Valentine’s Day Yearning Songs

Roses are red, violets are blue, 'ERS picked, these songs just for you!

The 14th is here and the yearning is near! Check out these tracks to spice up your Valentine's Day with some lovely hits, both old and new!

Crushcrushcrush by Coco & Clair Clair

The dreamy alternative duo Coco & Clair Clair are no strangers to yearning and crushing hard. Their hit song, Crushcrushcrush, perfectly encapsulates the warm fuzzy feeling in early stages of crushing. The lyrics are comedic and relatable, “Finally think I found the one. Can’t get you out of my mind. Kind of ugly, but love is blind”, like the inner monologue I would have after my friends disapprove of my crush. While the lyrics may seem silly, the song captures how it feels when you first develop feelings for someone; it’s floaty, it’s dreamy, it’s how you’d feel when you are head over heels. This Valentine's Day, I dare you to send your crush this song, and I will do it with you.

- Kelly Cheng, Staff Writer

505 by Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys have never said “I love you” in a song in their over 20-year career, and yet they have written plenty of songs that convey the feeling in unique ways. “505” is a great example of their romantic pining lyrics accompanied by one of the most amazing build-ups I have ever heard. Contrary to popular belief, the title doesn’t refer to an area code, but instead the hotel room number that his girlfriend was staying in. “505” sings of missing someone and wanting to return to them no matter how long it takes to get there. The song is hungry, yearning, and sensual. Strengthened by Alex Turner’s singular vocals, this song is one of the best out there when it comes to wanting someone and being willing to do anything to get to them.

- Ahni Brown Harbin, Staff Writer

Tejano Blue by Cigarettes After Sex

"Tejano Blue" is a hauntingly beautiful expression of longing, encased in Cigarettes After Sex’s signature dreamy sound. The melancholic melody perfectly complements the aching lyrics, which convey a love so deep it lingers indefinitely, a yearning so intense they crave each other completely, not wanting to stay away. Even the band’s name, Cigarettes After Sex, evokes intimacy and nostalgia, reinforcing themes of love and yearning. Like their songs “Sweet” and “Heavenly,” "Tejano Blue" captures the intense pull of longing—an emotional ache that refuses to fade.

- Emma D’Addabbo, Staff Writer

Love On The Brain by Rihanna 

Rihanna’s Love On The Brain captures the yearning and soul crushing love that so many experience as we wait for our crush to finally notice us. Her fantastic voice really scratches our hearts as she prescribes herself as, basically, ‘lovesick’. Personally, I think this song is perfect for Valentine’s Day because, while listening, we all come to a realization that we are in love. Exhibit A: Rihanna sings “You got me like, ohh”. I think we’ve all felt this way before whether it be fictional characters or real life characters, or maybe you’re lucky enough to have a partner. It doesn’t matter, we’ve all yearned. This song encapsulates that yearning and romanticizes it to a point where we need to be in love alongside our good friend RiRi. We search for this kind of love; sometimes it’s right before our eyes or in a TikTok edit—to each their own. 

- Rebecca Kasuba, Staff Writer

Better Distractions by Faye Webster 

If you’ve got your heart set on a certain someone this Valentine’s day, I would highly suggest adding “Better Distractions” to your playlist. Over the years, Faye Webster has mastered her perfect blend of indie folk and her Atlanta R&B roots, and this song is a testament to how well those two come together. Lyrically, Webster describes the complicated feelings of having a crush and trying to keep yourself distracted while they are slowly taking over your thoughts.

Towards the end of the song, Webster resorts to an almost desperate plea, repeating the words “will you be with me?” Thankfully, the song’s upbeat instrumentals keep you entranced in the good feelings of crushing, and not the potential impending devastation if it doesn’t work out. This song takes me back to a time when I was crushing on my Valentine, and it worked out well for me. With enough Faye Webster to get you through, it might just work out well for you too! 

- Avieana Rivera, Music Coordinator

Lovesick by Alice Phoebe Lou

Alice Phoebe Lou’s reflective melodies and lovely lyricism take the feeling of having a crush and turn it up to the next level. The delicate and earnest vocals paired with floaty instrumentals reflect all the joys of loving someone. Lou does this all while acknowledging that there are parts of having a crush that hurts, especially when you can’t have the one you love–for some reason or another. The first lyric “I ache for you/But it doesn’t paint me blue” displays the acceptance that despite not being able to have someone the way you want, while not letting it negatively overcome your thoughts. 

- Lucia Cinquino, Staff Writer

Aw Heck by John Prine

John Prine could be happy as "a sardine in a can," so long as his woman is by his side. But being a sardine is the least of his worries in "Aw Heck," a funny and rather romantic Valentine's Day song. With clever lines and a catchy set of honky-tonk keys, this song is as brilliant as it is quirky. Though unsettling at points, some genuine and touching lines peek through with the classic swagger that only Prine could deliver beneath that magnificent moustache. From saying he would "Run a mile, just to see her smile," to saying he would be stretched like a rubber band if it meant he could see her again, John Prine proves his poetic prowess in just two short minutes on "Aw Heck." It may be an unconventional take this Valentine's Day, but its certainly full of yearning!

​​- Gavin Miller, Web Services Coordinator

Gold Rush by Taylor Swift 

What is a crush without a little idealization? The third track of Taylor Swift’s 2021 album Evermore perfectly captures the golden hue that blinds one’s vision when falling in love. While more likely than not semi-autobiographical, the narrator is caught in a daydream, one where her lover is within arm’s reach. She’s jealous because she realizes in the end that she’s in love with someone whom everyone already adores, and because of this, our narrator forces herself to stop picturing a life with them. Swift’s dislike of jealousy and anxiety in relationships leads her to decide that her and her lover’s fantasy relationship isn’t worth it without giving it a try and reaching out of the dream. 

- Anna Geisler, Staff Writer