Ah, the power of love! Your heart beats faster, your eyes open
wider, and you’re much more likely to listen to a love song.
Each February 14, and during the weeks leading up to Valentine’s
Day, the musical choices of the nation turn more romantic.
Over the years, some wonderfully potent love songs have been
recorded. In fact, the most difficult part of writing this
article was trimming the list down to just ten tunes.
So, if you don’t find your favorite love song here, send me an
e-mail at scott@gmanmusic.com and let me know your desires on
the subject. Meanwhile, you might want to visit
www.romantic-lyrics.com or www.theromantic.com for a large
selection of songs, often with the complete lyrics.
But right now, sit back, relax, pop a chocolate bon-bon in your
mouth, and read some surprising facts about the Top Ten Love
Songs for Valentine’s Day (in chronological order):
“Someone to Watch Over Me,” George and Ira Gershwin, 1926. The
birthplace of this lovely and moody number was an otherwise
light and frothy Broadway musical called “Oh, Kay.” The song was
originally fast-paced, but soon moved to the ballad form, in
keeping with the lyrics. There have been evocative renditions of
the song every year since it was first composed, with a wide
variety of artists contributing notable versions, including
Rosemary Clooney, Doris Day, Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald,
Frank Sinatra, Elton John, 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 sang it over the opening credits of the 1987 Ridley Scott
film of the same name.
“Night and Day,” by Cole Porter, 1932. Written for the play,
“Gay Divorce,” and also appearing in the film, “The Gay
Divorcee,” this may be the most famous of Porter’s 800+ songs,
and illustrates his seemingly effortless flow of words,
culminating in the bold statement that all of life’s torments
won’t end “Till 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 one phrase combines the singer’s desire with a
promise of eternal love while managing to invert and restate the
title, all in 17 words. It’s why many songwriters would want to
say to Porter, “You’re the Top,” which is another of his famous
songs, and would have made this list if it wasn’t also so full
of humor.
“Unchained Melody,” Alex North and Hy Zaret, 1936. William
Stirrat was 16 and too shy to approach the girl of his dreams,
so he wrote one of the world’s most beautiful tales of love and
longing (using Zaret as his pen name). The breathtaking melody
was by Alex North (who went on to compose scores for
“Spartacus,” “Cleopatra,” and many other films). It took 19
years before their song appeared in the prison picture,
“Unchained,” where it was nominated for a Best Song Oscar. Al
Hibbler sang it in the film, but that same year saw 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 century
later when it appeared on the “Ghost” soundtrack in 1990. The
duo re-recorded the song the same year and THAT version also hit
the top twenty.
“First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” by Ewan MacColl, 1957. A
long, slowly-building flame is how some people describe the
version sung by Roberta Flack, which created 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
virtually defines the term “love song.” Flack’s is the
definitive rendition, but the song has been recorded by dozens
of performers in 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
lovely song in a half-hour while he was the keyboard player in
the overlooked Los Angeles-based band The Association. Featuring
wonderfully expressive vocal harmonies, the song is actually
about unrequited love, but its feeling of desire is so strong
that this tune still gets played at weddings and anniversary
parties. Some Internet sites explain that the recording was
nearly three and a half minutes long, which was a bit much for
radio play in those days, so the song was sped up to 3:13 but
listed on the label as 3:00. It later became the first hit for
David Cassidy, star of TV’s “The Partridge Family,” but that
shouldn’t dissuade you from checking out the original.
“God Only Knows,” by Brian Wilson, 1966. Although it begins with
the line, “I may not always love you,” the rest of the song is
as assertive about undying love as anything ever written. In the
recording by the Beach Boys, Carl Wilson’s lead vocal achieves a
rarified combination of strength and tenderness and the entire
track is ethereal in its beauty. Cover versions of the song
appear in the films “Boogie Nights” and “Saved,” while the
original is at the end of the charming Richard Curtis film,
“Love, Actually.”
“Your Song,” by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, 1967. It is said
that the original lyric sheet has coffee stains on it because
Taupin wrote the song at breakfast one morning at the home of
John’s parents, where he and the soon-to-be-superstar artist
were living. While some mistakenly think this was the first
John/Taupin collaboration, it was one of their earliest works.
John reportedly wrote the melody 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 Wagoner, she wrote this heartfelt breakup song even
though they were not romantically involved. The result was a
number one country hit for Parton. She recorded another version
for the 1978 film, “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” and
again hit number one on the country charts. Whitney Houston’s
version of the song appeared in the 1992 film, “The Bodyguard,”
and dominated the pop, soul and adult contemporary charts for
weeks. Not a day goes by without someone playing it to
demonstrate the depth of their love, which is ironic since it is
a song about saying goodbye.
“Heaven,” by Jim Vallance and Bryan Adams, 1983. Written for the
thankfully forgotten 1983 film “A Night in Heaven,” the song
also appeared on Adams’ “Reckless” album the following year and
hit number one. Today, a whole new generation knows the song
from DJ Sammy’s 2002 dance version, which was recorded with
Yanou and features vocals by Do (Dominique van Hulst). This
modern, rhythmic version, which has dance floor clout yet still
conveys the swirling all-encompassing passion of love, now
appears in more than a dozen different remixes and has charted
in nearly two dozen countries.
“In Your Eyes,” by Peter Gabriel, 1986. This track from
Gabriel’s “So” album has been called the most beautiful love
song ever recorded. There’s no denying its passion and power,
with unusual chords and lyrics that touch on spiritual and
metaphysical themes. Film director Cameron Crowe worked hard
(and reportedly paid two hundred thousand dollars) to get the
song into his film, “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 she had two
hit songs written for her that decade, as she is the subject of
Toto’s “Rosanna” from 1982.
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