LOVE SONGS 101: The Top 101 Love Songs (60-41)
Nov 29 '03 (Updated Feb 15 '04)
The Bottom Line Do you remember the time?
#101-#81
#80-#61
The Gratuitous Intro
Sorry ya had to wait so long! Didn't want to keep your Thanksgiving weekend too busy or anything, and mine was pretty busy itself. Now that we are passing the halfway mark, it's getting tougher and tougher to arrange these suckers. But alas, here we go...
60.) "Missing You" Dan Fogelberg
Ohhh if I had you beside me
Then I just might sleep through the night
Your love is the promise that guides me
All of the days of my life
Dan Fogelberg isn't all about ballads any more than Air Supply is, as evidenced by this driving rockish midtempo rant. Dan sounds as lonely as ever, and obviously anxious to bring things back to the way they used to be. I love the stark instrumentation and driving string sections, not to mention the great guitar solo.
59.) "Hole Hearted" Extreme
Rivers flow into the sea, yet even the sea is not so full of me
If I'm not blind why can't I see
That a circle can't fit where a square should be
There's a hole in my heart that can only be filled by you
Matchbox 20 totally lifted the beginning of this song (rhythmically speaking) on "3AM". Chances are you know the song "More Than Words", well this is by the same guys, and it's pretty damn cool. This song is kind of a bumpy ride, with some bluesy guitar riffage as its driving force, and a chorus that makes you wanna play it from the highest mountain for the one you love. The coolest part is, you can hear the sound of rain in the background after the song is finished.
58.) "Why Don't You And I" Santana & Alex Band
Why don't you and I hold each other
Fly to the moon and straight on to Heaven
'Cause without you they're never gonna let me in
Many thanks to all who offered suggestions... unfortunately, I can't accomodate a song that I'm not at least a long time familiar with. The exceptions to this are very, and I'm talking extremely rare. "Why Don't You And I" is one of them, and even this song I've known for almost six months. Alex is a gifted vocalist, and if he can put out more rock-oriented tracks like this one and utilize his naturally low range so well as he does here, he could go a long way. It is because of this song, that I brought a screenplay to life. Special thanks also go to Becky, who made this song beautiful for me :)
57.) "Too Late To Turn Back Now" Cornelius Bros. & Sister Rose
I found myself wanting her at least ten times a day
It's so unusual for me to carry on this way
I can't sleep at night, I'm wanting to hold her tight
I've tried so hard to convince myself
That this feeling just can't be right, but I'm telling ya.
Had this song come out recently, it would be getting completely blasted for its overproduction. I don't know if there is a song in existence that lays that melodic limburger on more thick than this one. Thankfully, the melody is sweet enough that, for me, it's not anything like limburger but more like a tasty bowl of melted Cheez Whiz. The lyrics are the Tostitos in this case, keeping things very straightforward and simple. And as with many oldies, the female backing vocals make the song.
56.) "I Know You're Out There Somewhere" Moody Blues
The secret of your beauty and the mystery of your soul
I've been searching for in everyone I meet
And the times I've been mistaken, it's impossible to say
And the grass is growing underneath our feet
I know you're out there somewhere
This is the song that started it all, as if you haven't heard that a billion times! Thanks to Dad's mix tape and this song, my love of music was brought to its fruition on that fateful night. The Moody Blues are not as "weird" as you might think by their previous work and all. This is a very simple upbeat pop song with all the requisite elements and some excellent vocal from Justin Hayward. Just wait'll he harmonizes that chorus in the second half -- MAN, goosebump city!
55.) "Again" Janet Jackson
Don't think I can take the pain, never fall again
Kinda late in the game and my heart is in your hands
Don't you stand there and then tell me you love me
Then leave again
'Cause I've fallen in love with you again
Hold me, hold me
Although I'm not a big fan of Janet, this song is another one of those that, in recent times, ya know, "gets" me. The piano intro (and outro) are just lovely, and Janet sings with unfathomable passion here. I just can't believe I never noticed how powerfully a singer could bring it home before. As you can tell by the lyrics, it's kind of a bittersweet shot in the dark, but you really want her to get him back, and that's tough to pull off in a music industry that I think maybe expects too much of its women.
54.) "In The Absence of Sun" Duncan Sheik
I don't want to feel this way, no
I don't want to say I'm just a friend
I don't want to wait around here
'Cause you don't want to feel no pain again
We just lie about it
As we become shadows of ourselves.
With guitars barely audible, Duncan jump-starts this song in typical style, with a voice that is beautifully imperfect. Although I use the expression "jump-starts", there is nothing even remotely upbeat about this song. This is the kind of slow ballad you would hear while looking out the window at the falling snow, and seeing nothing but snow for as far as the eye can see. This one's got some unusual string arrangements, but a very elegant tune that grows on you slowly but surely.
53.) "Down Low" R. Kelly
Beautiful you are, but you're his by far
Comin' by my way, drivin' his fancy car
No, I'm not exactly an avid R&B listener, I'm just another one of those couch potatoes who happened to discover this song because of its tragic video. But the song is just amazing. The played-up piano parts contrast the otherwise smooth, silky progression. R-haus brings it home with an odd foreboding in his voice. And I do believe this is the slowest song on my list, for anyone who's keeping track!
52.) "Everything You Want" Vertical Horizon
He's everything you want, he's everything you need
He's everything inside of you that you wish you could be
He says all the right things at exactly the right time
But he means nothing to you and you don't know why.
I guess it takes a real egomaniac to think of himself as the "he" in this song, but that was what I thought the first time I heard it. And seeing another guy out there talk like this, like he knew he had everything to offer but just couldn't get past that first step, well, by now you know what I was feeling. It's not so much that the protagonist of the song is upset by what he's losing, but he is upset by what she's losing. Egomaniacal, no matter how you look at it. Fans of Toby Keith's "How Do You Like Me Now" (which almost made this list, for shyts N giggles) will probably dig.
51.) "Godsend" DC Talk
You're a Godsend, a blessing from above
You've been Godsent to me
They may be a Christian band, but DC Talk proved with this little gem that they knew the one two three of crafting a beautiful love song. This song possesses all the soul of a typical Stevie Wonder song, with just the right dash of DC's unavoidable rock element. The result is a gorgeous starry-eyed concoction of a fine rock/soul fusion. Bring it on, boys.
50.) "Better Man" Pearl Jam
She lies and says she's in love with him
Can't find a better man
This would be the other "third party" song. Vedder never asserts that he himself has feelings for the girl; for all we know it could be his sister. What's keeping her with him, who knows. Sometimes love makes you do some really stupid things. I've seen it more than my share of times! While this song might be more on the pop scale than most of PJ's work, it still flies above and beyond most of the corporate rock shat out by lesser groups of individuals (never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups, they say).
49.) "Remember The Time" Michael Jackson
Do you remember the time when we fell in love
Do you remember the time when we first met, girl
This song is simply a guilty pleasure of mine, coming from a time in my life when I was really starting to discover who I was and who I wasn't. It's got jazzy harmonies, a danceable beat and a groundbreaking video. And it is one of the last truly great songs Michael Jackson put out before things started to go all different on him. No matter what he may or may not have done, this song still carries a memorable beauty.
48.) "The Boy" Smashing Pumpkins
I can't stop, I can't breathe, I can't think
I'm in love again
One of the Smashing Pumpkins' hidden gems rests comfortably out of the reach of otherwise unattainable expectation, as a B-side to the 1979 Single. The catch is that James Iha leads the song with his delightfully enamored vocal. The sparse production and unbalanced feel of the song only contribute to its raw, yet innocent feel. This song has been a favorite of mine ever since the first time I laid ears on it.
47.) "Somebody's Baby" Jackson Browne
Well just look at that girl with the lights comin' up in her eyes
She's got to be somebody's baby
The lyrical twist in this song is pure genius. First, he's looking at her, noticing all these wonderful things about her, and then coming to the conclusion that she's "got to be somebody's baby". But then, THEN, the song switches over to her point of view. She's walking along with her friends, and he overhears her. She says she's got to be somebody's baby. As with a lot of 80's songs, this one has a soft charm about it.
46.) "Tearin' Up My Heart" N*Sync
It's tearin up my heart when I'm with you
And when we are apart I feel it too
And no matter what I do I feel the pain
With or without you
Go on, shoot me. This is just a damn good song, no matter where or from whom it came. The beat and the bass almost seem to be one and the same. The harmonizing by the boys (excuse me, Kristina's boys) is so closely knit, you'd think it was ..(gasp!) artificial. Not here, baby. This song makes great use of its chords; not since "Motownphilly" have I heard one that creates the same euphoric atmosphere amongst all the ado about nothing. And I think you'd be surprised how hard this song is to sing at Karaoke.
45.) "The World I Know" Collective Soul
So I walk up on high and I stop to the edge
To see my world below
And I laugh at myself while the tears roll down
'Cause it's the world I know
Another one of those songs that is made better by its video. If you haven't seen it, you should. For as slow of a song as it is, boy is it ever tough to resist air drumming. This song has a U2ish vibe going on in some parts; in others it sounds rich and elegant with subtly placed strings. But those could be the same parts for all I care. This is a beautiful song, and don't let nobody tell you otherwise.
44.) "Building A Mystery" Sarah McLachlan
Oh you're so beautiful with an edge and a charm
And so careful when I'm in your arms
It is that second line there that got this song on here in the first place, and the remainder of the song that elevated it to where it is now (originally it was #59). There are a lot of religious references in the lyrics, more than I can count! But beneath the surface (heh) it seems to be a love song for a guy who is "building a mystery". It might be serendipitous that this song came out around the same time as the movie "Conspiracy Theory", in which Mel Gibson has feelings for Julia Roberts, and when she comes to his apartment, she finds out that he has all kinds of pictures of her on his walls. It's kind of creepy, but even this song refers to vampires so there ya go! I just always thought it was fascinating, as the video implied, that this guy had all kinds of proof and labors of love going on in his secret place, and it's only a matter of time before she comes along and sees the "mystery" that he's been building for her. But I'm sure I'm way off the mark!
43.) "Heartbreaker" Dionne Warwick
Why do you have to be a heartbreaker
When I was being what you want me to be?
Suddenly everything I ever wanted has passed me by
More than anything else, it is the burst of synthesizers in the beginning (and before the last chorus) that I love about this song. Aside from that, though, there's plenty else to like -- it's irresistibly catchy and singalongable, Dionne's harmonizing is better than you might imagine, the words are fantastically straightforward, and I don't have enough unrequited songs from the female side anyway, so there you go.
42.) "If You Could Only See" Tonic
If you could only see the way she loves me
Then maybe you would understand
Why I feel this way about our love
And what I must do
Originally, lead singer Emerson Hart wrote this song for his mother, because she objected to his hooking up with this girl. This song manages to be both intense (in the way that many of Tonic's songs are) and nicely mournful in a way. Emerson only hints at a scowl now and then, but otherwise sounds devastated that he feels he has to make a choice between which is the most important. Instead, he opts to plead for peace. I guess this is one of the few times you could realistically hope for that, and so this song comes only two notches short of the top 40.
41.) "More Than A Woman" Bee Gees
Here in your heart I've found my paradise
My only chance for happiness
If it makes you feel any better, I had to pick one out of 41 songs to dump out of the top 40 and this ended up being the one. You don't know how much I hated to do it though. While the Bee Gees do have some of the most nutless (or nutty, or nutcrunched) voices this side of the galaxy, the fact is they knew how to harmonize those voices to great effect. Especially on this song. Couple that with an irresistible beat and a sweet (sweet in THAT way, too) disco melody, you just couldn't go wrong. Besides, if Johnny 5 likes it, it can't be that bad!
And a word of trivia before we head into the Top 40 -- did you know that Nedipooh, when she was younger and "More Than A Woman" was popular, used to think they were saying "Four Letter Woman"? Pretty funny, huh? See ya real soon!
#40-#21
#20-#1
Toodle-oo!
Mike's Love Songs 100-81
Mike's Love Songs 80-61
Mike's Love Songs 60-41
Mike's Love Songs 40-21
Mike's Love Songs 20-1
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