Michael Bolton — Love Is A Wonderful Thing

JUL 01 1991 · 12:00

Michael Bolton — Love Is A Wonderful Thing (1991) Director: Dominic Sena Era: Adult Contemporary Pop-Soul Peak (1991) - The apex of blue-eyed soul crossover dominance; Bolton's polished, emotive pop-R&B style commanded mainstream radio and MTV rotation in equal measure, representing the adult contemporary format at its commercial zenith. High curatorial value as a confirmed-director Propaganda Films production representing the adult contemporary pop-soul apex of 1991, with documented chart significance (#4 Hot 100, AC #1), landmark legal legacy (largest music plagiarism award at time of ruling), and a directorial pedigree (Sena) that links this clip to the broader Propaganda Films canon alongside Janet Jackson, Sting, and Bryan Adams. The quantitative fingerprint — rapid editing (1.59s avg shot), vibrant saturation (143.16), warm color temperature, and strong motion score (8.64) — makes it a rich data point for computational music video research. Context: Released April 1991 as the second single from Bolton's seventh studio album 'Time, Love & Tenderness' (Columbia Records), this video arrived at the commercial apex of adult contemporary pop-soul crossover culture. The song peaked at #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100, topped the Adult Contemporary chart, and reached #25 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs — reflecting Bolton's remarkable cross-demographic appeal. The video's Phoenix, AZ location shoot, directed by Propaganda Films co-founder Dominic Sena, exemplifies the era's investment in cinematic music video production as a primary marketing instrument. The song subsequently became the subject of what was at the time the largest copyright infringement award in music industry history ($5M+), after a 1994 jury found similarities to the Isley Brothers' 1964 composition of the same name — making this video an artifact at the intersection of pop commerce and landmark IP law. Director notes: Confirmed directed by Dominic Sena and shot on location in Phoenix, Arizona, as documented by Wikipedia and corroborated by IMDb (tt7573454), IMVDb, and FilmAffinity. Released April 1991 in the United States. Runtime approximately 4 minutes. The video was produced during Sena's peak Propaganda Films period, when his high-production-value approach — combining cinematic camera movement with rapid intercutting — was the industry benchmark. The warm saturation (143.16) and golden color temperature align with Sena's documented preference for visually arresting, commercially polished aesthetics informed by his parallel career in Nike, IBM, and Apple advertising. The rapid shot length (1.59s avg) is consistent with Sena's kinetic editing sensibility observed across his music video catalog.