Let's Talk About Love Songs: My Valentine's Day Playlist

I've decided to take one more week off from reviewing albums. I can't get a hold of a free listen of the new Broken Bells album, which was requested by a friend of mine. I myself was considering reviewing the new Sun Kil Moon album "Benji," which has received critical acclaim up to wazoo within the past week, but the online streams are super sketchy. Later in the month, I will definitely be reviewing the new albums by St. Vincent and Beck. People, Valentine's Day is this Friday. My cold, critical heart is starting to soften. Let's talk about love songs.
Love songs are hard for me to get my head around. They're easy to understand and they're enjoyable, but I can't really sit here and judge what makes one love song better than another. It's like they're all the same, only not. Like I said, they're hard for me to get my head around. Just talking about it makes me feel unoriginal and unintelligent.
If you want to impress your significant other by showing some unique taste in music while showing your corny emotions at the same time, I made a playlist for you. A Valentine's Day playlist from your's truly. I may not know everything about music, but I know a thing or two about love, baby!
"Be My Baby" -The Ronettes (1963)
Beach Boys genius Brian Wilson once said of this song, "Once you've heard that record, you're a fan forever." Sure, this song was an important leap forward for music production and studio recording tactics, but chances are your significant other doesn't care about this. Perhaps a rock and roll history lesson isn't required in order to enjoy simply sweet, straight forward lyrics. The backing vocals in the chorus sound so big, yet the words are so basic. It takes a few words and glorifies, romanticizes them. "Be my, be my baby." This is pop music at its most sentimental.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating in Space" -Spiritualized (1997)
I felt like this playlist needed a starry-eyed British love song with crazy production sounds. Like this song, love is amazing and weird all at the same time. Almost all the lyrics are direct quotes from Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling In Love." While Jason Pierce is basically whispering Presley's words into an intercom system, a choir sings them in the background. The atmosphere of this song gives a unique perspective on romance. Falling in love is the equivalent to floating in space while stars explode in the distance.
"Let's Stay Together" -Al Green (1971)
This song is so darn sexy. Al Green's music is 50% love, 50% lust and 100% honesty. All he's suggesting in this song is that he and his loved one "stay together." He might be implying more than that, though. "Loving you forever is all that I need. Let me be the one you come running to." Ladies, don't you wish your boyfriends would say stuff like this to you? Also, you have to love the percussion on this track.

"Downtown Train" -Tom Waits (1985)
This song has a certain emotion packed into it that's rare to find in music these days. My dad once described Tom Waits as beautiful music being sung by Cookie Monster. No, Tom's voice is not the most appealing thing in the world. However, he paints a beautiful picture in this song. Standing under a lamp post in a city intersection, climbing up the fire escape to your girl's apartment window under a yellow moon and all the Brooklyn girls hanging out by the train tracks. With all the energy in his soul, Tom is "shining like a new dime," just dying to see his girl tonight.
"Naked As We Came" -Iron & Wine (2004)
I'm still not sure if this is actually a love song or not, but a chick will probably dig it if you grab an acoustic guitar and play this song for her. Samuel Beam has penned many love songs, but the fact that this one isn't as obvious makes it my favorite of his. It's fun to play on guitar too.
"God Only Knows" -The Beach Boys (1966)
Brian Wilson claims that he came up with this song in the middle of a prayer. Pitchfork Media called this song the best song of the 1960s and Paul McCartney has called it his favorite song of all time. Is it possible for a love song to have spiritual quality? This song is a teardrop and a "yes" in response. It's difficult to name every instrument being used to record this song, but it blends perfectly. The song begins with a french horn, sleigh bells and an accordion. Somehow, The Beach Boys can place this sound next to songs like "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "Surfin' Safari" on greatest hits compilations without it being a hiccup. Instead, it's a highlight. This is arguably the greatest song of all time. This is Love Song Composition 101.
"I Can Change" -LCD Soundsystem (2010)
This song is both the youngest on the list on the easiest one to dance to. James Murphy makes fun music for the dance floor, but can get pretty emotional. Here, his emotion is joy. The chorus is catchy beyond all reason and the lyrics are pure gold. "Love is a murder," "love is a curse, shoved in a hearse." It's basically a man spilling his guts out with a marriage proposal at an 80's techno club.
"Strange Powers" -The Magnetic Fields (1994)
This song is a hidden gem. It isn't found on The Magnetic Fields's three-disc album "69 Love Songs." It's on my playlist because it has the greatest rhyming couplet know to man. "On the Ferris wheel, looking out on Coney Island, are there more stars than there are prostitutes in Thailand?" That is a great question, Stephen Merritt. He then goes on to sing about cotton candy, Las Vegas electric bills and flying saucers. Let's face it, this song is amazing.
"What Is Life?" -George Harrison (1971)
George Harrison is my favorite Beatle. I might just be saying this because I'm a guitarist, but the few songs George wrote for the band are classics. Anyways, "What Is Life?" is a celebration of a love song. The guitar hook is catchy. The horns section is joyful, hard-hitting and very cheesy. Your loved one will enjoy this track because it just sounds so 70's. The only words you need to know are the chorus and it's a fun time.
"Lovefool" -The Cardigans (1996)
If you can name more than one song by The Cardigans, I commend you, but this is all you really need to know. If you don't like this song, you don't have a heart. It may come off as too annoying or playful to some listeners, but those people are no fun to be around anyways. We're talking about love, people. We're talking about pop music. These two things combined aren't always supposed to be taken seriously. "Dear, I fear that we have a problem" isn't a realistic phrase in relationships, but it sure sounds fun when you sing it at the beginning of this song. Everything that follows is history.
Album reviews will return next week. Meanwhile, happy Valentine's Day. Turn your hormones on.