“Is This Love” wasn’t just another power ballad—it was Whitesnake’s velvet-gloved knockout punch in 1987. A song so smooth it could slip past your defenses before the solo hit. Coverdale croons like a man who’s both winning and losing at love, while the guitars shimmer with studio polish instead of barroom grit. This 12-inch maxi-single stretched that heartache to its full cinematic scope—backed by the ghost of the blues, the muscle of the '80s, and just enough gloss to blind the purists.
In 1987, rock stood at a crossroads between the molten intensity of heavy metal and the shimmering polish of pop accessibility. The world was witnessing the twilight of the Cold War, the rise of MTV-driven spectacle, and an age when image mattered as much as sound. Amidst this, Whitesnake — fronted by the ever-charismatic David Coverdale — released “Is This Love,” a single that distilled the decade’s fusion of vulnerability and grandeur into four and a half minutes of radio gold. The song emerged during a period when the band, like many of its peers, was reshaping its identity to fit a world enamored with big choruses, glossy production, and heart-on-sleeve sentiment.
“Is This Love” sits at the sweet intersection of hard rock and the power ballad — a genre hybrid that dominated the charts in the mid-to-late 1980s. This was the age of Def Leppard’s “Hysteria,” Bon Jovi’s “Slippery When Wet,” and Europe’s “The Final Countdown.” The formula was irresistible: soaring vocals, emotive guitar lines, and studio perfectionism. Whitesnake’s contribution added a blues undertone, rooted in Coverdale’s early influences with Deep Purple, but wrapped in the sleek production sheen that came with the era’s studio advancements.
“Is This Love” is less about pyrotechnics and more about tone — the kind of lush, slow-burning melody that thrives on emotional tension. Beneath the radio polish lies a well of longing and introspection. John Sykes’ guitar work balances restraint and release, while Coverdale’s voice alternates between silk and steel. Producer Mike Stone’s crisp engineering and Keith Olsen’s refined mix allowed every instrument to breathe, emphasizing warmth over aggression. The result was a love song dressed in leather — intimate yet theatrical, fragile yet defiant.
David Coverdale and John Sykes penned the track, continuing their creative collaboration from Whitesnake’s self-titled 1987 album. Keith Olsen, whose production credits include Fleetwood Mac and Heart, joined forces with Mike Stone — known for his precision rock craftsmanship — to deliver a sound that could conquer both radio and arena. Martin Birch, the veteran who had shaped the sonic identity of Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, and earlier Whitesnake releases, produced the B-side tracks “Standing in the Shadows” and “Need Your Love So Bad.” Birch’s approach kept the band anchored in authenticity while Olsen and Stone propelled it into a sleeker, modern dimension. The balance between these production philosophies is what gives the single its enduring power.
Whitesnake had undergone multiple incarnations by 1987. Originally formed in 1978 by David Coverdale after leaving Deep Purple, the band began as a blues-rock outfit with earthy grooves and Hammond organ warmth. Over time, as the 1980s dawned, the lineup evolved — sometimes tumultuously — with members like Micky Moody, Bernie Marsden, and later John Sykes shaping its changing sound. By the mid-’80s, Coverdale had streamlined the band toward a harder-edged, more Americanized sound, positioning Whitesnake alongside Def Leppard and Foreigner on global stages. The “Is This Love” single symbolized that transition — emotional depth meeting commercial clarity.
While adored by fans, “Is This Love” also drew criticism from purists who saw it as the moment Whitesnake surrendered its blues soul to MTV gloss. The video — drenched in soft focus and starring Coverdale’s then-partner Tawny Kitaen — became an emblem of the era’s glam excess. Critics accused the band of overproduction and self-indulgence, but audiences saw something else: a band capable of both power and passion. The controversy only amplified its success, propelling the song to the top of international charts and embedding it into the DNA of 1980s rock culture.
“Is This Love” remains one of Whitesnake’s most defining moments — a paradox of vulnerability wrapped in steel-string confidence. It exemplified an era when the studio became both laboratory and stage, when rock embraced its theatrical instincts without apology. While other bands faded with the decade, Whitesnake’s single endured — not merely as a product of its time, but as a crystallization of its contradictions: soft meets hard, love meets bravado, and heart meets amplifier.
Hard Rock / Blues Rock (American)
A signature blend of late-1980s hard rock infused with blues-inspired melody and emotional vocal performance. The production style reflects the polished arena-rock sound that defined the era of big hooks and even bigger hair.
EMI Records Ltd – 12EMI 5606
Standard glossy sleeve printed in Holland by EMI Services Benelux B.V., Uden.
Record Format: 12" Vinyl Stereo Maxi-Single
1987 – Netherlands
Recorded and mixed for Whitesnake Overseas Productions Ltd.
EMI Services Benelux, Uden – Netherlands
Disclaimer: Track durations are not printed on this edition. This Dutch EMI 12" maxi-single includes both re-recorded and remixed 1987 versions of Side B tracks.
The cover of Whitesnake’s 12-inch Maxi-Single “Is This Love” radiates 1980s hard rock allure and emotional drama. At its center, vocalist David Coverdale gazes directly at the viewer, framed by a gold ornamental border that contrasts against a dark, marble-textured background shot through with lightning-like veins of blue and white. His blond, feathered hair, sculpted shoulders, and studded black leather vest project both confidence and sensuality.
The typography balances elegance and power: Whitesnake appears across the top in bold white gothic-style lettering, while the title “Is This Love” glows below in a softer, icy-blue serif font. Together, they suggest both strength and yearning — the essence of the song itself. The composition reflects EMI’s late-1980s design sensibility, where glossy visuals met emotional immediacy, capturing the era’s fascination with rock glamour and romantic intensity.
The overall effect is cinematic and intimate, evoking the tension between rock bravado and heartfelt vulnerability. It is not merely an album cover but a portrait of transformation — of a band refining its image for global stardom while keeping one foot rooted in the smoky, blues-soaked origins that first defined its sound.
The back cover of Whitesnake’s 12-inch Maxi-Single “Is This Love” captures the theatrical essence of late-1980s rock. A powerful photograph of David Coverdale, taken by Neal Preston, dominates the right side: he’s caught mid-performance, microphone in hand, with his golden hair illuminated by a sharp blue-white backlight that carves his silhouette from the surrounding darkness. The metallic shimmer of his leather outfit and studded belt amplifies the era’s glam-rock visual flair.
On the left, the design adopts a minimalist structure: white text against black, listing the full track sequence — “Is This Love” on Side A, and the re-recorded “Standing in the Shadows (1987)” and “Need Your Love So Bad (1987)” on Side B. The credits name Mike Stone, Keith Olsen, and Martin Birch as producers, reflecting a rare convergence of three major studio forces of the decade.
Below, EMI’s legal and distribution details note pressing in Holland by EMI Services Benelux B.V., with French distribution via EMI Pathé Marconi S.A. The visual dialogue between precision typography and explosive live imagery mirrors the band’s duality — part studio refinement, part untamed stage energy — encapsulating Whitesnake’s global rise in the late ’80s rock pantheon.
This close-up of the record label for Whitesnake’s “Is This Love” 12-inch Maxi-Single showcases a quintessential EMI design from the late 1980s. The cream-toned surface provides a neutral backdrop for sharply printed black text, achieving clarity and elegance. The Whitesnake logo crowns the top, its stylized gothic type contrasting with the minimal production text below.
The track information lists “Is This Love” (Coverdale/Sykes) with a runtime of 4:41, produced by Mike Stone for Mike Stone Enterprises and Keith Olsen for Pogologo Productions on behalf of Whitesnake Overseas Productions Ltd. The 45 RPM and stereo indicators are clearly marked, accompanied by performance rights logos from GEMA and STEMRA.
Along the outer edge, the fine legal text encircles the label, stating manufacturing and copyright control under EMI Records Ltd. The red EMI logo anchors the bottom, providing a visual counterpoint to the circular layout and affirming the label’s identity as a hallmark of precision European vinyl craftsmanship.
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