Perhaps Love
An odd couple duet.
The song Perhaps Love came out in 1981 as a duet featuring John Denver and Placido Domingo. It was written by John Denver and dedicated to his wife Annie Martell while they were separated. In 1982 she filed for divorce.
I remember thinking it to be the oddest duet I had ever heard and still consider it so. The voices are both excellent but completely different, one a Spanish tenor from the world of opera and the other a country-style tenor.
And yet I think it worked for a number of reasons.
First the voices are that good, both compelling and enjoyable to listen to. For the most part they alternated lines but also blended nicely toward the end.
Another strength was the hauntingly beautiful melody. Denver was a great composer and lyricist.
And then there are the words.
Perhaps love is like a resting place, a shelter from the storm It exists to give you comfort, it is there to keep you warm And in those times of trouble when you are most alone The memory of love will bring you home Perhaps love is like a window, perhaps an open door It invites you to come closer, it wants to show you more And even if you lose yourself and don't know what to do The memory of love will see you through Love to some is like a cloud, to some as strong as steel For some a way of living, for some a way to feel And some say love is holding on and some say letting go And some say love is everything, and some say they don't know Perhaps love is like the ocean, full of conflict, full of pain Like a fire when it's cold outside, thunder when it rains If I should live forever, and all my dreams come true My memories of love will be of you
[The last two verses repeat.]
It’s a sad poem about the loss of love. It has to do with trying to explain what seems to be missing and not quite being able to. The two most significant words (after “love” itself) are “perhaps” and “memory.”
The song peaked at #59 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #22 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Tracks chart in 1982.
Denver died in 1997. If he were alive today he would be 80 years old.
Domingo was born two years before Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. and is still alive and kicking.
And here is footage of their recording session.