Of Creeps, Fire, Desire, Alison & Purple Munchkins: 100 Great Love Songs (20-1)
Feb 14 '04
The Bottom Line There's a little bit of something me in everything you.
Welcome to the last installment in my look at some of the most exquisite love songs of all time. Obviously, it was my intent to sequence the installments so that this last set arrived on Valentine's Day. As a hopeless romantic (in a tough shell with a gooey center), this particular holiday holds a lot of meaning for me, although I can honestly say that I've never actually spent a Valentine's Day within the confines of a relationship. I could go into further detail,but quite frankly, I'm feeling sorry enough for myself right now as it is, so I won't elaborate. Anyway, while I settle into the long wait for a soulmate, (and I'm not holding my breath) I bring you the final 20 of my 100 favorite love songs.
20. “Fire & Desire” Rick James & Teena Marie
”Love them and leave them...that's what I used to do...use and abuse them...”
Rick & Teena, unlike that other famous Motown duo, actually had a romantic history, which is why this song has such emotional resonance. It's a soap-opera worthy story-a guy and a girl who used to be lovers have a chance run-in. Each knows that the other meant something special to them, but there's no way to rekindle the relationship because they're both now involved with other people. After a spoken interlude, they unite for one last embrace, and Teena's wordless falsetto crooning at the end of this record takes it straight to slow jam heaven.
19. “How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?” Prince
”Everybody said that we should never part/So tell me baby why'd you have to go and break my heart?”
With only his searing falsetto and the percussive stomp of an old piano to guide him, this is probably the best-known of Prince's many excellent single B-sides (this was the flip side of the �” 45). Despondent over an unexplained breakup, Prince is trying to figure out what the hell happened. “It's just one lousy dime,” he says at the song's conclusion, “why don't you call me sometime?” A tortured classic.
18. “With Or Without You” U2
”Sleight of hand and twist of fate/On a bed of nails she makes me wait”
You don't know whether to kiss her or to kill her-I bet the same amount of relationships survive in that manner as falter in the same manner. Bono has never sounded as hurt or as tortured as he does when he screams wordlessly over the song's bridge, proving that you can capture a ton of emotion without uttering a single word.
17. “Alison” Elvis Costello
”Sometimes I wish that I could stop you from talking when I hear the silly things that you say/I think somebody better put out the big light, 'cause I can't stand to see you this way”
Alison was the one that got away. Elvis is the guy who wishes he could've kept her before she ran off and got married to some scrub. The normally hard-boiled Costello got all sincere (but not “too sentimental like those other sticky valentines”) on this slow-burning bluesy ballad that kicked off the “angry young songwriter” craze of the late 70's. His aim is true...
16. “Always & Forever” Heatwave
”Every day, love me your own special way/Melt all my heart away with a smile”
This tender plea of devotion is probably the most revered soul love song in history, and probably the most common wedding song for Black folks that got married in the late 70's or early 80's. The song's sumptuous arrangement is perfectly matched with the romantic-but-not corny lyrics and Johnnie Wilder's perfectly nuanced vocals, particularly as the song shifts slightly towards the end. This track's songwriter, Rod Temperton graduated from Heatwave to take writing credits on a few songs you may have heard before: “Rock With You”, “Off The Wall” and “Thriller”.
15. “One More Try” George Michael
”When you were just a stranger, and I was at your feet/I didn't feel the danger, now I feel the heat”
Any doubt that George Michael was a soul singer tucked inside a pop heartthrob's body was completely eliminated with this classic-soul styled smash. With a tempo so slow that it barely registers and some churchy-sounding organ work, this was the lament of a man who had just lost his very first love (his “teacher”, if you will). Yet another heart-rending vocal by Michael (enough to make the hairs on your neck stand up),. This song made George the only white vocalist (at this point) to have the #1 single and album on the pop & R&B charts simultaneously.
14. ”If You're Gone” matchbox twenty
”I think I'm finally scared now/You think I'm weak...I think you're wrong”
Despite the fact that I think the horn section is just a wee bit unnecessary, this probably remains the one love song that I can actually hear and be transported back to a specific relationship. You don't need to know the specifics of the relationship (and it may be the one relationship where I think I might've been the one that made the mistake), but suffice to say Rob Thomas perfectly captures the fear in entrusting your heart to someone else without knowing for sure whether they're gonna stick around with it. M20 have always been lumped in with a bunch of other generic pop/rock bands, but songwriting like this is what elevates them above the 3 Doors Downs and the Creeds of the world.
13. “Can You Stand The Rain?” New Edition
”A love unconditional/I'm not asking just of you/And girl to make it last/I'll do whatever needs to be done”
How did this song get up here? It's probably the simplest of all the songs in the top 20-a late 80's R&B ballad about sticking together through the tough times as well as the good times. All I can say is that sometimes simplicity works wonders. This song perfectly captured the raging emotions of my early teenage years, is given a thoughtful lyric and arrangement by Jam & Lewis (again), and features the cool juxtaposition of the boyish, pleading Ralph Tresvant against the chesty, mature vocal of Johnny Gill. It all adds up to what I consider the best love song of the high-top fade/Adidas era.
12. “Creep” Radiohead
”I want the perfect body, I want the perfect soul/I want you to notice when i'm not around/You're so f*cking special, I wish I was special”
From the new jack era to the grunge era. To me, it's all been downhill for Radiohead since their mildly disturbing, highly emotional debut single. Thom Yorke sounds like someone who is just about to go nuts because he can't get the attention of this person. Favorite moment: when the loud guitars kick in right before the chorus starts, giving the song a boost of electricity.
11. “All In Love Is Fair” Stevie Wonder
”All is fair in love/Love's a crazy game/Two people vow to stay/in love as one, they say”
In theory, Stevie could probably have held down 50 of the 100 spots here. He is unequivocally the best romantic songwriter ever (sorry, Smokey fans). He can also sing the hell out of them too. The ferocity with which he delivers the latter section of the song is amazing. For songs like this, we can forgive Stevie a million “I Just Called To Say I love You”s.
10. “Nothing Compares 2 U” Sinead O' Connor
”I know that living with me baby was sometimes hard, but I'm willing to give it another try”
Sometimes a great song can be misplaced in the mouth of the wrong vocalist. That's what happened when Prince spin-off The Family recorded this song in 1985. The result was an obscurity-albeit a very well-written obscurity. Thankfully, Irish she-devil Sinead rescued this song and gave it a bravura emotional performance, which couldn't even be topped when Prince decided to remake it himself. Criminally underrated as a pure singer, O' connor brought out the insecurity in the lyrics and turned it into a definitive reading of what has now become a modern classic.
9. “Careless Whisper” Wham!
”As the music dies, something in your eyes calls to mind a silver screen and all it's sad goodbyes”
Before he became a one-man Village people, George was known as a pretty damn good songwriter, the heir apparent to Elton John. This song, allegedly written when George was just a teenager not only proved his value as a songwriter, but started his annoying trend of giving his songs names that either didn't appear in the song at all or that only appeared once, buried in the verse. On this track, George is the picture of shame as someone who's just realized that he f*cked up his chance at true love. And who could forget the sax melody that runs throughout this song?
8. “I'd Die Without You” PM Dawn
”Is it my turn to totally understand/To watch you walk out of my life and not do a damn thing”
If PM Dawn's Prince Be wrote and sang songs like this, what the hell was he doing rapping? This haunting ballad opens with a beautiful piano vocal, followed by Be's hushed vocals. The song itself positions Be as someone who simply can't live without his other half. A beauty of a love song that came from a totally unexpected place, “Die” is an underrated love song from an expert pop craftsman.
.7. “In Your Eyes” Peter Gabriel
”I don't like to see so much pain...so much wasted...and this moment keeps slipping away”
If you see the doorway to 1,000 churches in someone's eyes, that's pretty deep stuff. On this song, Gabriel takes the “art” out of his somewhat pretentious art-rock and replaces it with a “heart”. A guest appearance by Youssou N'Dour and it's placing in a moving scene from the film “Say Anything” cement this song's position as a classic.
6. “A House Is Not Home” Luther Vandross
”When I climb the stairs and turn the key, you'll be there/Saying that you're still in love with me”
When you lose the one you really love, sometimes you have to scramble for meaning in your life. Luther's cover of this Dionne Warwick cover has now become the definitive version, due to Luther's dramatic reading of the lovelorn lyrics, particularly his cry of “i'm not MEANT...to live alone!!!” and his impassioned ad-libbing at the end of the song. This began Luther's legendary reputation as a master interpreter of others' songs and cemented him as the premiere love man of the past 25 years.
5. “Time After Time” Cyndi Lauper”
”After the picture fades and darkness has turned to grey/Watching through windows, I'm wondering if you're OK”
With versions by artists ranging from Miles Davis, Lil' Mo, matchbox twenty, Changing Faces and INOJ, this song (written by members of the 80's band The Hooters) has become something of a standard, and with good reason. “if you're lost, you can look and you will find me-time after time” are the words every heart needs to hear, and they could not have been communicated by anyone better than Cyndi lauper, a world-class vocalist whose skills were muted by her kooky image. Besides, none of the above cover versions are bad, proving that it's damn near impossible to screw up a well-written song.
4. “Just To Keep You Satisfied” Marvin Gaye
”I stood all the jealousy/all the b*tching too/Yes, I'd forget it all once in bed with you/Oh, darling, how could we end up like this?/Oh baby let me reminisce...”
Inspired by the falling apart of his first marriage (a prequel of sorts to “Here, My Dear”), Marvin decides that he's never loved anyone as much as he loved her, but they need to part anyway. The way he spaces out the words “guess it's time for us to say farewell” is heartbreaking. Marvin had a habit of laying out the ups and downs of his love life in his songs, and this was the cream of the crop, featuring stately doo-woppig background vocals by Motown b-listers The originals, “Just To keep You Satisfied” ends the otherwise horndoggish “Let's Get It On” album in dramatic, haunting fashion.
3. “How Deep Is Your Love” The Bee Gess
”You're the light in my deepest, darkest doubt/you're my savior when I fall...You may not think I care for you/When you know deep inside that I really do”
Though the Bee Gees are best known as polyester-suited, hairy disco relics, the first release from the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack was this beautiful ballad. The stunning wash of harmony with which they open the song is exceptional, and at various points during the song, they take flight wordless falsetto. “How Deep Is Your Love” is an excellent declaration of reassurance.
2. “I Can't Make You Love Me” Bonnie Raitt
”I close my eyes so i don't see/The love you don't feel when you're holding me/Morning will come and I'll do what's right/Just give me till then to give up this fight”
This is the rare song that has been given a definitive reading TWICE. Bonnie Raitt's original version not only features some exquisite piano work by bruce Hornsby, but Bonnie's bruised vocals perfectly inhabit the soul of this song. A few years later, George Michael grabbed this song and hit it out of the park, marking it as the single best moment of his 1997 “Unplugged” special. The key-as always-is the lyrics, as the singer realizes that despite their best efforts, love just ain't in the cards this time around. I forget the name of the guy, but it's hard to believe that this tearjerking ballad was co-written by an ex-NFL player.
OK, we've fallen in love, fallen out of love, and beaten the s*it out of Cupid with a stick. Now it's time to unveil what I consider the best love song of all time. I'm not gonna play any games, so let's just get straight to it. Besides, I'm tired of typing.
#1 on my list of 100 Great Love Songs is:
1. “Adore” Prince
”Without you there is no sea, without you there's no shore/'Love' is too weak to define how much I adore...you, child”
Proof that love is a greater power than anyone can fight, “Adore” shows infamous a*shole Prince finally getting turned out. “From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were the one,” he sings at the beginning of the song.Church organ and a beautiful horn arrangement accent this devotional ballad. The true sign that Prince has shed his “Little Red Corvette” & “Darling Nikki” ways is when he says that “baby this is serious, I ain't f***ing just for kicks”. Proof that even the baddest motherf*cker on the planet can turn into a vulnerable simp when pulverized by love, “Adore” is 6 ½ minutes of pure emotion, and as the definitive track on what may be the best album of it's decade, if not of it's generation (that would be “Sign O' The Times”), is definitely worthy of it's placing at the top of this list. If you haven't heard this song before, buy it, download it and try not to be moved.
That concludes my list. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it This is the speeddemon, signing off, and wishing all the lovers in the house a very happy Valentine's day.
Again, thanks for reading.
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Flamepillar's Love Songs 101: 40-21
Flamepillar's Love Songs 101: 20-1
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