![\"\"](\"https:\/\/musicparadise.eatatsunset.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/Michael_Bolton_singing_song_56ec0bd9.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nFinding the right take<\/h2>\n
Bolton and producer Walter Afanasieff returned to the studio eight more times in search of an arrangement that could meet the song\u2019s high bar. In the end, Bolton considered the first take the strongest and insisted it stay on the album. The recording pairs piano, keyboards, guitar, bass, drums and layered backing vocals with Bolton\u2019s raspy tenor, which builds from restraint to a forceful release.<\/p>\n
The song\u2019s title arrives immediately, placing its declaration of devotion at the center from the opening line. Bolton later noted that the chorus comes early, making the song\u2019s central idea easy for listeners to join. The polished arrangement gave his version a different scale from Sledge\u2019s raw Southern soul, without attempting to erase the original\u2019s emotional weight.<\/p>\n
A classic carried forward<\/h2>\n
Released as a single in 1991, Bolton\u2019s recording reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on November 23. It earned him the 1992 Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, and helped Time, Love & Tenderness<\/em> sell more than 16 million copies worldwide.<\/p>\n Years later, Bolton performed the song with Sledge at a VH1 event in Chicago. Sledge acknowledged the hit as belonging to both singers, while Bolton affirmed that the song would always be Sledge\u2019s. The exchange reflected the balance at the heart of the cover: Bolton made the classic his own, but recognized the voice and recording that came first.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Michael Bolton revived Percy Sledge\u2019s classic; his 1991 cover hit No. 1 on Billboard\u2019s Hot 100. How did its heartbreak feel monumental?<\/p>\n Bolton made surrender sound immense. How does Michael Bolton – When a Man Loves a Woman define devotion?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musicflow-back-when-music"],"yoast_head":"\n