“Young Love (Strong Love)”
The Judds
Written by Paul Kennerley and Kent Robbins
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
May 6, 1989
Sometimes it felt like the Judds were trying to will a better world into existence just by singing hard enough.
“Young Love (Strong Love)” is an idealistic portrait of two small town teenagers who fall for each other early and get their happily ever after in the form of a lifetime commitment: “That night as he held her, he couldn’t believe that God had made a girl he would never, ever leave.”
Wynonna was well into her powerhouse singing days by River of Time, the Judds’ fourth studio album, which makes her choices as a singer here all the more striking. She holds this lyric close to her, delivering it with the intimacy of a child’s lullaby, as if it’s all so beautiful and fragile that she has to be gentle with it.
And it is. More so even than “I Hope You Dance,” this song captures what most parents wish most for their children: a soul mate who will care for them until the end of their days. No wonder “Mama cried as Billy slipped the ring on her hand, and when the baby was born, she was crying again.”
The Judds still have a handful of excellent singles on the way from their final two albums as a duo, but they won’t top the charts again with a record as good as this one.
“Young Love (Strong Love)” gets an A.
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