The Best Love Songs For Your Valentine’s Day Jams
By Melanie Love Salazar
Web Content Contributor
Some people (who are incredibly cheesy) say that “music is the language of feelings.” I too am a part of that group of cheesy people who believe music is the language of feelings. Where words fail and our mind can not accurately string together the thoughts we want to say, I think songs can.
An interesting characteristic about love songs is it is difficult to decide what constitutes a “good” or “bad” one. A lot of it depends on what a person’s idea of love is and how it is best expressed. I realized this by asking two of my friends what makes a good love song, in a desperate attempt to make sure the songs I chose are truly some of the best.
One of them said relatability, the other one said when a song mentions the little quirks about the person the song is about. She gave the example of Luke Combs’ lyrics in his song “Beautiful crazy,” which begins with saying, “Her day starts with a coffee, and ends with a wine, takes forever getting’ ready, so she’s never on time for anything.”
Overall, what makes a love song among the best is up to you, but these are a couple of mine.
- Put Your Head On My Shoulder- Paul Anka
This song is a classic. It gives you that “old school love” feeling and makes you want to scream the lyrics at the top of your lungs.
- Fly Me To The Moon- Frank Sinatra
This one is yet another classic. At first, I never paid much attention to the lyrics, and simply thought it sounded beautiful, but I did not realize how amazing a job Sinatra does at sweet-talking in this song!
He says, “Fly me to the moon, let me play up there with those stars, let me see what life is like on Jupiter and Mars, in other words, hold my hand.” I mean, come on.
- Sparks- Coldplay
Something about the guitar in this one makes me think of fall or winter and leaves bristling. It’s calming, slow and simple. He talks about always looking out for a person even if the relationship does not work out (it is unclear from the lyrics whether it does). I think that shows how he sees the relationship as a friendship also.
- I’m With You- Vance Joy
For years, I only knew “Riptide” by Vance Joy and only a year ago did I realize how much I have been missing out on listening to his other songs. This one tells an entire story, and because of how much imagery he includes, you can picture everything in your head that he sings about.
A bit basic, he focuses on talking about how much he wants to be with a girl and there is nothing he won’t do to make it happen.
- Love You Good- Trent Dabbs
I first heard this song on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. I enjoy the unique way this song goes about expressing love. It talks about asking the person they see potential to be in a relationship with how they can love them good. It also talks about how we make love more difficult than need be. I have not heard another love song like this one.
- Just The Same- Bruno Major
This one, strangely, has an eerie feeling to it, but it is partly due to the fact it carries a lot of tension. Bruno Major talks about how despite what his significant other does, his feelings for them will not be changing.
He goes as far as to say, “So do your worst to me, test my loyalty, I will pass with distinction of first degree, I lost my mind to you, somewhere down the line that you drew, but I only have myself to blame, cause I’d still love you just the same.”
Does it show a great amount of love but to an excessive amount? I am still not sure. It expresses the type of love that makes you a little crazy.
- From The Ground Up- Dan & Shay
Dan & Shay seem to never fail when it comes to singing about love. There seems to be so much of their history invested into this song, yet it still feels relatable to the audience listening to it. They relate how they are building a special love to how a house is built from the ground up.
- Dive- Ed Sheeran
This song explains the fear of showing someone too much interest before you know if they feel the same. I think it expresses young love well and the nervousness of a new potential relationship.
- New Year’s Day- Taylor Swift
Realistically, almost all of Taylor Swift’s songs could have made up this list but I wanted to attempt to make it diverse. In reading the lyrics, she also expresses how her love for someone will lead her to stand by them despite the circumstance.
- Afterglow- Ed Sheeran
This song seems to feature Sheeran explaining to someone how although life is difficult for them at the moment, he will be there for them until it gets better. He says, “I won’t be silent and I won’t let go, I will hold on tighter ’til the afterglow, and we’ll burn so bright ’til the darkness softly clears.”
- Invisible String- Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift genuinely does not miss out on putting out a good love song. It sounds lighthearted and positive before you even consider what is being said. She touches on the idea of fate and how nice it is to know that little moments every day led her closer to meeting the person she loves.
- She’s Everything- Brad Paisley
This song expresses the characteristics of the woman the song is for. He talks about how she is everything he needs and wants. Brad Paisley does a good job in this song of making it feel like we have insight into such a personal declaration of love.
- You’re Gonna Live Forever In Me- John Mayer
John Mayer’s lyrics in this song are incredibly poetic. One line reading, “parts of me were made by you, and planets keep their distance too, the moon’s got a grip on the sea, and you’re gonna live forever in me.” It seems as though the person he is talking about is not in his life physically anymore, but that does not keep him from knowing parts of them are still going to stick around.
- Sleep On The Floor- The Lumineers
Something about this song screams “love” to me without explicitly mentioning it. It talks about the fantasy of running away with someone and traveling the world. The instruments also make the song sound rustic and dreamy.
Check the playlist out for yourself and enjoy by clicking this link:
Featured image by Melanie Love Salazar.
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