That's What Love Is All About

Michael Bolton's "That's What Love Is All About" and the Making of a Commercial Voice (1987)

By 1987, Michael Bolton was at a critical juncture in his recording career. His earlier albums under his birth name Bolotin had found limited commercial traction, and his initial releases under the Bolton name had not yet produced the breakthrough moments that would define his commercial peak in the early 1990s. "That's What Love Is All About" represented a significant step in the evolution of his commercial profile, establishing the adult contemporary balladry approach that would characterize his most successful period.

Writing and Production Background

The song was written by Michael Bolton and Eric Kaz, a pairing that combined Bolton's developing sense of his own commercial identity with Kaz's considerable experience as a songwriter whose catalog included work recorded by Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, and other major artists. Kaz had a particular facility for emotionally direct, melodically strong pop songs, and his collaboration with Bolton produced a track that crystallized the sound Bolton had been working toward during the preceding years.

The production of "That's What Love Is All About" was handled with the orchestrated, strings-and-keyboards approach that was standard for adult contemporary ballads of the mid-1980s. Columbia Records supported the release as part of the album The Hunger, which marked a turning point in Bolton's commercial trajectory. The label had invested in production values commensurate with the mainstream adult contemporary market, and the album reflected that investment in its polished, radio-ready sonics.

Bolton's vocal performance on the track demonstrated the gospel-influenced power and emotional intensity that would become his commercial signature. He deployed melismatic runs and sustained notes in a manner derived from soul and gospel traditions, applying that technique to an adult contemporary pop context in a way that distinguished him from smoother, more restrained vocalists working in the same market segment. The contrast between the lush orchestrated production and the raw intensity of his voice created a dynamic that appealed strongly to the adult contemporary audience of the period.

Billboard Hot 100 Performance

The single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 5, 1987, entering at position 91. Its progress up the chart was gradual and sustained, consistent with the pattern of adult contemporary hits that built their audiences through extended radio rotation rather than through immediate strong debuts. Over the following weeks, the song moved through positions 80, 73, 68, and 66, continuing to climb through the autumn months. It reached its peak position of number 19 during the week of December 12, 1987, and spent a total of 25 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, an exceptionally long chart run that demonstrated the durability of the song's appeal with radio audiences and listeners.

The 25-week chart presence placed "That's What Love Is All About" among the more enduring adult contemporary hits of 1987, a year that also saw significant chart performances from Whitney Houston, George Michael, and other artists dominating the format. Bolton's ability to sustain chart presence over such an extended period signaled to Columbia Records and to radio programmers that he had developed the kind of audience loyalty that supported long-term commercial viability.

Context in Bolton's Career Arc

The success of "That's What Love Is All About" set the commercial template for Bolton's subsequent work. The combination of an emotionally transparent lyrical theme, orchestrated production, and his signature vocal power would be repeated and refined on subsequent releases including "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" (number 1, 1990) and "How Can We Be Lovers" (number 3, 1990). The song thus functions as the prototype for the most successful phase of his career, establishing the commercial formula at a scale that made its viability apparent while leaving room for the refinements that his later peak hits would deliver.

Music critics at the time were often ambivalent about Bolton's approach, noting the derivativeness of applying gospel vocal technique to adult contemporary pop material. However, the commercial response from radio audiences was unambiguous, and "That's What Love Is All About" demonstrated that Bolton's instincts about his own commercial appeal were sound. The song's chart performance helped secure the continued label investment that made the subsequent breakthrough possible.