All you need is love songs

Just for fun this Valentine's Day, I decided to compile a short list of love songs that I like, but I found it much harder than I expected. My list was quite long, so here I've pared it down to a few, in no particular order. Feel free to add comments with your favorite love songs!

"A Case of You" by Joni Mitchell -- I recently read that this song was a good song to listen to after a break-up, but I disagree. Although it begins "just before our love got lost," the chorus speaks of unquenched desire, "I could drink a case of you and still be on my feet," perhaps because the singer isn't able to "drink" her love at all, or perhaps not. Either way, I think it expresses the powerful emotion that is love quite well.

"In my life" by The Beatles -- There are many good Beatles' love songs, like "When I'm Sixty-Four" and "All my loving" and "If I fell," but this one is soft and simple; and, I have always liked it, ever since my Beatle mania began in elementary school. "In my life, I've loved you more," than other places, friends and lovers. I don't think you can get more romantic than that, even if it is a little unrealistic.

"She's always a woman to me" by Billy Joel -- At first glance, the lyrics to this song are not at all romantic, but the rolling arpeggios underneath and the music's endearing tone overshadow the words expressing the woman's flaws. Joel is professing his love for this complex woman, who he loves for her real self, imperfections and all.

"The way you look tonight" by Frank Sinatra -- Many artists have recorded this song, but Sinatra's version is the first I heard, and it remains my favorite. Apart from the sentiment attached to the song for me, it's still a great one. The lyrics are about being in the moment with a loved one, and how that moment will always be remembered, even if the relationship doesn't last.

"When you come back down" by Nickel Creek -- This lesser-known bluegrass song combines flowing folk music and heavenly harmonies with a beautiful, though a little too selfless, message. The singer promises to wait for his/her love while he/she is off doing glorious things; e.g. the fair maiden awaiting her knight's return. A better, more feminist interpretation would be a parent watching a child go away to college and into the real world, which is still love, just not romantic love.

"Wink and a Smile" by Harry Connick Jr. -- One of my favorite lines from this song is "You can't have a dream and cut it to fit." It reminds me of people trying to change others into what they think they love, which can never be good in the end. This song is about just the opposite: two people who are a perfect match, which is the dream of many.