"Love of a Lifetime" is a song performed by the American rock band FireHouse. It was the band's third single and its highest-charting single in the United States, entering the Billboard Hot 100 June 29, 1991 at No. 81 and peaking at No. 5 the week of September 28, 1991. It is also the band's first and most popular power ballad. The song was written by vocalist C. J. Snare and guitarist Bill Leverty. The song is arguably what FireHouse is most known for, and has been used as a first dance song at countless weddings since its release. In a 2005 interview, Snare commented "now I have the benefit of time to look back over this and there isn't a show that goes by where people don't come up to us and are like "'Love of a Lifetime' - we got married to that song!"

Origin

The song was written by C. J. Snare; he wrote it while playing solo gigs at a Holiday Inn. When the band brought the demos for their first album to Epic Records, the label felt that the album needed a stronger ballad. Snare said "I remember raising my hand sheepishly and saying 'Well, I have a song...,' so we played it for them and they absolutely loved it and it did become a big hit."

Cover versions

The project Collage recorded the song in 1998 and released it as a single. It peaked at No. 4 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and was the last single released by the project. Country singer Katie Armiger recorded a cover version on her eponymous first album in 2007.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications