Twelve Favorite Love Songs

I’m driving my car down a quiet road on a warm spring day.  Trees line both sides of the road, stretching into the distance.  The windows are open and the breeze hits my face and softly caresses my skin.  I turn on the radio and listen absent-mindedly to the music, only to have my attention captured by a song—a love song.  My mind instantly races back to a very special evening spent with a loved one.  I can remember the time, place and moment with complete clarity.  I recall what the weather was like and what we ate for dinner.  The song was playing that night also and even contributed to making the moment a powerful one.  The recaptured instant ends simultaneously with the song—the rest of my drive is slightly melancholy as reality imposes itself back into my day.  The memories are good, but they represent times long gone and moments that will never be duplicated.

We all have songs that remind us of special people or occasions.  Music helps us capture moments and remember them.  We identify some of the best memories in our lives with a song.  When we hear it play, we revisit that magical instant.  It can make us feel wonderful inside, although it might also make us sometimes look back and lament days gone by.        

These are twelve of my favorite love songs. Some remind me of a special person or moment; others are included because I appreciate the way a particular song expresses thoughts of love or beauty. I have included my favorite line from each song, and the thoughts they bring to the surface for me.

I Know You’re Out There Somewhere (Moody Blues) “…I know I’ll find you somehow, and somehow I’ll return again to you…” A particularly special song for me that evokes wonderful memories, this is my favorite love song. This most lyrical tune is an ode to separation and hopes for reconciliation. It will always remain important in the soundtrack of my life.

Unchained Melody (Righteous Brothers) “…Oh my darling, I hunger for your touch…” This magnificent song was never sung with more feeling than when performed by the Righteous Brothers, and for me it is the standard that all other love songs will be compared with. No personal list of love songs would be complete without this superb tune.

Can’t Help Falling in Love (Elvis Presley) “…Wise men say only fools rush in, but I can’t help falling in love with you…” I remember when I was young watching Elvis sing this in the movie “Blue Hawaii”. This wonderfully simple number was a musical high point, even for Elvis Presley. It was also quoted in the final episode of “Happy Days,” as part of Chachi’s marriage vows to Joanie.

Voice Inside My Head (Dixie Chicks) “…Every time I’m feeling down, I wonder what would life be like with you around…” This song speaks to decisions we make in life and how things might be if our choices were different. I try not to think of personal decisions with regret, but I occasionally wonder what my life would have been like if some things happened differently.

Photographs and Memories (Jim Croce) “…Summer skies and lullabies, nights we couldn’t say good-bye, and of all of the things that we knew—not a dream survived…” This song was on the radio the night I took a woman I loved to the airport to return home. She returned for a time, but the song was prophetic—not a dream survived.

Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper) “…If you’re lost you can look and you will find me—time after time…” The lyrics are filled with words of strength that springs from caring and affection. I’ve been lost many times, and it warms my heart to believe someone will be there to help—every time.

Bliss (Alice Peacock) “…Even love is not enough to tell you how you make me feel. There’s only one word for this—it’s bliss…” This song represents love at its best. When the word love is insufficient to express one’s feelings, there is bliss. When you feel this good, you will always remember it.

Your Song (Elton John) “…I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words how wonderful life is while you’re in the world…” This song is charming and peaceful, speaking of a comfortable life of togetherness with a loved one. It talks about buying a house and building a life. It isn’t about passion or sexual energy, but about companionship.

Songbird (Fleetwood Mac) “…For you there’ll be no more crying—for you the sun will be shining. And I feel that when I’m with you, it’s alright…” I requested “Songbird” be played at my brother’s funeral. His passing away was deliverance from the pain he suffered while battling cancer, and I saw these words as an eloquent expression of how even death can be a blessing. The second line wasn’t about my brother and us; it was about my brother and God.

Lean on Me Tonight (Moody Blues) “…Tomorrow will be just like it was when we were young…” Love is not just for the young. I view this line as a tribute to “middle aged” love and appreciate its sentiment. Relationships might not endure, but we can still experience moments that make us feel young.

Josette’s Theme (Charles Randolph Grean Sounde) There are no spoken words to this song. I originally heard it on the Dark Shadows television series; the reluctant vampire Barnabas Collins offered a small music box to Maggie Evans as a token of his affection. I subsequently identified music boxes with expressions of love, and offered one myself as a gift.

I Got You Babe (Sonny and Cher) “…I got you babe…” Sonny and Cher looked into each others’ eyes and sang this touching and deeply personal song to each other at the end of each episode of their television series. Even after they divorced and married other people, we still believed they were in love. Sometimes love continues even after relationships end.

There are many, many other powerful songs that evoke thoughts and memories of love. Remember Whitney Houston's version of "I Will Always Love You" or the Commodores' "Three Times a Lady"? Who wasn't touched by Celine Dion's rendition of "My Heart Will Go On" for the soundtrack of the "Titanic"? The Bee Gee's "How Deep is Your Love" is another of my personal favorites. The Monkee's "Sometime in the Morning", Lionel Ritchie's "Hello", Styx' "Don't Let it End", the Carpenter's "Goodbye to Love", and Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now" are all wonderful and sometimes poignant love songs. I am a fan of so many love songs that speak to me and touch my heart. These are just a few.

This article is a tribute to lovers and lovers of love.  It is about those special memories that add light and shadow to our lives.  It is for every man or woman that ever had a beautiful moment immortalized by a song, playing softly in the background.  It is for everyone who thinks back and remembers days of joy and nights of passion.  It is for everyone who has ever played a song on a phonograph, record player, cassette deck, CD player or Ipod in order to stir the memories.

I got you, babe.