Oh, the power of love! Your heart beats faster, your eyes open wider, and you’re much more likely to hear a love song. Every February 14, and during the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, the nation’s music options get more romantic.
Over the years, some wonderfully powerful love songs have been recorded. In fact, the hardest part of writing this article was narrowing the list down to just ten songs.
So if you don’t find your favorite love song here, email me at [email protected] and let me know your wishes on the subject. In the meantime, you may want to visit http://www.romantic-lyrics.com or http://www.theromantic.com for a large selection of songs, often with full lyrics.
But right now, sit back, relax, put a chocolate bonbon in your mouth, and read some amazing facts about the top ten love songs for Valentine’s Day (in chronological order):
“Someone to Take Care of Me”, George and Ira Gershwin, 1926.
The birthplace of this charmingly moody number was an otherwise light and frothy Broadway musical called “Oh, Kay.” The song originally had a fast beat, but soon transitioned into ballad form, according to the lyrics. There have been evocative performances of the song every year since it was first composed, with a wide variety of artists contributing notable covers, including Rosemary Clooney, Doris Day, Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, the rapper Queen Latifah (although hers is not a rap version), trumpeter Chris Botti, pianist Keith Jarrett, blues legend Etta James, Barbra Streisand and Sting, who all sang it in the opening credits of Ridley Scott’s 1987 of the same name.
“Night and Day” by Cole Porter, 1932.
Written for the stage play “Gay Divorce” and also featured in the film “The Gay Divorcee,” this may be the most famous of Porter’s more than 800 songs and illustrates his seemingly effortless flow of words, culminating in the bold statement that all of life’s torments will not end “Until you let me spend my life making love to you, day and night, night and day.” Such is the economy of Porter’s writing that this single sentence combines the singer’s desire with a promise of eternal love as he manages to reverse and reaffirm the title, all in 17 words. That’s why a lot of songwriters would want to tell Porter, “You’re the Top,” which is another one of his famous songs, and would have been on this list if she wasn’t so full of humor.
“Melody Unchained”, Alex North and Hy Zaret, 1936.
William Stirrat was 16 years old and too shy to approach the girl of his dreams, so he wrote one of the most beautiful stories of love and longing in the world (using Zaret as a pseudonym). The impressive melody was by Alex North (who went on to score “Spartacus”, “Cleopatra” and many other films). It was 19 years before her song was featured in the prison movie “Unchained,” where it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Song. Al Hibbler sang it in the movie, but that same year the song hit the charts in versions by Hibbler, Les Baxter, Roy Hamilton and June Valli. Among the nearly 700 artists who have recorded this song are Harry Belafonte, Liberace, Jimmy Young, U2, Leann Rimes, Neil Diamond, Willie Nelson, Heart, Elvis Presley, and of course the Righteous Brothers. Their 1965 recording was a huge hit and reached the top twenty again a quarter of a century later when it appeared on the “Ghost” soundtrack in 1990. The duo re-recorded the song the same year and THAT version also made the top twenty. .
“The First Time I Saw Your Face” by Ewan MacColl, 1957.
Some people describe the version sung by Roberta Flack, which caused a sensation when it appeared in Clint Eastwood’s 1971 directorial debut “Play Misty for Me.” Experimental playwright and folk singer MacColl wrote it 14 years earlier for his partner, Peggy Seeger, who needed a romantic song for a play. Written in less than an hour, the song pretty much defines the term “love song.” Flack’s is the definitive interpretation, but the song has been recorded by dozens of artists across many genres, including Johnny Cash, Celine Dion, Elvis Presley, Mel Torme, Isaac Hayes, Gordon Lightfoot, and George Michael.
Cherish, by Terry Kirkman, 1966.
Kirkman reportedly wrote this beautiful song in half an hour while he was the keyboardist for the Los Angeles-based band The Association, which went largely unnoticed. With wonderfully expressive vocal harmonies, the song is actually about unrequited love, but the feeling of longing for it is so strong that this tune is still played at weddings and anniversary parties. Some internet sites explain that the recording lasted almost three and a half minutes, which was a bit too much for radio in those days, so the song was sped up to 3:13 but was listed on the label as 3:00. It later became the first hit for David Cassidy, star of “The Partridge Family” TV series, but that shouldn’t deter you from watching the original.
“God Only Knows” by Brian Wilson, 1966.
Though it begins with the line “I may not always love you,” the rest of the song is as assertive about eternal love as anything ever written. On the Beach Boys recording, Carl Wilson’s lead vocals achieve a rarefied combination of strength and tenderness and the entire track is ethereal in its beauty. Versions of the song appear in the movies “Boogie Nights” and “Saved,” while the original is found at the end of Richard Curtis’ charming movie “Love, Actually.”
“Your Song” by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, 1967.
The original lyric sheet is said to have coffee stains because Taupin wrote the song over breakfast one morning at John’s parents’ house, where he and the soon-to-be-superstar artist lived. While some mistakenly think this was the first John/Taupin collaboration, it was one of his earliest works. John reportedly wrote the tune in 20 minutes. The song perfectly captures the sense of wonder experienced by anyone who has fallen in love.
I will always love you, by Dolly Parton, 1974.
When Dolly Parton ended her professional songwriting relationship with Porter Waggoner, she wrote this poignant breakup song even though they weren’t romantically involved. The result was a number one national hit for Parton. She recorded another version for the 1978 film, “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”, and again reached number one on the country charts. Whitney Houston’s version of the song was featured in the 1992 film, “The Bodyguard,” and dominated the pop, soul, and adult contemporary charts for weeks. Not a day goes by without someone touching her to show the depth of her love, which is ironic since it’s a song about saying goodbye.
“Heaven” by Jim Vallance and Bryan Adams, 1983.
Written for the mercifully forgotten 1983 film “A Night in Heaven,” the song also appeared on Adams’ album “Reckless” the following year and reached number one. Today, a whole new generation knows the song from DJ Sammy’s 2002 dance version, which was recorded with Yanou and features the voice of Do (Dominique van Hulst). Influenced on the dance floor but still conveying the all-encompassing passion of love, this modern, rhythmic version now appears on more than a dozen different remixes and has charted in nearly two dozen countries.
“In your eyes”, by Peter Gabriel, 1986.
This song from Gabriel’s “So” album has been called the most beautiful love song ever recorded. There is no denying the passion and power of it, with unusual chords and lyrics that touch on spiritual and metaphysical themes. Film director Cameron Crowe worked hard (and reportedly paid $200,000) to include the song in his movie, “Say Anything” (in the scene where John Cusack holds a boom box over his head) . Another popular story about the song is that it was written for Gabriel’s then-girlfriend, Rosanna Arquette. If true, it would mean that she had two hit songs written for him in that decade, as she is the subject of Toto’s “Rosanna” from 1982.