1984 Power Ballad, Originally a Defining Rock Anthem, Became a No. 1 Hit

In 1984, REO Speedwagon released this iconic power ballad, and it became a career-defining hit for them.

"Can't Fight This Feeling" by the American rock band first appeared on their 1984 album, Wheels Are Turnin', as their second single. The song, which was written by REO Speedwagon's lead singer, Kevin Cronin, was inspired by the heartbreak he felt when he became attracted to a girl in his friend group.

"There was a group of us who would hang out together ... and she was always there," he told The Palm Beach Post in 2007. "Eventually, she and I were becoming friends, but there was no hanky-panky going on. The more I got to know her, the more I liked her, but I couldn't say anything about it."

The power ballad rose to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1985 and stayed there for three straight weeks. It eventually became REO's second and longest-running No. 1 single.

"Can't Fight This Feeling" took several years to write

Cronin started writing the verses years before the single came out, and created a demo of it when he briefly left REO Speedwagon in 1973 for three years due to creative differences and missed rehearsals.

REO's drummer, Alan Gratzer, told The Billings Gazette that it "was Kevin's song."

"It took a few years to come up with the lyrics," the now 77-year-old musician said. "It's about a relationship he had."

Cronin ended up expressing his feelings to the woman, and they ended up having a great relationship, though it didn't last. They remained great friends after the breakup.

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Who are REO Speedwagon?

Formed in Illinois in 1967, REO Speedwagon (or simply known as REO) cultivated its following during the 1970s, but didn't achieve mainstream success until the 1980s.

The original members Neal Doughty, Gratzer and Mike Blair met in 1966 while they were students at the University of Illinois, Champaign. Their band name was inspired by the REO Speed Wagon truck designed by Ransom Eli Olds in 1915. Throughout their college days, they performed covers in campus bars, frat parties and university events. Eventually, REO locked down their final lineup and released their self-titled debut album in 1971.

REO Speedway had their big break when their best-selling album, Hi Infidelity, was released in 1980. Containing four U.S. Top 40 hits and selling more than 10 million copies, it peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for 15 weeks. It eventually became the biggest-selling album of 1981 and was certified 10 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Despite their success, some fans were disappointed in the shift REO made going into the 1980s.

"In the 1970s, we were the Midwest rock band everyone was rooting for in America ... In 1981, we had a huge album with Hi Infidelity, and you'd have thought all those fans who'd been willing us to get the breakthrough would have been delighted for us. Not a bit of it," Cronin told Louder last month. "We got a major blacklash over here. People turned on us. It was as if they resented their big secret band suddenly being the property of the mainstream."

Old and new fans seem to have turned around a few years later, when REO released Wheels Are Turnin', which included "Can't Fight This Feeling" and three other singles: "One Lonely Night," "Live Every Moment" and "I Do' Wanna Know."

After years of producing studio albums, multiple lineup changes, band members' health issues and deaths, REO announced in September 2024 that they would stop touring later that year. Since then, they have only had two public reunions, most recently being on March 7th at the opening of an exhibit honoring Gary Richrath, one of the group's early guitarists who passed away in 2015, at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.

Despite not being an active band anymore, their songs and impact are still felt today.

"Everyone goes, 'Oh my god, he just wrote the way I feel,'" Cronin told Palm Beach Post. "It's pretty overwhelming and pretty humbling to think people have that feeling about songs we've recorded."

Related: 1984 Classic Hit Ranked ‘Greatest Power Ballad' of All Time

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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 4:02 PM.