| cover      = Love is the answer england dan john ford coley US single side-A.png
| alt        = side-A label
| caption    = One of side-A labels of the US single
| type       = single
| artist     = [[England Dan & John Ford Coley]]
| album      = [[Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive (England Dan & John Ford Coley album)|Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive]]
| B-side     = Running After You
| released   = March 1979
| recorded   =
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      = {{flatlist|
*[[Soft rock]]}}
| length     = 4:42
| label      = [[Big Tree Records|Big Tree]]
| writer     = Todd Rundgren
| producer   = [[Kyle Lehning]]
| prev_title = Westward Wind
| prev_year  = 1978
| next_title = What Can I Do with This Broken Heart
| next_year  = 1979
}}
"'''Love Is the Answer'''" is a song written by [[Todd Rundgren]] and performed with his band [[Utopia (American band)|Utopia]]. It is the closing track on their 1977 album ''[[Oops! Wrong Planet]]'', and was the only single released from the album.
==England Dan & John Ford Coley version==
In 1979, American [[soft rock]] duo [[England Dan & John Ford Coley]] released their version as the lead single from their seventh studio album ''[[Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive (England Dan & John Ford Coley album)|Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jive]]''. It reached number 10 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/1979-06-02/hot-100 |title=Chart Listing For The Week Of Jun 02 1979 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |accessdate=April 4, 2009 }}</ref> in May 1979<ref name="google">{{cite book|title=Billboard|date=May 26, 1979|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.|issn=0006-2510|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_iQEAAAAMBAJ|accessdate=May 13, 2015}}</ref> and spent two weeks atop the ''Billboard'' [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Adult Contemporary chart]].<ref name="Hyatt">Hyatt, Wesley (1999). ''The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits'' (Billboard Publications), p. 228.</ref> [[John Ford Coley]] was quoted as saying: "Of all the songs we released as singles, that was my favorite. The song first of all had a classical base, and the middle had a gospel section which I loved."<ref name="Hyatt"/>
[[Dan Seals]], the "England Dan" half of the duo, re-recorded the song in 1995 in an acoustic [[country music]] style for the album ''[[In a Quiet Room]]''.
===Weekly charts===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Chart (1979) !! Rank
|-
{{singlechart|Canadatopsingles|33|chartid=4780a|access-date=November 13, 2024}}
|-
{{singlechart|Canadaadultcontemporary|18|chartid=4772|access-date=November 13, 2024}}
|-
|[[UK Singles Chart|UK Singles]] ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/love-is-the-answer/|title=Love Is the Answer &#124; full Official Chart History &#124; Official Charts Company|website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]]}}</ref>
|align="center"|45
|-
| US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]<ref name=MusicVF>{{cite web|url=https://www.musicvf.com/song.php?title=Love+Is+the+Answer+by+England+Dan+%26+John+Ford+Coley&id=14573|title=Love Is the Answer (song by England Dan & John Ford Coley)|website=Music VF.com|access-date=November 13, 2024}}</ref>
|align="center"|10
|-
| US Adult Contemporary (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'')<ref name=MusicVF/>
|align="center"|1
|}
==Other versions==
The song has been covered several times by Christian and mainstream artists.
* [[Sheila Walsh (singer)|Sheila Walsh]] recorded it in 1988 for her album ''Say So'', and performed it on her very first ''[[The 700 Club]]'' appearance as co-hostess.
* Bill Cantos and [[Justo Almario]] covered it in 1995 for the album ''Who Are You''.
* [[Cindy Morgan (singer)|Cindy Morgan]] covered it in 2000 for her greatest hits album, ''Best So Far''.
* [[Bob Carlisle]] and [[Bryan Duncan]] recorded a gospel blues version in 2001.
* Filipino singer [[Gary Valenciano]] covered the song on his 2001 album, ''Revive''.
* In 2004, it was the title track of [[Glen Campbell]]'s album ''[[Love Is the Answer: 24 Songs of Faith, Hope and Love]]''.
* A cover of this song is a bonus track on the [[Special_edition|Limited Edition]] CD of [[Rick Springfield]]'s ''[[The Day After Yesterday]]'' (2005).
* British singer [[Rumer (musician)|Rumer]] released in 2015 an EP named "Love is the answer" with a cover in it.
* Foxes and Fossils covered the song in 2020.
==See also==
*[[List of Billboard Adult Contemporary number ones of 1979]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{YouTube|Wp6gpFwNhAQ|"Love Is the Answer" by Utopia}}
* {{YouTube|lhUtsaOCl78|"Love Is the Answer" by Todd Rundgren and Utopia}}
{{Utopia (band)}}
{{England Dan & John Ford Coley}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Love Is The Answer}}
[[Category:1977 songs]]
[[Category:1977 singles]]
[[Category:1979 singles]]
[[Category:England Dan & John Ford Coley songs]]
[[Category:Songs written by Todd Rundgren]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Todd Rundgren]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Kyle Lehning]]
[[Category:Big Tree Records singles]]
[[Category:Bearsville Records singles]]
[[Category:Utopia (band) songs]]
{{1970s-pop-song-stub}}