Love Songs

In honor of the approaching "love" holiday, and because this winter is stifling all of my creative juices, I thought I'd make a list of my favorite "love" songs.  As far as themes go in song writing, "love" has to be one of the top three inspirations for song writers, along with "sorrow" and "partying".  A simple search for the term love in my iTunes library resulted in 200+ songs with "love" in the title.

Since Billboard already created a list of the 50 Sexiest Songs of All Time, I'll stay away from the sexy/love-making-inspiring songs and will focus my list on songs that best represent the feelings and emotions experienced when in love.

TOP ELEVEN

11)  Need You Now -- Lady Antebellum

• One of my favorite duets (even though they're a trio, it sounds like a duet to my ear) in a long time.  And what is a love song list without a country duet?

10)  Up Where We Belong -- Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes

•  An iconic 1980s love song that, thanks to great lyrics and vocals, has found a way to remain timeless despite the horrible electronic keyboard and synthesized drum kit accompaniment.  

 

9)  Beautiful Mess -- Diamond Rio

• This song was mildly popular when I met my wife.  I would soon realize that the lyrics were the narrative to my life as we dated and became engaged.

8)  Happy Together -- The Turtles

• Classic.

7)  Heaven -- Bryan Adams 

• Unfortunately, this song has been overshadowed by Bryan's other famous love ballad, "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)", which is a shame, because I think this song has a stronger message of the power of love.

(unable to embed a video of Bryan Adam's version, but go HERE to see Bryan perform this song acoustically)


6)  Oh -- Dave Matthews Band

•  Had the top five songs on my list not been written, I'm certain this is the song my wife and I would have chosen for our first dance at our wedding reception.

5)  She's Got a Way -- Billy Joel

•  I love the simplicity of the piano behind one of the best explanations of the effect a woman can have on a man.  This was one of the songs that we had our wedding pianist play before our wedding ceremony.

4)  Love Comes Walking In -- Van Halen

•  This song is one of the reasons I prefer the Sammy Hagar years of Van Halen over the David Lee Roth era.  I'd like to think that this will be the song that is playing overhead in Wendy's in the portion of the movie of my life when I meet my wife for the first time.

3)  Your Song -- Elton John

•  This is another song that was played before our wedding ceremony.  It's another great example of how amazing lyrics don't need a big musical arrangement to be effective.

2)  Rapunzel -- Dave Matthews Band

•  One of my (and my wife's) favorite DMB songs.  The ecxentricity of the lyrics and the syncopated rhythm of the music makes this one of the most unique love songs I've ever encountered.

1)  Inspiration -- Chicago

•  The epitome of the love ballad, I'm pretty sure I wore out this cd when my wife and I were dating, and she always insisted I sing the lyrics to her, because I am a much better singer than Peter Cetera could ever hope to be.  And, of course this was the song chose to dance to for our first dance at our wedding.

THE BEST of the REST


Addicted to Love -- Robert Palmer
I Will Be -- Leona Lewis
All of My Love -- Led Zeppelin
Make You Feel My Love -- Garth Brooks
I Just Called to Say I Love You -- Stevie Wonder
Carrying Your Love with Me -- George Strait
Angel -- Aerosmith
Every Breath You Take -- The Police
I Just Wanna Love You -- Jay-Z
When I Said I Do -- Clint Black & Lisa Hartman Black
You & Me -- Dave Matthews Band
Faithfully -- Journey
In Love with a Girl -- Gavin Degraw
Love of a Lifetime -- Firehouse
For Your Love -- Chris LeDoux
Almost Paradise -- Ann Wilson & Mike Reno
Two Steps Behind -- Def Leppard
Only Wanna Be with You -- Hootie and the Blowfish