My Personal Cover Selection: “Glory of Love” (Peter Cetera) — HSCC Revives an Enduring ’80s Love Ballad

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This Time on “My Personal Cover Selection”: “Glory of Love”

This time, I’m featuring Peter Cetera’s “Glory of Love,” released in 1986.

When I think of Peter Cetera, the first thing that comes to mind is his voice during his years with Chicago. On songs such as “If You Leave Me Now” and “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” his clear, soaring tenor became one of the defining sounds of Chicago from the late 1970s into the 1980s.

A year after leaving Chicago in 1985, Cetera reached No. 1 in the U.S. with “Glory of Love.” It became his first major hit after stepping into a new chapter as a solo artist.

And the version I’m introducing here is the cover by The Hindley Street Country Club, better known as HSCC.

They stay remarkably close to the spirit of the original, yet it never sounds like a mere copy. That delicate balance is one of the things I find so fascinating about HSCC.

Why Peter Cetera Is So Difficult to Cover

Perhaps the greatest challenge in covering “Glory of Love” is Peter Cetera’s distinctive voice.

It isn’t simply a matter of reaching the high notes. His voice is light and transparent without sounding fragile, and even as he climbs into the upper register, it retains its clarity and definition. That unmistakable quality lies at the heart of his ballads.

On the HSCC version, the lead vocal is handled by Glenn Cunningham.

Rather than trying to reproduce Cetera’s voice, Cunningham uses his own vocal character, moving smoothly through the demanding upper register.

The question isn’t whether he sounds like Peter Cetera. It’s whether the performance still feels completely natural as “Glory of Love.” To my ears, that is exactly where this cover succeeds.

My Take on the Lyrics

There’s something I want you to know.
I’ll stay beside you and never leave you alone.
If protecting you means standing up and fighting, I will.
I want to become the man you’ve always dreamed of.
To me, that is what love means.

First, Watch HSCC’s Version on YouTube

Official Video Credits
“Glory of Love” (Peter Cetera) — Cover
Performed by: The Hindley Street Country Club (HSCC)
Lead Vocal: Glenn Cunningham
Backing Vocal: Pina Del Re
Published on: HSCC Official YouTube Channel
In Two Lines
HSCC revisits one of Peter Cetera’s signature ballads with Glenn Cunningham’s soaring vocal and the band’s finely balanced live performance.
They preserve the melody and scale of the original while adding the warmth and immediacy of musicians playing together.

Peter Cetera, Chicago, and a New Beginning with “Glory of Love”

Peter Cetera joined Chicago in 1967 and spent many years as one of the band’s principal vocalists. He left the group in 1985, and the following year released “Glory of Love.”

The song was written by Peter Cetera, David Foster, and Diane Nini, with Michael Omartian serving as producer.

It was featured as the theme song for The Karate Kid Part II, helping it reach an audience far beyond Cetera’s established fans.

No. 1 in America — A Major Solo Success

In August 1986, “Glory of Love” spent two consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached No. 3 on the UK Official Singles Chart.

The following year, it was nominated for Best Original Song at the 59th Academy Awards. Cetera’s performance also earned a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male at the 29th Grammy Awards.

Coming so soon after his departure from Chicago, the success of “Glory of Love” firmly established Peter Cetera as a major solo artist.

Now Listen to Peter Cetera’s Original

Video Credits
Song: Glory of Love
Artist: Peter Cetera
Album: Solitude/Solitaire
Released: 1986
Written by: Peter Cetera, David Foster, Diane Nini
Produced by: Michael Omartian
Film: The Karate Kid Part II
In Two Lines
One of Peter Cetera’s signature songs, “Glory of Love” helped launch the next major chapter of his career after leaving Chicago.
Its crystalline high notes and gradual rise from a restrained opening to a sweeping chorus capture the essence of the 1980s power ballad.

What Kind of Love Does “Glory of Love” Describe?

The title “Glory of Love” suggests something grand and almost heroic. Yet the lyrics are not simply about the excitement or glamour of romance.

The narrator promises to stay beside the person he loves, never leave her alone, fight to protect her if necessary, and become the man she has always dreamed of.

The love described here is more than an emotion. It is expressed through commitment, action, and the determination to protect someone.

A Sense of Scale Made for the Movies

The lyrics are strikingly direct: he will protect her, fight for her, and become the hero she has been dreaming of.

The song even invokes the image of a “knight in shining armor.” By placing romantic love within this almost chivalric world, it gives the relationship a scale larger than that of an ordinary love song.

The music follows the same arc. It begins with restraint, gradually gathers weight, and finally opens up emotionally in the chorus. “Glory of Love” captures much of the grandeur that defined 1980s movie themes and power ballads.

The Voice That Defines “Glory of Love”

One of the most distinctive qualities of Peter Cetera’s singing is the way his voice opens up in the upper register.

He is not a singer who relies on sheer vocal weight. His voice is bright, clear, and slightly nasal, yet it seems to gain presence as the melody rises.

That quality is central to “Glory of Love.” Cetera begins relatively gently, then lets the vocal line climb toward the chorus, making the song feel increasingly expansive without losing its melodic clarity.

The Ballad Style He Carried from Chicago

Anyone familiar with Chicago songs such as “If You Leave Me Now” and “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” will recognize something unmistakably Cetera-like in “Glory of Love.”

The beautiful melody, the touch of melancholy in the harmony, and the vocal line rising into the upper register are all familiar elements. Although he had left Chicago, the qualities that shaped his finest ballads remained very much intact.

How Does HSCC Approach the Original?

The first thing I notice about HSCC’s version is that the band never seems interested in distancing itself from the original simply for the sake of being different.

Rather than radically changing the tempo or structure, they respect the melody and dramatic arc of the 1986 recording while adding the texture and immediacy of a live band.

Glenn Cunningham Doesn’t Try to Become Peter Cetera

Glenn Cunningham, at the center of this performance, has a different vocal character from Peter Cetera.

That difference works in his favor. Instead of imitating Cetera’s tone, Cunningham uses his own voice to preserve the height and sweep of the melody. Even in the demanding upper reaches of the chorus, he never seems to lose control or momentum.

He makes a difficult song sound effortless.

That natural ease is what draws me most strongly to this HSCC performance.

An Ensemble Built Around the Song

The same approach can be heard in the band. Guitar, keyboards, bass, drums, and percussion never seem to compete for attention; instead, they create a single flow around the vocal.

The arrangement remains relatively restrained at the beginning and gradually gains weight as it approaches the chorus. The result is a natural sense of lift without any need to force the tempo or overstate the dynamics.

Every musician is clearly accomplished. Yet when the performance ends, what stays with me is not the technique, but the song.

Respecting the Original Doesn’t Mean Copying It

Some covers completely reinvent the original. HSCC’s “Glory of Love” takes a different path.

They respect the melody and structure without trying to reproduce the 1986 recording note for note. Instead, a group of musicians shares the same space, listens to one another, and rebuilds the song through a live performance.

That is why, despite the familiarity of the song, it never feels as though I am simply replaying an old recording.

HSCC can take a song I have known for years, leave its essential character intact, and somehow make it feel like music being played in the present.

For me, “Glory of Love” is one of the performances that captures that quality particularly well.

Conclusion — A 40-Year-Old Classic, Alive Again in the Present

In 1986, “Glory of Love” reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and carried Peter Cetera onto a new stage of his career after Chicago.

The crystalline high notes, the rise from a restrained opening to a sweeping chorus, and the direct promise to protect the person he loves all belong unmistakably to the world of the 1980s power ballad.

Forty years later, HSCC brings the song back into the present through Glenn Cunningham’s vocal and the immediacy of a live band.

They preserve what made the original special while allowing it to live again through a different singer and a different group of musicians.

For me, HSCC’s “Glory of Love” is a performance that reminds me once again just how rewarding a great cover can be.