Single? Taken? It’s Complicated? There’s a Song Here For You.
Here are ten love songs for that special someone, or someones, or something, or just to listen to hopelessly by yourself–that’s okay too! Do they have proven success? This Quest reporter is still figuring that one out…
- “Mirrorball” by Elbow
The gorgeous strings, soft vocals, and circling melodies of this song do wonders in providing grounds for visualization of what I consider to be one of the best ideas of love: making the world around you more beautiful and fantastical by being with someone. If you find an intense feeling of heightened intentionality in every action you take after falling in love with someone, this song is for you.
- “Lovesong” by The Cure
Written as a wedding gift for lead singer Robert Smith’s high school sweetheart turned lifetime partner, Mary Poole, this song is simple yet elegant. It says everything Smith wants to say, combined with some of the brilliant production of The Cure’s 1989 magnum opus Disintegration. This song combines the feeling of “you complete me” with the feeling of love being true through good times and bad in a way that just feels natural.
- “A Simple Life” by Philip Selway
While Selway’s solo career did not become nearly as successful as his co-Radiohead bandmates Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, he does have some hauntingly beautiful indie folk songs that have this hollowing, spacey feeling to them. In “A Simple Life,” Selway makes you feel like you’re floating away with him into space as he’s reciting a vow to keep you safe, which is another nice way to visualize love. Be careful, though, this song does emanate a little bit of anxious attachment.
- “Bite the Bullet” by Debaser
The first single by upcoming East Bay indie rock duo Debaser, “Bite the Bullet” is a wonderful song to immerse yourself in as you navigate those complex situationships that make you feel like Joel and Clementine from the 2004 romcom Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which the song is loosely based on. The immersion is made easy by the echoey heterophony of singers Wil Matishov and Yna Dacanay, whose gut-wrenching vocals pull you left and right through the steady yet powerful beat provided by brother Gage Azavedo.
- “Space Age Love Song” by A Flock of Seagulls
Probably one of the most classic love songs of the 80s, this song’s spaceship-y sounds, along with the intense echoing make it cheesy in a way that only love can be. While nothing says 80s like A Flock of Seagulls, the intense rush of emotions by the melodic buildup and the bright-sounding riffs make this song somehow timeless.
- “Why Can’t I Be You” by The Cure
Yes, I put another Cure song on here. Robert Smith is just that good at writing love songs. This song is so much fun, with a big-band sound that will rush your heart in a truly sensual way. The lyrics–including the line “I’ll eat you all up or I’ll just hug you to death”– embody an intense physical attraction that manifests in a fun, playful, and (somewhat) healthy way!
- “Epitaph For My Heart” by The Magnetic Fields
While it’s hard to choose a favorite out of the 69 love songs from The Magnetic Fields’ fabulous album named (you guessed it) 69 Love Songs, the one that stands out the most to me has to be “Epitaph For My Heart” just because of how the goofy, nonsensical lyrics embody exactly what a love song should sound like if you have 68 more to write. And somehow, the song is still structurally impressive, with a moving, hallowing jangle-y folk sound that emphasizes the heartbreaking reality of “death [going] on [...] without end.” Who knows why the song begins with a reading of a label on a random appliance, but that’s just what you have to do when you say you’re making an album called 69 Love Songs. But hey, it could be worse. Just listen to their song “Experimental Music Love.”
- “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Sinéad O'Connor
While I could write pages and pages on how groundbreaking and ahead of her time Sinéad O'Connor was in relating to her use of music as a platform for activism, her famous Prince cover of the heartache anthem “Nothing Compares 2 U,” is a little bit more relevant to this article. O’Connor’s voice was truly like nothing else in this world, and in this song, she gives voice to the heartbroken in a way that few others have come close to matching.
- “Do You Realize??” by The Flaming Lips
In a song that will never not make me cry, The Flaming Lips manages to capture the perfect existential feelings of love in an impermanent world, centering the beauty of another as a thing you can give voice to in a universe of so much you cannot know. This song is simply a must-hear, with a daydreamy feel that is both whimsical and contemplative.
- “Perfect Day” by Lou Reed
This song is hauntingly beautiful. There’s this juxtaposition of lighthearted storytelling–feeding animals in the zoo, watching a movie, having a good time–with Lou Reed’s solemn, aching voice that truly gives it this dark and mysterious aura. This song is a dangerous love song because it’s the kind of song that depending on the context can be the anthem of carefree lovers, or something that could rip your soul in two. I could go into it deeper, but I’ll leave it at this: watch Trainspotting.