1986 No. 1 Hit Track Ranked Among 'Greatest Power Ballads in Rock History' Won an Oscar
One of the late '80s' biggest power ballads was actually created for one of Tom Cruise's highest-grossing films, and a classic. In 1986, new wave Los Angeles-based band Berlin performed the movie's title songs, which went on to win an Oscar, a Grammy, and was tagged as one of the best rock power ballads.
The action drama Top Gun cemented a young Cruise as one of Hollywood's A-list action stars. Based on an article by Ehud Yonay, the film follows Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Cruise), a young naval aviator. He and his radar intercept officer, Lieutenant Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), are given the chance to train at Top Gun, the Navy's top Fighter Weapons School.
Top Gun dominated the box office, grossing over $357 million, and went on to become a cult classic, with its innovative filming style of real Navy aircrafts. The film was also tagged as having one of the most popular movie soundtracks to date, with Berlin performing the power ballad "Take My Breath Away."
"Take My Breath Away" was ranked by UltimateClassicRock as one of the "greatest power ballads in rock history" at No. 28. While Giorgio Moroder was tasked with the hit track "Danger Zone," Top Gun co-producer wanted a song to match the romantic scenes between Cruise and Kelly McGillis. Moroder developed a demo track and handed it to lyricist Tom Whitlock, who developed the words while driving home one day.
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The power ballad was a hit among the director and producers, and was initially offered to The Motels. Moroder later decided Berlin was a better fit for the track after having worked with them on "No More Words."
Lead singer Terri Nunn said in a 2006 interview that Moroder said, "'I've got this great ballad, it's going to be the sound of the summer, it's going to be huge, you have to do it.' I was happy to go ahead, but John Crawford (the band's co-founder) hated it - he kept saying it just wasn't our sound or the right direction for us as a band, and that if we didn't write it we shouldn't record it."
Crawford would end up being wrong about the track, as "Take My Breath Away" topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts and was a hit in multiple countries. It would also land an Oscar win at the 59th Academy Awards for Best Original Song, beating "Glory of Love," "Life in a Looking Glass," "Mean Green Mother from Outer Space," and "Somewhere Out There."
That same year, it would also win a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. Berlin included the track in their album Count Three & Pray.
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This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 3:12 PM.