Jennifer Rush

Jennifer Rush
Rush in 1984
Born	Heidi Stern (1960-09-28) September 28, 1960 New York, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Juilliard School Harvard University
Occupations	Singer songwriter
Years active	1979–present
Known for	The Power of Love Higher Ground Ring of Ice
Musical career
Genres	Pop pop rock adult contemporary
Labels	CBS Columbia EMI Virgin Sony Music Rockbird Music
Website	jennifer-rush.com

Jennifer Rush (born Heidi Stern; September 28, 1960) is an American pop and rock singer. She achieved initial success during the mid-1980s with several singles and studio albums, including the million-selling single "The Power of Love", which she co-wrote and released in 1984. Her initial greatest success came in Europe. Other successful singles from that period include "Ring of Ice", "Destiny", "I Come Undone", "You're My One and Only", "Higher Ground", "25 Lovers", "If You're Ever Gonna Lose My Love", "Heart over Mind" and "Flames of Paradise", a duet with Elton John. In the 1990s she had several charting singles, including "Tears in the Rain".

Early life

Rush was born Heidi Stern in the New York City borough of Queens to Barbara and Maurice Stern. She has two older brothers, Robert "Bobby" Stern and Stephen Stern (both professional musicians), and a younger sister. Rush and her brothers lived with their mother until she was a toddler, and then with their father and his second wife on the Upper West Side of the borough of Manhattan. Rush studied violin at the Juilliard School and also took piano lessons, although she did not enjoy these instruments and instead took to playing the guitar in private. When Rush was nine, the Stern family moved to Germany. Rush returned to the United States a few years later to live with her mother's family. She also lived for a time in Seattle, Washington, when her father was briefly a professor of voice at the University of Washington.

Career

Rush's debut studio album, titled with her legal name of Heidi Stern, was released locally in Seattle, Washington, in 1979. After meeting singer, songwriter, and producer Gene McDaniels in Seattle, she went to Los Angeles to record demo songs with him. She credits McDaniels as being her first and most influential mentor as a songwriter and a singer. In 1982, following McDaniels's persistence, Rush moved to Wiesbaden, Germany, where her father was an opera singer for a short period of time. She was then advised to change her name which she did legally.

Rush was first signed to CBS Songs Publishing Company as a songwriter in Frankfurt, Germany. At that time she was working for almost two years full time in the military in Munich. She has never had vocal training, however she is proficient in music theory due to her two years in the children's orchestra as first violinist.

CBS Records (1982–1991)

Early singles and debut album (1984)

Rush's debut single with CBS Records International was "Tonight", which was released in West Germany under her birth name of Heidi Stern in 1982. The single did not enter any charts and she changed her stage name to Jennifer Rush the following year. In 1983, Rush released her first two singles under her new stage name, titled "Into My Dreams" and "Come Give Me Your Hand", both of which Rush co-wrote with producers Gunther Mende and Candy DeRouge. However, neither song entered the music charts. In February and March 1984, Rush toured with the Berlin Philharmonic on a series of James Bond-themed concerts. She performed covers of "Goldfinger", "The Man with the Golden Gun", "For Your Eyes Only" and "Thunderball" at the concerts and astonished the audience with her singing.

Rush's chart breakthrough came with the single "25 Lovers", which entered the West Germany singles chart in June 1984, spending 20 weeks on the chart and reaching its highest position at number 25. Her next hit single was "Ring of Ice", which entered the German singles chart in October 1984 and peaked at number 22. Like with her first two singles, these songs were co-written by Rush with producers Gunther Mende and Candy deRouge. Mende and DeRouge were the producers behind Rush's debut album Jennifer Rush, released in West Germany in October 1984. Rush herself co-wrote eight of the ten songs on the album, and other songwriters included Mary Susan Applegate, Patrick Henderson, Richard Feldmann, Marcy Levy and Eric Klapperton.

The most famous song from the album was "The Power of Love". Initially this song was released as the fifth and final single from the album in January 1985 in West Germany, where it initially peaked at number 16. However, it found greater success in the United Kingdom, where it was released in June 1985. The song was a "sleeper hit", spending sixteen weeks on the chart before finally hitting number 1 in October. It spent five consecutive weeks at the top and ultimately became the best-selling single of 1985 in the United Kingdom. It was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records at the time as the best-selling single by a female solo artist in the history of the British music industry. "The Power of Love" held that status until 1992, when it was outsold by Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You".

Following the song's success in the United Kingdom, "The Power of Love" was released as single throughout the rest of the world in 1985 and 1986. It reached number one on the charts in Australia, Austria, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and South Africa, as well as in Spain with a Spanish re-recording titled "Si Tu Eres Mi Hombre Y Yo Tu Mujer". The single additionally reached the top 10 of the charts in Belgium, Finland, Greece, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. The single was however less successful in the United States, where it peaked at number 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Rush's debut album was a big success in West Germany, where it spent 97 weeks on the chart and peaked twice at number 2 throughout its chart run. The album hit number one in both Spain and Norway, spending five and ten weeks at the top respectively. The album additionally achieved top 10 placements in Australia, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. By late 1988, the album sold three million copies worldwide.

Movin' (1985)

Rush's second album, titled Movin', was released in West Germany in October 1985. She again worked with producers Gunther Mende and Candy DeRouge, as well as songwriter Mary Susan Applegate, and herself co-wrote eight of the ten songs on the album. Other writers were Tony Carey, Mark Mangold and Suzanne Mangold. Additionally, the album contained a cover of the song "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday", originally by Stevie Wonder.

The album was a huge success in West Germany, where it stayed at number 1 for thirteen consecutive weeks and spent 65 weeks on the chart in total. It was certified triple platinum for shipments of 1.5 million copies and was the most successful album in the country of 1986. The album also found success throughout the rest of Europe. It reached number 1 in Norway, Sweden and Switzerland and attained a gold or platinum certification in all three countries. The album was also in the top 10 of the charts in Austria and Finland, the top 30 in the Netherlands and top 40 in the United Kingdom.

The album's first single "Destiny" was top 5 hit in West Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It also reached the top 30 in Belgium and Netherlands, but performed poorly in the United Kingdom. The second and final single "If You're Ever Gonna Lose My Love" charted in the top 20 in Austria and Finland, and the top 30 in West Germany. This song was Rush's second single to be re-recorded in Spanish, and was re-titled "No Me Canso De Pensar En Ti".

Heart over Mind (1987)

Rush performing in 1987.

For the recording of her third album Heart over Mind, Rush relocated from Germany to the United States. On this album Rush worked with American producers and songwriters Desmond Child, Bruce Roberts, Andy Goldmark, Ellen Shipley, Morrie Brown, Taylor Rhodes, Tom DeLuca, Tom Whitlock, Rick Nowels, Mark Radice and Michael Bolton. Additionally, German producer Harold Faltermeyer and British producer Gus Dudgeon also worked on the album. There was also guitar work from Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi and British singer-songwriter Elton John performed a duet with Rush titled "Flames of Paradise".

In her most successful market, West Germany, Heart over Mind was her second number 1 album, and stayed at the top position for nine consecutive weeks and stayed on the charts for 53 weeks. It was the second most successful album of 1987 in the country, behind U2's The Joshua Tree. The album was also certified double platinum for shipments of 1 million copies.

The album also found success in other European countries. In Switzerland, the album was number 1 for three weeks and certified Platinum. The album was also certified Platinum in Sweden. Top 10 positions were achieved in Austria, Finland and Norway. The album also managed to reach the top 40 in Canada and received a Gold certification there. However, the album failed to make a large impact in the United States, where it only reached number 118 on the Billboard 200.

The album's first single was a cover of the Ellen Shipley song "I Come Undone", which reached the top 10 in Poland, Switzerland and South Africa, and the top 20 in Finland and West Germany. The second single was the Elton John duet "Flames of Paradise", which became the album's biggest hit. It reached the top 10 in Switzerland and West Germany, and the top 20 in Canada and New Zealand. It was also Rush's highest charting single on the Billboard Hot 100, reached number 36. The album's third single "Heart over Mind" reached the top 30 in Austria, West Germany and Switzerland, and also entered the dance charts in the United States.

Passion (1988) and Wings of Desire (1989)

Rush's last studio two albums with CBS Records International were Passion in 1988 and Wings of Desire in 1989.

For Passion, Harold Faltermeyer and Michael Bolton once again produced and/or co-wrote some songs for Rush. Most writers and producers however had not worked on Rush's previous albums. These included Bob Halligan Jr., Chuck Wild, Ric Wake, Michael Omartian, Diane Warren, Keith Forsey and Jellybean.

CBS initially had high expectations for Passion. The album had 340,000 pre-release orders in Germany, the largest ever ship-out for an album released by CBS records at the time. In the long run, the album ultimately shipped 500,000 copies, achieving a Platinum certification but falling short of the 1 to 1.5 million copies shipped individually by the first three albums. Passion peaked at number 3 in West Germany and stayed on the albums chart for 22 weeks. Outside of Germany, the album was most successful in Switzerland where it reached number 4 and achieved a Gold certification. The album also reached the top 10 in Sweden, the top 20 in Finland and the top 30 in Austria.

The only charting single from Passion was "You're My One and Only", which reached the top 30 in Switzerland and West Germany. The second and third singles, "Keep All the Fires Burning Bright" and "Love Get Ready", failed to enter any music charts.

In 1989, Rush recorded a duet with Placido Domingo titled "Till I Loved You". The single reached the top 30 in the United Kingdom, Rush's first top 40 entry in the country since "Ring of Ice".

Her next studio album Wings of Desire worked with new writers and producers who were not involved on earlier albums, with the exception of Michael Bolton and Bob Halligan Jr.. Producers on this album were Christopher Neil, Phil Ramone and Michael J. Powell. Songwriters included Amy Sky, Bruce Gaitsch, Jackie Rawe, Alfie Zappacosta, Graham Shaw, Tomas Ledin, Felix Weber and David Palmer.

A compilation album titled The Power of Jennifer Rush was released in 1991.

EMI and Virgin (1992–1999)

Through the 1990s, Rush released four albums, three with EMI. Between her leaving CBS and signing with EMI - Rush studied micro and macro economics at Harvard University in Boston. At that time she was considering a different career path.

By the late 1990s, Rush had hit the US Hot 100 chart two times; "The Power of Love" reaching number 57 in 1985 and "Flames of Paradise" (a duet with Elton John) reaching number 36 in 1987. She publicly acknowledged that being less known as a singer in the United States, allowed her to raise her daughter in the US with a more stable and somewhat private environment. She could still travel and perform, but also enjoyed the luxury of songwriting with colleagues based on the East Coast and being available to her daughter as a single mother. A series of greatest-hits compilation albums comprising most of her European hit songs followed in the 2000s.

2000 to present

A box set titled Stronghold – The Collector's Hit Box was released in August 2007. This compilation included all of Rush's singles from 1982 to 1991 (with the first record company that signed her), and in their extended versions as available. It also included all the B-sides and other rare or unreleased tracks (among them four James Bond theme songs, recorded live in 1984 and only released in a very limited edition by the Berlin Philharmonic).

In March 2009, she announced on her official website that she had signed a recording contract with Sony Music/Ariola for one album. That album would be Now Is the Hour, released in 2010. This marked a return to the recording label where she had made her international breakthrough in the 1980s and on which she had released the first five studio albums of her career. Now Is the Hour was released on March 5, 2010, in most of Europe, with minimal input from the label and on March 8, 2010, in the UK. The album failed to chart in the US or the UK, but reached number twenty-one on the German Albums charts.

Awards and Nominations

Year	Organisation	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
1993	Echo Music Prize	National Female Rock/Pop Artist	Herself	Nominated

Discography

Main article: Jennifer Rush discography

Studio albums

• Heidi (1979) (as Heidi Stern)
• Jennifer Rush (1984)
• Jennifer Rush: International Version (1985)
• Movin' (1985)
• Heart over Mind (1987)
• Passion (1988)
• Wings of Desire (1989)
• Jennifer Rush (1992)
• Out of My Hands (1995)
• Credo (1997)
• Classics (1998)
• Now Is the Hour (2010)

External links

• Official website
• Jennifer Rush at AllMusic
• Jennifer Rush discography at Discogs
• Jennifer Rush at IMDb