Before I start this article I would like to take a moment to remember Whitney Houston whose rendition of “And I Will Always Love You” will always be a glorious milestone in the history of love songs.
Love. The four letter word that inspires musicians, lyrists, and composers everyday. In our current time, love is easily the most common subject of music. As a result, an enormous quantity of love songs exist, ranging in topics from finding love in a hopeless place to the one that got away to finding someone like the love that got away. Many of these songs have stood the test of time, emerging as quintessential love songs that dominate iPod space and radio waves.
However, hidden in the world are amazing love songs that are overlooked day after day. Some of these songs are once-loved oldies that have gathered dust on the shelf, some are overlooked songs by famous artists, and some are just random. Regardless, if this Valentine’s Day you grow tired of listening to grossly overplayed pop songs, check out these off the beaten path love songs.
TOO MUCH LOVE WILL KILL YOU ~ Queen
Most love songs focus on the positive, only letting love show its ugly side when it comes to heartbreak. However, this song explores the negative effects of too much love, making it completely unique in its take on the common subject. The song dives into this side of love with beautiful lyrics masterfully sculpted by Freddie Mercury’s stunning vocals. If you’re more of a Brian May fan don’t fret (haha guitar pun) as May gets a chance to shine toward the end of the song. However, the jewel of this piece is that piano part, which not only provides unity to the song, but also is simple and gorgeous in its own right. For those who want to travel even farther off the beaten path, check out Philippine’s Got Talent Winner Jovit Baldivino’s version of the song. No one can even get close to touching Freddie’s mad skills, but it is a solid cover.
BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY ~ Cover by Mig Ayesa
Baby, I Love Your Way was originally sung by Peter Frampton who, especially in the live acoustic versions, does a nice job with the song. However, Frampton’s verse, which, in my opinion, can sound more reggae than romantic at times, goes at a power-walk tempo. This is one of those songs that, when slowed down, transforms into something magical. And magic is exactly what Mig Ayesa, created when he did a cover of the song for the 2005 reality singing competition Rock Star: INXS. Ayesa does a great job vocally shaping the song, making his voice sweet in just the right spots, but also knowing when to open up and belt it out. In a wise move, the piano was substituted for the guitar and a violin was added, creating a completely different, heart-string pulling version of the 70’s classic. With this song, baby I love Ayesa’s way.
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THE YOUNG PRINCE AND THE YOUNG PRINCESS ~ Rimsky-Korsakav
Based on the book Tales of Scheherazade: A Thousand and One Nights, most commonly known as The Arabian Nights, this piece contains one of the most beautiful, romantic melodies ever written. Rimksy-Korsakov as a Romantic composer focused on capturing the emotional aspect of music. The result is a melody that gently takes the heart and leads it on a fantastic journey; a journey which words are too limited to explain. This piece really should be listened to live, even if it is just a violin playing the main melody and not a full symphony in all its glory as recordings take away a lot of the musician-audience interaction and sound dynamics, which lessens the emotional impact of a piece. When it comes to a melody that has the potential to capture the heart and never let it go, a recording versus a live performance really makes a difference.
BE CAREFUL IT'S MY HEART ~ Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin, the composer of this song, is most famously known for his Christmas song, “White Christmas.” However, Berlin did not just limit himself to glistening treetops and sleigh bells in the snow. Berlin actually wrote a song for every major holiday, compiled together into the 1942 movie Holiday Inn. “Be Careful It’s My Heart” is the song that Bing Crosby’s movie character sings to his love interest on Valentine’s Day. The song has a beautiful melody paired with simple lyrics that offer a taste of Berlin’s ingenuity for rhyme. The melody is support by strings that soar to recreate an emotional impact and winds and brass to add a contrasting jazz flair. What makes this song irresistible is Crosby’s distinctive crooner verse, which is so deep and sweet that it is so easy to get lost in what he is singing. The best part of the song is the irony that surrounds it in the movie. While Bing Crosby’s character is professing his love in song and warning his love interest about breaking his heart, Fred Astaire’s character is stealing the love interest away to dance with him, wooing her with his nimble feet. Simple and sweet, this song’s a holiday treat!
GIVE MY LOVE TO ROSE ~ Johnny Cash
This song is heartbreaking. It tells the story of an unidentified speaker who finds a criminal dying on the side of some railroad tracks. As the criminal is lying there, all he can think about is making sure his family is all right when he’s gone. The man can barely speak, but he stresses making sure that the speaker tells his wife, Rose, that he loves her. Even though the subject is a criminal, it’s hard not to sympathize with him as everything the criminal says is filled with such genuine concern for his family. Johnny Cash is an amazing storyteller as his deep, distinctive voice, which is more like talking with rhythm and pitch than singing, gives the feel of listening to a beloved grandfather. Make sure to listen to the guitar part, which is a perfect example of how less can be more. Also, a word of advice: when listening to this song that there is a box of tissues ready because they might be needed.
HERE WE ARE ~ Annette Hanshaw
In the introduction, when I was talking about favorites who have gathered dust on the shelves, I was referring primarily to Annette Hanshaw. Considered one of the greatest and most popular jazz singers of the Roaring Twenties, she is barely known today. Personally, I think worse of the world because it allowed such a great singer to fall through the cracks. Ms. Hanshaw’s voice is phenomenal. It’s distinctive. It’s goose bump raising (especially when she hits those high notes oh so sweetly). It’s infused with a flapper quality is a perfect contrast to her innocent lyrics. All in all, it’s one of those voices that hearing for the first time is a memorable experience. “Here We Are” is just one of Annette Hanshaw’s amazing love songs. I included it for this list over “Lover Come Back to Me” or “What I Wouldn’t Do For That Man” because “Here We Are” always makes me smile. This song is a simple celebration of the joy of just being together with the person you love. “That’s all.”
GITCHEE GITCHEE GOO ~ Phineas and the Ferbstones ft. Candace
This song was vital to transforming the Disney Channel show Phineas and Ferb, sending it off in a more musical direction. Despite the multitudes of songs that have now been written for the show, “Gitchee Gitchee Goo” is still probably the best. Musically it’s nothing special, just another example of sugary pop with “meaningless” lyrics and that, after being a one-hit wonder, will end up as muzak in the elevator (please note that this was the boys intent when writing the song in the episode). Despite the lack of musical value, the song is still fun, nonsensical, and oh so catchy. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself saying gitchee gitchee goo (which means I love you) to your Valentine. Also, don’t forget to check out the extended version!
LET THEM TALK ~ Hugh Laurie
Got a heart problem? Well the doctor’s in the house. Or should I say the doctor is House? Hugh Laurie, aka the world’s favorite misanthrope/anti-hero/mad-genius doctor, is not only a talented actor, but a talented musician as well. In his album, Let Them Talk, Laurie, originally from Great Britain, dives into the rich territory of New Orleans-style blues. “Let Them Talk” is the song where Laurie slows the tempo down, which allows him to show off his awesome piano playing and his interesting voice. A quick warning, it might take a few listens to get used to Laurie’s voice which has this nasally quality that almost does not seem natural. It’s worth it though as the familiarity makes it is possible to enjoy the emotion that Laurie puts into his singing as he tells his love to let people talk and gossip all they want, because it’s not going to change how much he love her. If only House put that sort of emotion into singing for Cuddy instead of reckless driving. Then he might not have ended up in prison. Oh House.
JUST THE WAY IT IS ~ Adam Lambert
The reason this song is considered off the beaten path is that Lambert’s second studio album, Beg for Mercy, just seemed to apparate out of thin air. I’m surprised that no one has talked about it at all seeing as critics are give the perfect opportunity to slam his lack of creative for the song “MP3s Killed the Record Companies” (sorry Adam, but it was established like 30 years ago that “T.V. Killed the Radio Star”). Definitely not as good as For Your Entertainment, the album’s best song is probably “Just the Way It Is.” Lambert’s performance is spot on as he allows his voice to projects emotion as he sings tender lyrics like “I’ll love you always connections like ours are not made to fade.” The song makes a nice use of layering Adam’s voice so there is a higher background voice that adds dimension to the vocals. In addition, there is a nice balance between the electric and acoustic guitars with the electric instrument adding a touch of roughness in contrast to the more tender acoustic one. Don’t be surprised if this song is not off the beaten path for much longer; it could easily be Lambert’s next single.
RULE THE WORLD WITH LOVE ~ Barenaked Ladies
This song takes love away from relationships and discusses the role of love in the world. Be careful, the Barenaked Ladies are one of those bands whose lyrics are not random words thrown on the page. They are masters of word play, the best example in this song being when they run together the phrases “one for all” and “all is fair in love and war” to create “one for all is fair in love and war.” To get the full message of the song requires careful listening and a willingness to embrace the complexities of the message. For those people who don’t really care about to the messages in songs, it’s still a great listen. The chorus has some amazing harmonies, as each singer in the band has a distinctive voice, yet those voices blend very well together. The drums dominate the background, moving the piece along and providing a beat that, in a cool artistic move, sounds very similar to a heartbeat. The piano also gets a chance to shine with this cool, jazzy solo in the middle of the piece. What I, personally, love about this band, is their music always sounds live, which creates this great intimate feel between the song and the listener.
One of my favorite things about music is that there is so much of it. People usually just focus on what’s big now, but in doing so they make themselves overlook so a wealth of amazing songs. I dare you to use these songs as a jumping off point to explore a new music that, for all you know, you might end up loving. Why are you still reading? Go, nibble on the cheese of life, suck the marrow out of music. And most importantly: Happy Valentine’s Day!
