As a part of our Valentine’s Day efforts, our writers are going to take you through a portal to the past to see some of our favorite love songs through the decades!
1950s
(1959) “I Only Have Eyes for You” by The Flamingos
There’s a certain kind of love where the rest of the room might as well disappear, and The Flamingos’ 1959 doo-wop classic “I Only Have Eyes for You” captures that feeling perfectly. Floating on echo-drenched harmonies and a velvety, sway-along groove, the song captures what it feels like to be completely locking in on one person: “My love must be a kind of blind love / I can’t see anyone but you,” it’s clear this isn’t confusion, but pure devotion. What’s so charming about the song is how casually it makes this big emotional statement. It’s not dramatic or angsty, but calm and totally smitten. This is love without second-guessing, the kind where your favorite person instantly becomes the center of the room. “I Only Have Eyes for You” reminds us that when the right person walks in, everything else fades out, and honestly, that’s a pretty great way to see the world.
–Lindsay Gould, Staff Writer
1960s
(1963) “Please Mister Postman” by The Beatles
As an old-fashioned yearner, I have always loved letters. Letters are my staple in a long distance relationship, but regardless of how close you live to your partner (or anyone you care for) a letter could be everything to your special someone. Despite being done first by the Marvelettes two years prior, The Beatles version of “Please Mister Postman” came out in 1963, and tends to be the version that most people are familiar with. This short song is perfect for sentimental couples. With their classic and well-loved harmonies, The Beatles sing a passionate, pleading tune about a far off lover. My personal favorite line is “There must be some word someday / From my girlfriend, so far away.” Need I say more? There is nothing that tugs on a hopeless romantic’s heartstrings like a couple separated by distance. Although “Please Mister Postman” conveys the pains of distance directly in the lyrics (“I’ve been waitin’ such a long time,” cries McCartney and Harrison!) at the heart of the song is a love that withstands time and space. I know that I’ve been lucky enough to experience the anticipation that comes with eagerly checking the mailbox, and I’m no expert, but I’d take that kind of love any day of the year.
– Ana Achata, Staff Writer
1970s
(1970) “Bless the Telephone” by Labi Siffre – Lal:
The tender, finger-picked sound of a guitar as it travels up my earbuds, intertwining with the wires, and reaching straight to my heart. The voice of a gentle lover as he speaks ever so softly into the ears of strangers. The feeling that each pluck of a guitar string is its own quiet song meant only for your ears. These are the experiences I associate with Labi Siffre’s Bless The Telephone. I find that Siffre’s songwriting manages to be just as compelling as it is candid; as he is able to capture the mundane in an ever-so lovely way that honors the rituals we complete on a daily basis with our loved ones. Siffre asks very little of his listeners, only that we pay attention to these tender, almost forgettable moments that make up our routines of loving another. He doesn’t attempt to dress up these moments to make them appear any more beautiful, and instead includes lyrics that convey a reverence for the ordinary: “It’s strange, the way you make me feel / With just a word or two / I’d like to do the same for you.” Although Siffre’s discography is embroidered with the discussion of tender emotions through and through, the simplicity of Bless The Telephone always stands out to me as a sentimental ballad directed not just towards grand declarations of love, but also rooted in the intimacy of the everyday ritual.
– Lal Oksuz, Staff Writer
(1977) “Just the Way You Are” by Billy Joel
I’ve always thought the most meaningful love songs are the ones that don’t ask for anything at all, and Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are” fits that bill perfectly. Released in 1977, the song isn;t about grand gestures or sweeping romance; it’s about comfort. Joel sings, “I need to know that you will always be / The same old someone that I knew.” This is someone asking for honesty, not perfection. What I love most is how the song pushes back against the idea that love requires reinvention. “Don’t go trying some new fashion / Don’t change the color of your hair,” he sings, not because change is bad, but because the person he fell for is already enough. By the time Joel delivers the line, “I couldn’t love you any better / I love you just the way you are,” the message is crystal clear: love doesn’t need editing. Sometimes the greatest gift you can give someone is letting them stay exactly who they are.
–Lindsay Gould, Staff Writer
1980s
(1981) “Leather and Lace” by Stevie Nicks and Don Henley
Stevie Nicks is not only the “Queen of Rock and Roll,” but also the queen of love. Her career is marked by many affairs, passionate relationships, and most famously the hardships of love which defined Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. However, I believe Nicks’ greatest love song came out of her semi-secret, impassioned romance with Eagles’ drummer and co-vocalist Don Henley. This iconic duet explores the attraction between opposites in a complex relationship as Nicks and Henley trade verses of vulnerability and longing. Their contrasting sound and storyline examines the nuance of love and how we constantly negotiate our differences and emotions in order to strengthen our relationships. Most importantly, “Leather and Lace” doesn’t pin love as a perfect fantasy but acknowledges the necessary sacrifices and hardships that define passion within love.
– Scarlett Heikkila, Staff Writer
(1981) “Just Can’t Get Enough” by Depeche Mode
With its techno vibe and boppy rhythm Depeche Mode’s Just Can’t Get Enough makes for a fun yet sincere song to kick off your valentines day festivities. First released in 1981, being preceded by 3 singles Dreaming of Me, New Life and Just Can’t Get Enough, Speak and Spell brought a bright and poppy tone to Depeche Mode’s catalog as well as achieving massive success in the UK where it reached the number 10 spot on their albums chart, remaining there for an incredible total of 32 weeks. Though the song is a stark contrast to what the band’s sound would later evolve into, it remains an important piece of the band’s history and was strongly praised for its uplifting tone and repetitive melody first composed and written by Vince Clark before his departure from Depeche Mode. Just Can’t Get Enough continues to cement its status as an icon of music to this day, even being featured as the favorite song of Jared Leto’s character in the film TRON Ares earlier this year. Being introduced to the band through my current roommate, this quickly became one of my top favorite songs as well as albums out of Depeche Mode’s discography. It has most definitely been a song which I have admittedly listened to an embarrassing amount of times on repeat, but hey! There’s nothing like a good song to get you through the day even when you’re just doing homework or writing a script for your next project. This is a great song to enjoy with friends on a weekend.
– Jadore C. Lasner, Staff Writer
(1984) “Cant Fight This Feeling” by REO Speedwagon
Honest and empowering, REO Speedwagon’s Wheels are Turnin’ album takes a leap into the themes of love, and longing. The most notable song being Can’t Fight This Feeling. The album is up there with some of the Band’s greatest hits, being released in 1984. It gained wild success, and was the album which solidified REO Speedwagon’s shift toward their now famous pop-oriented, melodic rock sound. Can’t Fight This Feeling’s massive success was attributed to the ways in which fans related strongly to the song’s emotive, relatable lyrics about vulnerability. Along with the hard-hitting Rock-chorus, blended with melodic piano, it makes the song incredibly powerful. I would go as far as to say it’s anthem-worthy! Even now, the song continues to be just as influential. In 2019, it went on to be featured alongside many more iconic 80’s tracks in Stranger Things Season 3. Even as someone who does not have a partner, I still love listening to the song especially during vacations or particularly happy moments with friends and family as the way in which the song is vulnerable makes it a great song to come back to even to simply remember fond memories I have shared with the people in my life.
– Jadore C. Lasner, Staff Writer
(1984) “You’re the Inspiration” by Chicago
Powerful and Romantic Chicago’s You’re the Inspiration is rounding out our list of the 80’s! Chicago 17 was the surprising result of the fast-evolving music scene of the early 1980’s. Similar to many of the songs on our list so far, the band’s famous You’re the Inspiration song dives into the themes of enduring love, deep emotional connection, and romantic devotion making it a powerful ballad for someone special. The song additionally emphasizes the partner as the central driving force in the singer’s life. This is one of my personal favorite songs of the list so far, not only for the electric guitar and melodic flow, but also for the very human vulnerability that the lyrics speak so well to. As such, this is not only a powerful song in that it can relate to many individuals but it is also a statement about not being afraid to be open and share your feelings with others. I always play it over valentine’s day as it is the perfect song to get me in the valentine’s day spirit!
– Jadore C. Lasner, Staff Writer
1990s
(1994) “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” by Jeff Buckley
Incase you were wondering what’s in with the kids these days, I will clue you into two things: yearning and Jeff Buckley. It seems like every great Gen Z love story is punctuated by years of yearning before the happily ever after. We’ve even got a saying: a man who yearns is a man who earns. I mean, what’s more romantic than having your sights set on someone so completely that nothing else can compare? That all-consuming, entirely fulfilling love that makes you wonder who you were before? Intense? Yes. But that doesn’t stop Gen Z from obsessing over it. And, luckily for us, the perfect song to encapsulate the intensity of this type of love, and the phenomenon of yearning, was already written, recorded, released in 1994, performed dozens of times and sat there, waiting for us to discover. And thank god we did.
Jeff Buckley’s 6 minute ballad is explosive, profound, and most importantly, packed to the brim with yearning. It starts out with the inquisitive hum of a harmonium, and the the singer denying his love. Sense takes over and he asserts that there’s no way for the love to work. It builds slowly as he fails to deny himself the reality of his love, then, in an eruptive display of emotions, the full band and chorus join Buckley as he proclaims “It’s never over/ all my blood for the sweetness of her laughter/ It’s never over/ She is the tear that hangs inside my soul forever”. It doesn’t get much lovelier than this, and for the past 32 years, the song has proven that.
As an added bonus, Gen Z would go on to discover that Jeff Buckley has an entire catalog of incredible music, keeping his memory alive, and his music playing for another generation to come.
– Avieana Rivera, Music Coordinator
(1997) “Say Yes” by Elliott Smith
Everyone always mentions Elliott Smith as a great songwriter. He managed to capture the quiet, desperate moments in life in every single one of his songs, and “Say Yes” is no different. There is something so intimate and melancholic about “Say Yes.” On your first listen, you might not even think of it as a love song, but listen again. This song highlights all the little things that we wish we could say out loud, all of the moments that we wish we could rewrite our wrongs, or just say the words that we wanted to. “Say Yes” is perhaps Elliott Smith close to his best.
He starts off by saying, “I’m in love with the world/ Through the eyes of a girl/ Who’s still around the morning after.” In the first three lines, there is this uncertainty in a new relationship. He has finally found some way to view the world as beautiful, but through this relationship, he feels uneasy. This is an area that he has never been in before. Someone being more permanent in his life, in a way, scares him. This idea that he has to commit to someone and make an intentional decision every day to be the best for them, is larger than he imagined. He then goes on to say that they “broke up a month ago” and that he didn’t know that he’d “be around the morning after,” or stay for longer than a one-night stand. He recognizes that everything in their relationship that went wrong was because of him, but he still loves her and still wants to try again, even though it’s not up to him to decide.
Towards the end of the song, Smith makes a plea with his partner in the chorus. He calls himself “damaged bad at best,” and says that “she’ll decide what she wants” whether it be him or someone else. The last thing he says before repeating the first three lines is “Say Yes.” It doesn’t get more beautiful than that.
– Fenton Wright, Web Services Coordinator
2000s
(2008) “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” by The Script
There’s a certain point in heartbreak where dignity kind of clocks out, and honestly, that’s where “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” really lives. The Script reaches a level of yearning that’s never been achieved before as they lean straight into the mess of loving someone you’re not ready to let go of. At its core, this song is about emotional paralysis. “How can I move on if I’m still in love with you?” isn’t a rhetorical question—it’s the entire problem. Instead of chasing closure, the narrator does the opposite, literally planting himself “back to the corner where I first saw you,” sleeping bag and all, refusing to move until something changes. Is it dramatic? Absolutely. Is it relatable? Unfortunately, yes. What makes the song his is its self-awareness. By the time he jokes, “maybe I’ll get famous as the man who can’t be moved,” there’s a wink behind the pain. He knows how this looks, but love has overruled logic. “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” reminds us that sometimes healing doesn’t start with moving on, but with admitting you’re not ready to move on at all.
–Lindsay Gould, Staff Writer
(2009) “Last Night On Earth” by Green Day
With Valentine’s day right around the corner, you may be in the mood to listen to songs filled with beautiful lyrics and a declaration of love; Green Day probably wouldn’t be your first choice of artists who will fulfill this romantic vibe, but a certain song might change that. Last Night On Earth on their 2009 released album titled 21st Century Breakdown can connect with anyone’s inner romantic. This song greatly sets itself apart from Green Day’s usual releases, as it opens with a soft keyboard melody and begins with a poetic string of lyrics: “I text a postcard sent to you, Did it go through? Sendin’ all my love to you”. While we are so accustomed to Billie Joe Armstrong loudly pouring his heart out into lyrics that involve rebellion and chaos, this song proved that he is just as capable of writing beautiful lyrics about pure devotion and promises that nothing in this world can stop him from sending his unconditional love to his muse. This is definitely a love song with a twist, as it tells a story of a love that is deep, complex and intense. Despite this, it still deserves to be recognized as one of the 2000’s greatest love songs of the decade. This valentines day, spend the holiday listening to the rare, raw, and honest love declaration from the (usually) king of angst, Billy Joe Armstrong. Here’s to all of the lovers of non-traditional love songs.
– Hannah Mahoney, Staff Writer
