The Best Love Songs That Don’t Contain the Word Love
David Bowie – “Be My Wife”
Coming at the height of Bowie’s genius-suffering-from-cocaine-psychosis period and, you know, three years before divorcing his first wife, there’s reason to question who he was even talking to here. There’s a pervasive sense that he’s just so profoundly tired from being the world’s greatest rock star that he’ll collapse into any arms that could support his 100-pound weight. But he also sounds so deeply sincere, gazing at you with his tear-rimmed blue eye. Yes, David, YES.
Depeche Mode – “Enjoy the Silence”
Arguing not only against reading sonnets to each other in bed, but against verbalizing entirely, this quintessential 1990 synth-pop jam exalts the profound eloquence of the wordless cuddle. So much music from the past couple decades goes for this elegant dance-club-for-softies vibe, ends up falling way short. A near-perfect middle between cold and warm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay4v7mhEh54
Roxy Music – “If There Is Something”
Vintage glam rock, thought of mainly as a hedonist art goof freak-out, contained some of the most emphatically romantic music of all time. Starting as sort of a Rolling Stones-y lark about the first blush of attraction, this song deepens as it goes, past Bryan Ferry’s golden goat-bleated confessions of love, and into teary-eyed remembrance of a life of devotion. “I would put roses round our door, sit in the garden, growing potatoes by the score.” It might just be the crowd I run with, but I’ve attended wedding ceremonies where these lyrics have been used, perfectly, as devotional reading.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk-A-I-T2NU
Hot Chip – “One Life Stand”
Deeply but danceably square is sort of Hot Chip’s brand, so jumping past a hay roll and straight to a church stroll isn’t so surprising. The lyrics are pretty awkward to start, honestly, but its all just time-biding until the huge, heartfelt chorus, one of the most memorable odes to commitment from the past five years not written by Beyonce.
Liars – “The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack”
I’m not sure it’s ever been officially acknowledged as a response track to Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Maps”, which was definitely written about Liars’ lanky frontman Angus Andrew (its title was an acronym for “My Angus Please Stay”), but it sure plays like one, and it even fills the same career role as a shockingly tender offering from a band previously known for being unhinged. Its near-ambient serenity doesn’t come at the expense of a memorable hook. The most beautiful thing they’ve ever done, still.
Active Child – “You Are All I See”
This Active Child cut gives the term “higher love” new meaning. Between frontman Pat Grossi’s reassuring falsetto and the crystalline harp lines that radiate from the heart of this track, it’s easy to get caught up in the sheer romance of it all.
Emiliana Torrini – “Bleeder”
Torrini has come a long way since her 2005 breakout album Fisherman’s Woman, but the Icelandic songstress and her fay vocals still shine brightest when she keeps the production simple. “Bleeder” plays like a quiet prayer, fading as quickly as it blooms.
Imogen Heap – “Between Sheets”
Heap is best known for her ability to somehow make highly cerebral electronic music sound profoundly organic, which is why the effects of “Hide and Seek” continue to be felt nearly 10 years later. While she hasn’t quite been able to replicate the success of that song, she’s still one of the best in the business when it comes to melting cold hearts with synths and strings.
The Lovin’ Spoonful – “Coconut Grove”
Even 47 years after the release of Hums of The Lovin’ Spoonful, frontman John Sebastian’s chameleonic vocals continue to stun. This is the same man who soulfully raged on “Summer In The City” and affected a convincing twang on “Darlin’ Companion.” So it’s no surprise that he can turn around and so perfectly play the dazed youth on this ode to a lazy, romantic afternoon.
Twin Sister – “I Want A House”
This song is all honeymoon phase. It’s for that phase in a relationship where you want nothing more than to feel unquestionably safe with the one you love and all the emotions that come with that desire are described in four simple but intensely evocative lines.
Playlist compiled by Jeff Klingman, Nikita Richardson, and Sarah Lutkenhaus.