“When Love Finds You”
Vince Gill
Written by Vince Gill and Michael Omartian
Radio & Records
#1 (2 weeks)
December 2- December 9, 1994
Vince Gill concludes his remarkable streak of ten straight No. 1 hits.
The Road to No. 1
Vince Gill won two Entertainer of the Year awards while topping the chart with every single release dating back to 1992’s “Take Your Memory With You.” His tenth straight No. 1 hit was the third single and title track from his third MCA album, When Love Finds You.
The No. 1
Vince always flirted with that keyboard-heavy Adult Contemporary sound utilized by artists like Peter Cetera and Richard Marx. On “When Love Finds You,” he goes all in.
It’s a slight song with every vague sentiment about the power of love included. Seriously, this is two No. 1 singles in a row that talk about how love can move mountains.
Even Gill’s normally stellar guitar playing feels out of place here. It’s a power ballad without any power.
The Road From No. 1
Gill followed this with the stunning country ballad, “Which Bridge to Cross (Which Bridge to Burn),” which went top five. He returned to the top with the fifth single from When Love Finds You, which we will cover in 1995.
“When Love Finds You” gets a C.
Every No. 1 Single of the Nineties
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The momentum and excitement generated by that earlier great run of such diverse songs and sounds by Tillis, Jackson, and Carpenter hits a soft and sticky wall with Montgomery’s and Gill’s latest oozings.
I guess if you think about it, sap needs to be sweet to sell, but this confectionary just hurts your stomach.
Sometimes I wonder/worry if people unfamiliar with Vince Gill think this kind of performance captures him as an artist.
It’s a shame this song reached number one and Which Bridge to Cross didn’t. I’d argue it’s one of Vince’s better songs and severely underrated. Plus it scores even better with me because it’s a Bill Anderson co-write.
I honestly have zero recollection of ever hearing this one on the radio. I can’t say I really missed much, since it’s probably my least favorite of all of Vince’s 90’s singles. Not only is it sappy, as pointed out above, but it’s just a boring pop ballad to me, with not much of a memorable melody or any standout instrumental parts to keep me interested. Man, it pains me to be saying that about a Vince Gill single!
As CJ Ellis pointed out, I also really wish “Which Bridge To Cross” had been a number one. Love that one! That’s the Vince Gill song that was on the radio all the time just when I was getting back into country in the Summer of 1995. I even remember one time seeing a car pass by our house with that song blasting out from the windows as it drove down the block while I was standing on the front porch. Just reminds me again how hot country was in the first half of the 90’s, with it seemingly being everywhere. Sadly, I can’t imagine hearing Vince Gill coming out of any cars in our neighborhood, anymore. Heck, I’m lucky enough to hear bro-country blasting from someone’s truck, lol.
Cj’s post also reminds me of another thing I miss about the 90’s: Bill Anderson co-writes could actually still be hits on the radio.