The Force Behind the Power
Studio album by Diana Ross
Released	September 10, 1991
Genre	New jack swing R&B
Length	47:33 56:51
Label	Motown
Producer	Stevie Wonder Al B. Sure! James Anthony Carmichael Peter Asher
Diana Ross chronology
Greatest Hits Live (1989) The Force Behind the Power (1991) Stolen Moments: The Lady Sings... Jazz and Blues (1993)
Singles from The Force Behind the Power
"If We Hold on Together" Released: November 5, 1988 "No Matter What You Do (Duet w/ Al B. Sure)" Released: February 20, 1991 "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" Released: August 20, 1991 "You're Gonna Love It" Released: October 15, 1991 "The Force Behind The Power" Released: January 15, 1992 "Waiting in the Wings" Released: April 28, 1992 (Promo) "One Shining Moment" Released: July 1992 "Heart (Don't Change My Mind)" Released: September 1992 "Battlefield" Released: 1992 (Promo)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Chicago Tribune	[2]
Robert Christgau	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	C[4]
Los Angeles Times	[5]
NME	5/10[6]

The Force Behind the Power is the nineteenth studio album by American singer Diana Ross, released on September 10, 1991, by Motown Records.^[7] The album reached No. 11 on the UK Albums chart and became the biggest selling studio album of her career there, selling over half a million copies in the UK alone.^[8]

Singles

The album spun off five hit singles in the UK - most successfully "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles chart (and No. 26 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs chart), earning a BPI Silver disc for UK sales of over 200,000 copies. "One Shining Moment" and the album's Stevie Wonder-produced title track reached Numbers 10 and 27 on the UK Singles chart respectively.^[9][8]

If We Hold on Together reached No. 11 on the UK Singles chart and No. 23 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs chart, while a cover of Barbra Streisand's "Heart (Don't Change My Mind)" reached No. 31 on the UK Singles chart.^[10][8][11]

"No Matter What You Do" - her duet with Al B. Sure! - was a major US R&B hit where it peaked at number 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart, while "You're Gonna Love It" written by Cydney Davis and Lloyd Tolbert was also released as a US single, where it rose to No. 24 on the US Dance Club Songs chart. ^[12][13]

"If We Hold on Together" was originally recorded for Don Bluth's 1988 animated adventure film The Land Before Time. It rose to prominence after it was released as a single worldwide in the latter part of 1988 (most prominently in Japan in 1990, after it was used as the theme song for the TBS drama Omoide ni Kawaru Made).^[14] It reached #1 on the Japanese International single charts for 12 contiguous weeks making it the biggest selling record by a foreign artist; and in total, sold over 465,000 copies.^[15][16]

Commercial reception

In the UK the album certified platinum for sales exceeding 300,000 copies.^[17]

Track listings

US edition

1. "Change of Heart" (Terry Britten, Graham Lyle) – 4:02
2. "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" (John Bettis, Albert Hammond) – 4:13
3. "Battlefield" (Paul Carrack, Nick Lowe) – 3:35
4. "Blame It on the Sun" (Stevie Wonder, Syreeta Wright) – 3:55
5. "Heavy Weather" (Michael Sembello) – 4:59
6. "The Force Behind the Power" (Stevie Wonder) – 4:45
7. "Heart (Don't Change My Mind)" (Robbie Buchanan, Diane Warren) – 4:19
8. "Waiting in the Wings" (Andy Hill, Pete Sinfield) – 4:52
9. "One Shining Moment" (Vaneese Thomas) – 4:48
10. "You're Gonna Love It" (Cydney Davis, Lloyd Tolbert) – 5:11
11. "If We Hold on Together" (James Horner, Barry Mann, Will Jennings) – 4:09

International edition

1. "Change of Heart" (Britten, Lyle) – 4:03
2. "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" (Bettis, Hammond) – 4:13
3. "Battlefield" (Carrack, Lowe) – 3:35
4. "Blame It on the Sun" (Wonder, Wright) – 3:55
5. "You're Gonna Love It" (Davis, Tolbert) – 5:11
6. "Heavy Weather" (Sembello) – 4:59
7. "The Force Behind the Power" (Wonder) – 4:42
8. "Heart (Don't Change My Mind)" (Buchanan, Warren) – 4:19
9. "Waiting in the Wings" (Hill, Sinfield) – 4:52
10. "You and I" (Dormer, Goldo, Vigil) – 4:09
11. "One Shining Moment" (Thomas) – 4:48
12. "If We Hold on Together" (James Horner, Barry Mann, Will Jennings) – 4:13
13. "No Matter What You Do" (duet with Al B. Sure!) (Brown, West) – 5:09

Personnel

Production

• Executive producer – Diana Ross
• Producers – James Anthony Carmichael (tracks 1, 5, 6 & 9); Peter Asher (tracks 2–4, 8 & 10–13); Stevie Wonder (track 6).
• Co-producer on track 7 – Nathan Watts
• Co-producer on track 5 – Lloyd Tolbert
• A&R direction – Debbie Sandridge
• Album coordinator – Marylata E. Jacob
• Engineers – Calvin Harris and Jack Rouben (tracks 1, 5, 6 & 9); Frank Wolf (tracks 2–4, 8, 10–12); Steve Van Arden (track 7).
• Assistant engineers – Mark Hagen and Andrew Scheps (tracks 1, 5, 6 & 9); Bryant Arnett, Darren Godwin, Mike Harlow, Nathaniel Kunkel Ken Lauber and Gil Morales (tracks 2–4, 8, 10–12); Jimmy Sandweiss (track 7).
• Recorded at Bill Schnee Studio, Studio F, Wonderland Studios, Westlake Audio, Off Meleose Recording Studio and The Complex (Los Angeles, CA); Cal Harris Studios (Woodland Hills, CA); The Sandbox (Easton, CT); Abbey Road Studios (London, England).
• Digital editing on track 7 – R.R. Harlan
• Mixing – Calvin Harris (tracks 1, 5, 6 & 9); Frank Wolf (tracks 2–4, 8, 10–12); Steve Van Arden (track 7).
• Mixed at Conway Studios (Hollywood, CA), The Complex, Cal Harris Studios and Wonderland Studios.
• Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, CA).
• Art direction – Dennis Woloch
• Design concept – Diana Ross
• Painting – Barry Kamen
• Photography – Herb Ritts
• Assistant to Diana Ross – Judith Service

Charts

Certifications