Romance With A Capital R -- WHOO BOY Look Out For Landmines. Jan 13 '03    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast From $8 Mai by Eri Sugai From $4 The Bottom Line Romance encapsulates many different aspects beyond lovey dovey. Oh boy are y'all in trouble. They capitalized that R. Small "r" romance means K-Tel presents Air Supply's Greatest Hits (if you're too young, be thankful). Capital R Romance encompasses not just sweet love but bittersweet yearning, bittersweet yearning alloyed with the bile of rejection, failure. All kinds of self doubt and insecurity can run rampant. Then there's the loneliness that drives us to seek love. Or whiskey. But I doubt epinions is ever going to offer a category to write about really amazing drinking songs. So its probably off topic to mention One Whiskey, One Bourbon, One Beer; Family Tradition, It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels, Moonshiner, whoops. Okay -- for when you want to set the night to great jazz and dance with your lover in the wind. PUT DOWN that KENNY G!! Your mate wants you to think out of the box, and I don't meant the box set. Stop it! Miles Davis "Kind of Blue". Beautiful AND haunting. You can play it for both those times when your holding your girl close AND for when she's dumped your sorry azz for someone better. "Just Like A Woman" by Bob Dylan. An ensconced-in-sorrowful bitterness ode (or is it an ode to bitterness)touching on profound break-up insecurities "please don't let on that you knew me when I was hungry and it was your world." "Silly Love Songs" by Paul McCartney And Wings. Possibly the greatest pop tune ever with an indelible bass line. "I Want To Be Your Boyfriend" by The Ramones. "Loretta" by Townes Van Zandt. At certain times in certain circumstances, there's no better love than the love of a bar maid who serves drinks to your broken heart. "Silver Dagger" by Dolly Parton. "Don't sing love songs. You'll wake my mother." Heartbreak from a cheating man, and the mother fills daughter's ear with distrustful poison. "Ring of Fire" by June Carter Cash (most famous version performed by Johny Cash). Cash performed the song for years before he realized June wrote it about him. D'oh. Stupid y chromosome. "Little Things" by Dean Martin. An amazing simple song, a mere cataloging with a devastating chorus "the only thing different/the only thing new/I got these little things/and he's got you." Think of that one next time you look at a pic of your ex or listen to a song she and you both enjoyed. "Boxful of Letters" by Wilco. A distant cousin, if not in actual melody or drive, than in lyrical intent with Little Things. "Learning How To Love You" by John Hiatt off of the album "Bring The Family", an album chock full of hard-earned songs about the realities of not just wide-eyed puppy love, but the moment-to-moment times when love is so important its worth waiting for it and being patient for it to come back around. Great opening lyric "I'm 34 years old now. And I've come to you." "Lets Get It On" You're trying to make it with a woman and try a new move without the help of Motown? What shall we call you? Homer? "Ode To Billy Joe". Sometimes you love someone, sometimes you hate them. Sometimes you have to dump their body off the Talahatchee Bridge. My theory is that the narrator had a psychotic break and was actually talking about herself. I've thought about that song so much, debated it, argued it, loved Bobbie Gentry's husky dark and IMO CONFESSIONAL voice, that illuminates something about love. I love every nuance adn corner of this song. Sometimes it eludes me, goes nowhere. It speaks to me and lumines in firework spades. Sometimes it just shuts it mouth and I shut my mouth and we don't talk. I won't listen to it for weeks. In a nutshell, a complex relationship with a five minute song illuminating the processes of love in real life.

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