After seeing some lists other people put together of the greatest love songs (and being dismayed at what some consider as a love song), I decided to do my own list:
“Never my love” – The Association. The best soft rock band of all time. The opening guitar chords on this song have one of the greatest “hooks” of any song I’ve heard. The vocal harmony is great!
“Annie’s Song” – John Denver. One of the trademarks of John Denver was to write songs with lyrics related to the environment and this is certainly no exception. Even as a child I was fascinated by his description of love: “You fill up my senses like a night in the forest, like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain…”. I played the 45 over and over and it is still one of my favorites today.
“We’ve only just begun” – The Carpenters. The definitive wedding song. I always feel a twinge of sadness when I hear it considering Karen’s passing at such a young age. Richard Carpenter was a genius at creating arrangements that suited Karen’s unique voice.
“If” by Bread. Legend has it that someone challenged David Gates to write a song around the word ‘If’ and so he did.
“Earth Angel” by The Penquins. This song not only is one of the great love songs of all time but also one of the greatest doo wop songs. You can hear the intensity of the singer as he pleads for his dream girl “to PLEASE BE MINE”.
‘Love can make you happy” by Mercy. A one hit wonder, but what a HIT! To me this song personifies the pop sound of the late 1960’s. I can imagine people sitting around on a hillside swaying to this song (with flowers in their hair, of course). And I just love songs with tambourines.
“Put your head on my shoulder” by Paul Anka. This is one you can turn the lights down low and snuggle up with your sweetheart.
“Love is Blue” by Paul Muriat. This is the first song I can remember listening to when I was very young. One of the best instrumentals of all time.
“This is my song” by Petula Clark. A song with that 60’s French sound. Petula Clark appears to have been forgotten these days but she ranks up there with the best female vocalists of the pop era.
‘Tonight, Tonight” from West Side Story. This song has been done by many artists but my favorite version is by the folk group We Five (who also did “You were on my mind”).
“Sweet Life” by Paul Davis. Does anyone remember this song? It is written from the perspective of a new dad. ‘She’s got your eyes, she’s got my nose…” and ‘We live in such a sweet life…oh what a delight…sharing my love with you”. It is definitely a lost oldie.
“And I love you so” by Perry Como. The singing barber. It’s only in the last few years I’ve learned to appreciate the greatness of Mr. Como (I guess it wasn’t “cool” to like him when I was younger). So many great songs going all the way back to the early 1940’s. This song, written by Don McLean, was his last top 40 hit in 1973.
“Happy Together” by The Turtles. This is an infectious sing-a-long song – “Me and you, and you and me…no matter how they toss the dice it had to be – the only one for me is you and you for me…so Happy Together” And of course – “How is the weather”?
“Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers. While “Happy Together” is a sing-a-long song, this is one you sit and LISTEN to the dynamic voice of Bill Medley in anticipation of the high note near the end. Many others have done covers of it but no one will ever do it better than the Righteous Brothers.
