Keep On Loving You by REO Speedwagon

About

“Keep On Loving You”, REO Speedwagon’s first of two number one hits in the US, was described by frontman Kevin Cronin as “the most painful song I ever wrote”. It was written about his wife’s infidelity, and his desire to stay in the relationship despite this. The marriage, however, ended a few years later anyway – but like the old saying goes: if you don’t get the girl, at least you get the song. Originally the band was hesitant to record “Keep On Loving You” because they were a rock band and this was a ballad. Kevin Cronin recalled: During rehearsals I started playing it on the piano and the guys looked at me like I was from a different planet. ‘What is that? What are you, Barry Manilow? I kept playing it over and over until one day Gary plugged in his Les Paul and hit these big chords. Honestly, I think he was just trying to drown me out. But I said, ‘Dude, that’s perfect!' It became an early example of the 80s ‘power ballad’ or ‘monster ballad’, a template that filled the decade with many successful heartfelt songs that still (kinda) rocked. The song went to #1 in the spring of 1981. Outside of the US, it was the band’s first UK hit, reaching #7. It also reached the top 20 in several other countries.