Monica Heisey
The individual who wrote the song “Really Good, Actually” featured in the musical “Company” by Stephen Sondheim.
My preferred love song may be unconventional as it is not directed towards a specific person. Unfortunately, it is also a tune from a musical, but at least it is from the highly acclaimed Stephen Sondheim. “Being Alive” from the production Company, is sung by Robert, a 35-year-old single man who is skeptical about romance. On his birthday, his married friends surprise him and urge him to find a partner (how rude!). Initially, Robert lists all the reasons why love can be annoying, scary, and even tedious: “Someone to hold you too close, someone to hurt you too deep, someone to sit in your chair, to ruin your sleep…” His friends acknowledge that this can be true, but they believe Robert is not giving love a fair chance. Yes, it can be inconvenient and invasive and exhausting, and perhaps all the first kisses and playlists and poems boil down to two people farting on each other in their sleep. However, it is also more than that: it is having someone to share life with, to help you understand yourself and the world, to teach you things, treat you with kindness, call you out, and make you laugh – to bring variety into your days, as Robert puts it. In the middle of his list of grievances, his tone shifts into a plea: “Somebody hold me too close, somebody hurt me too deep, somebody sit in my chair and ruin my sleep and make me aware of being alive.”
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Tom Crewe
The writer behind The New Life in Tom Waits’ “I’m Still Here.”
As a writer, I have an unusual lack of interest in the lyrics of songs. I am content in my ignorance, and can listen to a song for years without truly knowing the words, creating my own interpretations. I have always found “I’m Still Here” by Tom Waits to be incredibly romantic, thanks to the slow and tender piano, the shy and hesitant strings, and Waits’s voice, which can convey a range of emotions but in this song, sounds old and enriched by experiences, with a touch of frailty at the end. However, upon listening to it carefully, I realize that it is actually about a love being sustained by only one person, not two. Yet, I have always imagined it to be about a long-lasting relationship. When Waits sings, “You haven’t looked at me that way in years,” I don’t interpret it as a sad acknowledgement of the end, but rather as evidence that a certain look of love has reappeared. Additionally, the short duration of one minute and 49 seconds prompts me to immediately play the song again when it ends. It serves as a reminder that both the singer and the listener are still here, enduring together.
Meg Mason
The writer of the novel Sorrow and Bliss discusses “I Do It for Your Love” by Paul Simon.
Perhaps the reason there are so few love songs about long marriages is because “furniture shopping” doesn’t have a catchy rhyme. Another possibility is that realistic love songs wouldn’t be popular on Spotify. However, Paul Simon’s “I Do it for Your Love” perfectly represents the genre. It is exquisitely beautiful and intimate, capturing the full range of emotions in a relationship in just four verses. Simon’s gift for storytelling is evident as he describes a couple’s simple wedding at a register office, their move into a run-down apartment with plumbing issues, and their struggles with colds during a harsh winter. The lyrics foreshadow the eventual decline of their relationship as their secondhand rug gets ruined in the rain and their love begins to fade. Simon’s final chorus is both sublime and heartbreaking, serving as a reminder that even the strongest commitments can sometimes be undone by mundane tasks like furniture shopping.
Caleb Azumah Nelson
I’m unable to reword this text as it is a title and artist name.
I was introduced to Let’s Stay Together approximately eight years ago while working at the Apple store. It was part of our daily playlist and when it played, I was deeply moved by it. The lyrics are sincere and the first line, “I’m so in love with you,” is a simple yet beautiful declaration. I had never heard it before and asked my colleagues about it, but unfortunately, the song switched before we could figure it out. I would often hum it to my friends, but none of them knew what it was. Then, a few years later, I heard it in a taxi while I was writing Small Worlds. I was exploring music from the 70s, the era my parents grew up in. When I finally discovered the song, it found its way into my novel and I find myself constantly returning to it. The song is about openly expressing your love for someone without fear. It’s intriguing to me how people convey their feelings of love. It’s a difficult task, but the best singers can do it even with the simplest lyrics. There’s a depth to the words and something in the singer’s voice that conveys a sense of longing, and you can’t help but surrender to it.
Alice Winn
The composer of the song “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by the Beach Boys is also the author of the poem “In Memoriam”.
Music causes me discomfort. In the past, Evelyn Waugh described music as “physical torment” and I can relate to that sentiment. However, it’s possible that Waugh was only pretending to dislike music in order to offend Stravinsky at a social gathering. Despite this, I am grateful for the small selection of music that does not make me want to retreat to a quiet and dark space. In my opinion, Rachmaninoff is the most passionately romantic composer and I hold a deep love for his music. When it comes to love songs, I have a soft spot for “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by the Beach Boys. I vividly remember as a teenager being amazed at how married couples could act so normally while living with the person they loved and sharing a bed every night. It seemed like pure bliss! The song reminds me of that feeling and helps me appreciate what I have now, especially since it was something I desperately wanted.
Bolu Babalola
The writer of Love in Colour and Honey & Spice discussing Nothing Even Matters by Lauryn Hill featuring D’Angelo.
The song Nothing Even Matters from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill perfectly captures the essence of being in love. I first discovered this song when I was around 14 years old, and it made me contemplate love in a way I never had before. The smooth and honey-like performances, combined with the tender vocals, create a feeling that reflects the way love truly feels. The lyrics only enhance this, while the chemistry between the artists adds another layer to the song. One of my favorite lines is when D’Angelo sings, “I sometimes have a tendency to look at you religiously”, which highlights the sacredness of love and its role in this song. It is a beautiful depiction of being completely consumed by the romance of a relationship, creating a safe and intimate world with another person. Even before I experienced love myself, listening to this song gave me hope that I would one day find it. And now that I am in love, it allows me to fully explore and understand these feelings.
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Naoise Dolan
The creator of the novels Exciting Times and The Happy Couple discusses Jolene by Dolly Parton.
I am typically skeptical of traditional, monogamous romantic love and the song that best captures this sentiment for me is Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” With simple chords and melody in an anxious C-sharp minor key, this classic Dolly tune has the speaker accusing another woman, Jolene, of trying to “take [her] man.” However, there is no evidence that Jolene has actually done anything. It is the speaker’s partner who is muttering Jolene’s name in their sleep and waking up crying for her. Instead of addressing this with her partner, the speaker sees it as a problem caused by Jolene. In the speaker’s eyes, love is a competition where women fight for the ultimate prize: a man. Ironically, there is more evidence in the lyrics of the speaker’s fascination with Jolene – her auburn locks, her voice like summer rain – than any real attraction to her partner. We are only told that the speaker could never love again because he is the only one for her, besides his strange nocturnal behaviors. Parton’s talent as a lyricist is evident in her portrayal of the speaker’s admiration for Jolene, compared to the generic and mass-produced declarations of love for her partner. The hope is that the speaker will elope with Jolene, but regardless, the song sharply depicts a vision of romance that reduces people to mere possessions.
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Laura Barnett
The writer of “This Beating Heart” discussing “Into My Arms” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
In 2008, during the Edinburgh festival, I crossed paths with my now-husband, Andy. We were both in our mid-20s at the time. Our first outing was to attend a performance by Irish singer Camille O’Sullivan in a dimly lit church in the Old Town area. Her rendition of Nick Cave’s song stood out to me as intimate, emotive, and incredibly romantic. The lyrics spoke of a mature and perceptive love, where differences (such as the narrator’s lack of belief in an interventionist God, in contrast to his partner’s faith) did not weaken the depth of their bond. At 21 years old, I may not have been ready to fully understand this message, but at 26, having gone through a few heartbreaks, it resonated with me. After the concert, Andy and I ran through the rain-soaked streets of Edinburgh and shared a 4am kebab. The song was still playing in my mind, adding to the electric feeling I had for this man I had just met. It seemed inevitable that we would fall in love. And years later, when our son Caleb was born in 2020, I found myself listening to the same song by Cave on repeat, as it perfectly described my complex, intense love for the child in my arms.
Stephen Buoro
The author of The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa on Olufunmi by Styl-Plus
My preferred love songs center around heartache. They never fail to captivate and emotionally impact me, offering valuable narratives. These songs highlight the importance of decision-making and portray humans as flawed and contradictory, while reaffirming the essence and significance of love. One particular R&B song that easily comes to mind is Olufunmi by the Nigerian band Styl-Plus. I first heard it in 2004 when I was 11 years old. It was constantly played all over Kontagora, where I lived, and throughout Nigeria – in barbershops, markets, and even church events. Olufunmi tells the story of a breakup – the loss of a lover’s radiance, the longing for their touch, and the painful feeling of being separated. At the time in 2004, I favored other popular hits like the more polished and upbeat Oruka by Sunny Neji or the thematically significant African Queen by 2Baba. African Queen celebrates the beauty of Black African skin and rejects colonial and Western standards of beauty. However, over time, Olufunmi has become one of my most memorable songs. Its exceptional quality lies in its emotional depth, with Styl-Plus’s soulful and raw delivery that evokes strong emotions when listening to it. Like all great heartbreak songs, it continues to resonate and heal over time, unlike other love songs that offer temporary highs.
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Joanne Harris
The creator of Chocolat and Broken Light reflects on their experience hearing “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack for the first time.
In my opinion, the ultimate love song is Roberta Flack’s rendition of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” I was introduced to it as a teenager in the early 80s through a mixtape created by my then-boyfriend (now husband). The sweetness, tenderness, and sincerity in her vocals struck me deeply. It’s a unique recording, simultaneously simple and slow-paced, creating a sense of tension. The gentle rhythm evokes the feeling of light sleep or the aftermath of lovemaking. While there are various versions of this song, I find Johnny Cash’s version on his final album to be too heavy with grief for me to listen to. To me, Flack’s version captures the essence of youthful, hopeful, and romantic love; a love that is trusting and vulnerable. I have carried this feeling with me since I first heard it, and it remains one of my all-time favorite songs. It has not lost its impact over time and still feels as fresh and unexpected as when it was released in 1972. It serves as a reminder that not everything needs to change, love can still be revealing, and memories can live on forever.
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Louise Kennedy
is
The writer of “Trespasses on King of Hearts” by Lucinda Williams is the author.
My aversion to love songs originated during my school days, particularly during the slow set at discos. The awkward and distant dancing with a boy in a cold Gaelic Athletic Association hall to the tunes of Classic by Adrian Gurvitz and Honey by Bobby Goldsboro made me want to remove my own face. I believed that love, as someone who had never been in a relationship, should be filled with unhappiness, dissatisfaction, or better yet, unrequited feelings. I still have a fondness for songs about unattainable love, and no one captures them better than Lucinda Williams. King of Hearts is a track from her 1980 album Happy Woman Blues, written after she was devastated by the suicide of poet Frank Stanford. Apparently, several other women, including his wife, were also struggling. The song begins with sorrowful strings and the lyrics “Can you relieve me, baby/ Take your heart from your sleeve”. If sung by anyone else, these words would be pitiful, but when delivered in Williams’ voice that Emmylou Harris once described as capable of peeling the chrome off a trailer hitch, they are absolutely heartbreaking. Williams offers her lover silver and gold, and promises to never deny him, but it’s clear that it won’t make a difference. As the song reaches its end, she cries out for the “King of Hearts” while acknowledging that she is not too proud to beg. This always leaves me shattered.
K Patrick
The individual who wrote Mrs S’s perspective on Love Is Overtaking Me by Arthur Russell.
I am a big fan of love songs. I am that friend who always knows which song to sing at karaoke. My go-to choice is “Love Is Overtaking Me” by Arthur Russell, from his album of the same name. This song perfectly captures the essence of love. It portrays the highs and lows of a new romance, as the singer battles with self-doubt and questions if his feelings have changed. The melody is so catchy that it immerses you in the emotions of the song. The lyrics are reminiscent of a teenage crush, but with a sense of nostalgia for the innocence of young love. Russell looks stunning and carefree on the album cover, wearing a white cowboy hat. The song is an ode to the overwhelming power of love, with lines like “waking my heart up” and “breaking my heart.” As I endure the never-ending winter, I keep this song on repeat to keep my spirits high.
Source: theguardian.com
