Oh Valentine’s Day, it’s become a sappy day for sweets and cards and more cynicism than a convention of Dylan Moran-fans but it originally should be a day that celebrates love in the face of adversity. So, all the LGBT-couples, since St Valentines got murdered because he married people that weren’t allowed to marry for ridiculous (aka religious) reasons, I guess this is your day.
It’s not my day, that’s for sure but just because I am a bitter single that never ever got a sweet Valentine’s card by a secret (and supersexy) admirer*, doesn’t mean that my heart is not open for the one thing that makes this day bearable: The movie of the same name…
Haha, I was just joking, that movie is terrible. No, I mean lovesongs. Man, lovesongs can be the best and the worst but obviously, this is my blog, so here are some of the greatest lovesongs. Some obscure indie gems and others the classics because they are classics for a reason.
1. Peter Gabriel – In Your Eyes
There has never been a time when I didn’t feel all warm and fuzzy inside when this song came on. Peter Gabriel is one of my all-time favourite musicians (have I already posted my love letter for him? If not, it’s high time). This man writes the greatest pop songs that are so deeply felt and artistic at the same time that he defines the art of music for me. Personally, he is the one artist that through decades created new, exciting, moving and inspiring music without ever faltering. And that song is beyond competition. The imagery alone is so beautiful that it hurts my heart. It really is the greatest love song I’ve ever heard (which is something you’ll hardly ever hear me say, I usually prefer ‘one of the greatest…’ but in this case…).
2. Elbow – Mirrorball
Elbow are a good example how inspiring Peter Gabriel is. He is so inspiring that Guy Garvey writes these beautiful and moving songs because he listened to Gabriel.
I once presented this song at one of the worst seminars ever (it was a theological seminar with a drama teacher – it was hell) and throughout the awkwardness of dance-exercises and sharing a precious moment (I didn’t, I kept all my precious moments to myself), I had this song in my mind to keep me sane and furthermore, to keep me from killing everyone in the room because they forced me to dance while lying on the floor (which I didn’t). If a song can achieve that, it’s truly full of love.
3. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Home
They look like they are probably so happy and without any irony in their hearts that I should be disgusted by them but man, this song is so sweet and cute and lovely that I will keep all my poison inside and hum along.
4. Maccabees – Toothpaste Kisses
I hope no one expected this list to be very surprising in the choice of artists. Of course, all my favourite bands that wrote lovesongs would be featured here. And the fact that the Maccabees can write smart music without being smart-asses, adds to the addictive allure of this band. And this song has everything – you can play it with a ukulele, there’s whistling and it has a holiday-boattrip-rhythm to hula your way into your lover’s heart.
5. Led Zeppelin – Thank You
The great thing about Led Zeppelin is the fact that they are so epic and their gestures are so big and dramatic but they never feel cheesy (and these guys sang about hobbits!). This song shows that Led Zep not only rocked everything in the Universe but also were able to quench tears out of burly bearded mountain men. And John Paul Jones, you beautiful man, that organ makes this song fly into the heavens.
6. Daniel Norgren – Whatever Turns You On
This one feels a little like cheating because I just wrote about it as one of my current favourites. But this is a fantastic love song because it’s so upbeat and the lyrics – few and simple – are gorgeous.
I ride when you ride, I crash when you crash, I burn when you burn, in the mind and in the flesh
That’s all it takes.
7. Dire Straits – Romeo and Juliet
I first heard this song in the 90s cult movie “Empire Records” (which I still love dearly even though it is pretty cheesy). And the reworked story of a modern Romeo and Juliet, without the tragedy, with a lot of humor and still so much love. And the guitar simply makes it. It’s not the happiest of love songs, as the once happy couple has kind of split up but hey, the listener can hope that they get together in the end without committing suicide or whatnot.
8. Miss Li – I danced the whole way home
It’s cute. And I love the joy and spunk. Sometimes, I wish I would have a moment when this song would be the most fitting song in the entire world because being freshly in love without any worry is a thing of legend for a socially anxious introvert like me. But hey, one can still dream.
9. I am Kloot – To You
I saw them once years ago and the intimacy of that concert (during one of the biggest festivals in Europe) still warms my heart. No wonder then, that I am Kloot hold a special place there, right next to the clogged arteries. If I ever come to the point where I feel that I want to make a big commitment to someone – like, sharing a toothbrush during camping because the other one fell in a haunted well – this will be the song I sing.
10. Sonny and Cher – I got you babe
I know, it is the Groundhog song and everyone has probably heard it as often as Bill Murray in that movie because it gets played everywhere on every station till all eternity. But it is so incredibly sweet and it was born out of love and to see the two together (before they temporarily hated each their guts) is lovely. And there is this one moment in TV history, when they both were invited to Letterman and they sang it together when Cher was already the 80s queen and Sonny a married politican and you can see that they still feel something for each other, maybe not the romantic kind of love but the kind of love you share with someone who never really left your heart…it drives me to tears, it really does.
11. Jon Samuel – To Love
The last one is for all the poor souls that have only dozens of cats, bottles of wine and a pillow to sob into. Or the ones whose partners have to work very late and therefore can’t celebrate Valentine’s with them. Or the ones that like to give long and elaborated monologues about why Valentine’s day is horrible. Love will find you, one way or the other.
*If you are supersexy and single, you can still be the one, dear secret admirer…
Pingback: Valentinstag | Schreibschaukel