14 Songs For A Valentine Feb 14 '07    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 All you need is love, and all that good stuff. Here we go-Valentine’s Day has come once again. The day that some people love, but many more loathe because they’re either single or in a relationship and are scrambling to find that “perfect” gift or plan the “perfect” day for their significant other. In honor of the holiday, I've decided to compile a list of 14 songs on the subject of romance. However, I’m refraining from picking songs that showcase the more cynical and bitter side of love-we’ve got enough cynicism in the world as it is. Instead, I will focus on songs that showcase love in an overall more positive light. Put these songs on with your loved ones, or put them on and think of people that mean something special to you. Here goes… 14. “Mayor Of Simpleton”-XTC “And I may be the mayor of Simpleton, but I know one thing, and that’s I love you…” Social standings suck, don’t they? Popular people are meant to stay with each other, the geeks stay in their own corner, jocks band together, etc., etc. Been there, experienced that, yeah, not fun. However, in this rather upbeat, jangly, self-deprecatingly charming song, all that changes for once. Hooray! Sure, the guy may not know much about reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic-he can’t even write a hit song, as he flat out admits! What you see is what you get with him. And because of his lack of proper schooling, the girl’s friends can’t seem to understand why she’d waste her time with him. But these two are smart enough to know that all that matters is that they love each other, and to hell with what everyone else says. I think many people out there could easily relate to this song-I know I sure can. 13. “In A Little While”-U2 “Slow down my beating heart, slowly, slowly, love…” U2’s love songs are a bit tough to pick from, because they usually tend to have some of the good and the not-so-good mixed in. Not that that’s a bad thing, necessarily, ‘cause, you know, relationships aren’t always perfect. But since we’re focusing on positive love songs today, this one is probably the best one to pick. Over a gentle, looping guitar and soft drums and bass, Bono talks about how in a little while, things will be good, because he’ll be back with his girl. He even makes a slight reference to his wife of 20 plus years with the lines about a girl whom he's known her for years. And the quoted part in italics above is absolutely touching-you can picture a couple swaying gently as a person whispers those words into their lover’s ears. This is one that never fails to bring a smile to my face when I hear it. 12. “Runaway”-The Corrs “I’m never gonna stop falling in love with you…” From one Irish band to another. If I were ever going to work up the guts to sing/dedicate a love song to a guy, this would be my choice. This song has actually brought a tear or two to my eye before-the idea that one person can inspire that strong a devotion is rather amazing, if I may get sappy for a moment. Add in the violins and the gentle yet insist drums, and I can actually imagine a couple out in the hills of Ireland (or any other romantic spot) just running hand in hand, happy as can be. Plain and simple, I hope to have a love like this someday. 11. “It Must Be Love”-Madness “I’ve got to be near you every night, every day…” One of the great things about love is watching people get all giddy and excited at the mere thought of the person they adore, to the point where they're ready to shout it from the rooftops. This song gives off that exact feeling perfectly, with the bouncy verses showing the aforementioned giddiness, and then the “rooftop declaration” chorus, with the repetitive belting out of “love, love” at times throughout. I adore the piano here, it’s sprightly and adds to the fun of everything. The strings give the song the romantic touch it needs. This guy sounds utterly thrilled at this thing called love, and you know, I’m happy for him, too. 10. “If It’s Love”-Squeeze “If it’s love, then my teeth are clean for a change…” An oddly charming line from this song-not only can love make us want to shout about how happy we are, it can also make us want to change our entire appearance as well. Like the guy in the previous song, Glenn Tilbrook also seems to be in a bit of shock as he lists all the things that make one realize, “Wow, I’m in love!”, such as feeling as though you’re walking on air, writing in your diary more often, staying up late thinking about the person-all those subtle little sorts of changes. Love the chorus of everyone joining in at the end, too-the shock’s worn off and it’s become one big celebration here as well. 9. “Here Comes My Girl”-Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers “Yeah, she looks so right, she is all I need tonight…” Not all love songs have to have piano and strings and be all slow and “swoon worthy”. Tom Petty was able to make a love song rock. The guitar, drums, and bass come together to give the song a sort of swaggering beat, allowing you to picture the object of Tom’s affection strutting down the street towards him or something. This girl must be something special, too, because Tom’s sitting there talking about how there’s days when life seems to get him down and he worries too much about stuff and he wonders whether he’ll ever make his life amount to anything...until this girl comes along to reassure him that everything will be okay, and she’ll stick by him through thick and thin. Thanks to her, life gets just a little bit brighter, and the way Tom sings the song, you can tell he greatly appreciates having her around. Yay! 8. “Your Song”-Elton John “I hope you don't mind that I put down in words how wonderful life is while you’re in the world…” Along similar lines as the previously mentioned XTC song. In this one, Elton talks about all the things he would give a loved one if he had the money and the means to do so. However, while he may not have all that, what he does have is a piece of paper, a pen, and a piano upon which he can create a song to tell the person just how much they mean to him. Unfortunately, he feels the song’s not even all that perfect, either, admitting as much at one point. But then again, it’s the thought that counts in the end, isn’t it? Sure, most people might say, “Duh” when you mention the concept of love being way more than material goods, but still, every once in a while that kind of reminder is nice. 7. “Moondance”-Van Morrison “Well, it’s a marvelous night for a moondance with the stars up above in your eyes…” Jazzy, intimate, and sexy-the perfect ingredients for a great love song. I particularly like the way Van mentions how a simple touch, or a look, can convey certain emotions as well. Sometimes words just don’t do one’s feelings justice; their actions are indeed much more telling. I also like that he picked the month of October for this encounter-maybe he wants the two of them to keep each other warm in the slowly cooling weather? This is the sort of song that I picture a couple who’s been together for years being seen dancing to at the end of the night at a little club or something before leaving to continue their romantic rendezvous. 6. “In Your Eyes”-Peter Gabriel “In your eyes, I am complete…” Not just my favorite Peter Gabriel song, this is one of my all-time favorite songs, period. I love the music first off-it’s rhythmic, like that of a heartbeat, and it has that uplifting, “sun shining through the clouds” feel to it. The lyrics are gorgeous, too. Peter can look into this girl’s eyes, and suddenly everything matters and life is good. She’s another one of those reassuring souls that makes life worth dealing with. I always love references to eyes in songs, because eyes really can convey quite a bit, and Peter shows us just how true that line of thinking is. Again, I can picture another couple here just getting away from it all so they can be together and be happy. 5. “Message To My Girl”-Split Enz “And now I wake up happy, warm in a lover’s embrace…” Oh, did I have one heck of a time trying to pick a quotable line from THIS song-if I could, I would’ve gladly quoted the entire thing. If “Runaway” is my dedication to a guy, I want this one to be the guy’s dedication to me. This is the first in a few songs singer Neil Finn dedicated to his wife (he’s another one who’s remained with his wife for 20 plus years-always nice to see that in this world nowadays), and it’s honestly one of the best love songs ever created, in my humble opinion. Basically, awkward little Neil feels really nervous about letting his wife know just how much he adores her, but he’s willing to work up the nerve to tell her anyway because she deserves to hear this message. The music backing him is soft and out of the way, so that she can hear everything loud and clear. And if this song wasn’t fantastic enough in its original form, check out the Enzso version, where an orchestra backs the words up, making them seem even MORE declarative. It’s one of my all-time favorite love songs, and it would be at number one on my list if not for a few popular ones that came before it. 4. “Can’t Help Falling In Love”-Elvis Presley “Take my hand, take my whole life, too, for I can’t help falling in love with you…” Getting into the classics now. Easily one of the best songs Elvis ever did. Once again, here is another case of the music adding to the theme-the piano and sliding guitar come together to make a swirling sort of effect as a means of showing how one’s mind can become so mixed around when they fall in love. As indicated in this list thus far, love can lead people to do and say crazy things-Elvis ain’t kidding when he talks about fools rushing in. But hesitant as people may be sometimes, the fact is that we really cannot control who we fall in love with, and sometimes a relationship is such where it’s obvious there was a reason two people were brought together. The lack of predictability and control can indeed be a scary thing at times, but it’s also a big part of what makes love so exciting to begin with. So that swirling feeling in your brain? Yeah, that’s a good thing. 3. “My Girl”-The Temptations “I don’t need no money, fortune or fame, I’ve got all the riches, baby, one man can claim…” I love how the guy in this song’s almost making it sound like he’s got a secret he’s just dying to tell someone about. He keeps hinting at something that brings him sunshine on cloudy days, that is the most worthy thing he has, the sweetest song...and what is it that fits all those descriptions? He tells you at the end of each verse, finally-it’s a girl. Aw. The bass makes me think of the guy’s heartbeat pounding at the mere thought of her, and the strings and backing vocals bring back that joyous feeling that some of the other songs in this list have given off. There’s a reason a song like this has lasted for so long-it’s one of the best love songs ever written. End of story. Case closed. 2. “Unchained Melody”-Righteous Brothers “I need your love, Godspeed your love to me…” Also known as that song from that “Ghost” movie (which I’ve actually never seen). This is one that has featured in probably far too many wedding dances to count, and it’s been heard a trillion times, and been covered even more times than that, and so on and so forth. But that’s only because everybody knows how beautiful, how amazing, and how perfect a song it is. The guy is pleading, begging for this girl’s affections, and preferably sooner rather than later. He even goes into a falsetto to prove it, he’s that desperate. And the music, oh, who can forget that swaying, breathtaking string accompaniment. As long as there are relationships in this world, this song will always be around, and it will always be a part of many couples’ lives. 1. “Something”-The Beatles “Something in the way she moves attracts me like no other lover…” I always liked what I heard by George Harrison, from his solo days as well as his time in the Beatles. This is one of his best-known songs, and for obvious reasons. It has all the hallmarks of his classic material: it’s sweet and gentle and inspiring and hopeful. The guitar work in this song seems to have a slightly mysterious yet dreamy feel to it, complimenting the subject matter perfectly. George may not be able to put his finger on what exactly this “something” is that draws him to this girl, but he knows whatever it is that has him fascinated, it’s powerful. Powerful enough, in fact, to make him want to stick around and see what happens. I also like that he doesn’t have future plans right now. Sometimes it’s best to just take things slowly, one day at a time. Love tends to grow a lot easier that way, and therefore has a greater chance of lasting for a very long time. So there you have it. 14 songs that show that love can be a great thing. The best thing is, while most people would see these songs in a romantic light, and while most of them are of that nature, there are a few in here that could also fit for family or friends as well. If anyone has any other song suggestions, though, I’d certainly love to hear them. I hope everyone has had a good, non-stressful holiday, and may you all find the love and happiness you deserve.

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