Song title: I Follow Rivers
Artist: Lykke Li
Year: 2011
Why I like this song:
Behold the Swedish Yandere
This works for me. through the bizarre production (particularly with that distorted glockenspiel sample) and Lykke's voice. It sounds spooky but sure isn't dull
Song title: My Girl
Artist: Temptations
Year: 1964
Why I like this song:
One of the most recognizable openings ever with the finger-snaps and the guitar riff. I'm amazed how many can pick up this song and immediately enjoy it - but such things happen for a reason. You see, this song describes a true strength in a relationship, when you in something so strong, you feel the world is at your feet, it's pretty much all you'll ever need and you just want to tell everyone about it.
I have always had a long-standing grudge against love songs as they described an idealized situation and nothing of what's it really like - this song however, along with the others I've listed above, remains a delightful exception. And how can you see no to it? I guess it's fair to say that everyone has felt at some stage exactly like this: Being in love and everything is now viewed in a much brighter light and having the enthusiasm to say, Hey this is a Relationship that works.
"All I can talk about is My Girl"
Song title: Unchained Melody
Artist: Righteous Brothers
Year: 1965
Why I like this song:
Yeah we all know this one but seriously: no amount of bad karaoke versions (or pottery scenes) can ever tarnish the timeless wonder this songs provides.
Song title: At My Most Beautiful
Artist: R.E.M.
Year: 1998
Why I like this song:
Michael Stipe once said it isn't easy trying to convey genuine feelings in a song and, as a result he was working on this song for a very long period of time. Thus, when it was finally done he was really proud of the end result.
And so he should be. For me this song really does a great effort in capturing little moments in a relationship. Little moments that make any relationship what it should be: Special. Key amongst them is the repeated line: "I've Found a Way to Make you Smile" but some of the other lines work equally well. Indeed, this song is the type that quietly sneaks in and builds a connection without the listener realizing it. And if that isn't the mark of a great song, I don't know what is.
Song title: The Ship Song
Artist: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Year: 1990
Why I like this song:
Now this is how you write a love song! I have had great respect for Mr. Cave's talents in writing a love songs. He has said that emotionally-based songs should be the real deal and not be in any way false - and for that I take my hat off to him.
The Ship Song I feel fulfills these objectives with ease. Listening to it, I hear something of beauty - comparable to watching a glacier melt. Everything works, the sweep of the song writing, the use of the piano and xylophone, the steady dream beat and the utilization of the layered vocals. Everything about it has this passionate, commanding tensity to it that reduces my speech to a whisper. To convey such emotion within a songs is nothing short of an achievement.
Indeed, it makes you wonder why no one has ever written anything to match, or even surpass, it. Maybe there is no need. Or maybe everyone is too scared to.
Song title: Happy Together
Artist: Turtles
Year: 1966
Why I like this song:
Again, this a song that succeeds through having a winner of a chorus. A proud declaration describing feelings that anyone can relate to all in a cheerful manner. And that is precisely the point: This songs really conveys what it is truly like being in love. Genuine emotions that anyone can relate to are spelled out in the lyrics, Similarly the vocal delivery ranges from uncertainty, to eagerness to full-blown confidence within a short space of time.
Better still, the song establishes the idea that when you're in love, everything looks different and you gain a much better perspective on the world around you. You and the other person make each other happy and it means so much. Seeing as this song can accomplish all of this, it's small wonder it has withstood the test of time.
Song title: It's Because I Love You
Artist: Master Apprentices
Year: 1970
Why I like this song:
In the history of the love song there have been some some horrifically treacly rubbish (if I ever hear Lady in Red ever again i think I may have to kill someone) - thus I proudly point to this song as being one of these exceptions of a love song with actual BALLS. An artifact from the early seventies hippy era of Australian rock - and one of those songs that has a quality to it that can only be described as timeless. A simple declaration of love over a some nicely played acoustic guitar, soon gives way to the unforgettable chorus of: 'Do what you want to do/Be what you want to be/Yeah'. Essentially, this is a song of two halves, where in the verse we see the cause and in the chorus we see the effect. After all, when you're in love, anything really seem possible.
And like many songs on this list, this song also bears a particular personal resonance: I remember one time when I was feeling depressed, this song came on the stereo and Kathleen encouraged me into a singalong with the chorus in an effort to cheer me up. Sometimes, little moments can mean so much
Song title: Geeks in Love
Artist: Lemon Demon
Year: 2010
Why I like this song:
A gem from an Internet-based songwriter/animator. At first glance, it may seem kind of daft - but ultimately, it's strength lies in truth. That truth of being with someone who can understand what you say, the embodiment of a bond that only the two of you understand, the idea of being someone whom you can do things with, the notion that you will both succeed when no one else will realize it, the strength of being able to make the other genuinely happy and being a part of something that could only be described as special. And let us not forget: it's actually quite a catchy song.
In fact that I'd go so far to say that if I ever get married this song WILL be played at the wedding
Song title: Love Goes On!
Artist: The Go-Betweens
Year: 1988
Why I like this song:
Speaking from experience, when I have been in a genuine relationship, everything changes. The world looks different, you suddenly find yourself capable of doing things you never thought possible, light comes in where once was darkness, you find yourself starting out on something truly great and a general enthusiasm for life comes rushing in. And all of these emotions are encapsulated within this song. Such infatuation is conveyed in the song with such ease and such sincerity (the use of the exclamation mark in the title is a subtle indication) it makes you wonder why other song-writers even bother.
Song title: Something
Artist: Beatles
Year: 1969
Why I like this song:
In terms of conveying genuine emotion in song, this is a textbook example. Strangely enough, every time I hear this song, the emotion seems different. Is it affection for someone special? Is it the hopelessness of knowing someone whom is forever out of reach? Is it lovesick desperation? Or is the acceptance of something that's doomed to fail? But, of course, if the reaction is different every time then that is the mark of a truly great song.