February, the month that is home to the holiday corrupted by commercialism when it is meant to be about love, or something like that, is finally here.
Regardless of whether you (literally) buy into Valentine’s Day or not, take some time this month to share the love with someone, whether it just be a friend, a family member or even yourself. Hopefully this playlist that I have put together will spread some loving cheer in what has already turned out to be a rather dark year (looking at you coronavirus).
I hope you enjoy my list of songs that I am once again falling in love with.
First up on my list is “Heart Go Bang” by Blue October. Even if I did not absolutely adore this band, this song would still make it onto this list. It encompasses everything a modern love song should be without being completely cheesy. It exemplifies the feelings and the newness that the beginning of a new love brings. Also, Justin Furstenfeld’s voice is once again stunning. He puts so much emotion into every song all the time. The remix of this song is also amazing, giving it a whole new dimension without taking away anything from the original.
I fell in love with this next song when I saw one of the music videos for it. There are two videos for “Love Someone” by Brett Eldredge, and I saw the one that featured his dog (it’s called “The Edgar Cut” for those interested). I had never seen the other video, so I started associating the meaning of the song with his dog. It’s not really about the dog, but I find it sweeter that way.
When I began compiling this list, I was going through all of my playlists that are filled with love songs, and somehow this song had been moved off of the main one, meaning I had completely forgotten about it until a few days ago. This has been one of my favorite love songs since it came out, and I hate that I allowed it to get moved to a playlist that doesn’t get a whole lot of attention from me.
The song is “A Thousand Years Pt. 2” by Christina Perri featuring Steve Kazee. Don’t get me wrong, the original is still wonderful, but the added lyrics at the beginning of the song along with the addition of Kazee’s soft voice brings this song to a completely different level. This was one of the first songs I had dreamed of being played at my wedding. We’ll see if my middle school self holds my future self to that when the time comes.
This next song is actually a cover. The original was recorded by Elvis Presley, and I have a lot of love for that one; however, Haley Reinhart’s cover of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” pulls so much more emotion out of me. It could be because of the person and time period that the song is tied to in my mind, but I genuinely just really enjoy the song and her voice. It’s such a sweet and classic love song, and I can’t get enough of it.
Can I just throw out there that Avril Lavigne is a QUEEN? I absolutely loved her album Head Above Water, and “Love Me Insane” was one of my favorite songs on that album. Her voice is very prominent in this song, and it has matured so much since she began singing, almost as if she gained more confidence in it. This sweet song is about letting love overwhelm the mind and just going with it.
Contradictory to what the title might have you believe, “No One’s Gonna Love You” by Band of Horses is actually a sweet song. The full line is “No one is ever gonna love you more than I do.” My mom introduced me to this song when I was in middle school, and I fell in love with it. It’s one of those songs that’s difficult to explain why it’s good. I think I like it so much because of the memories of the time I have it tied to, but I still recommend giving it a listen.
The final song on my list of love songs is another one by Blue October. “King” is quite possibly my favorite song by this band. It was my most played song on Spotify in 2019, if that says anything. It’s such a sweet song about finding someone to conquer life with and to love unconditionally and that will love you unconditionally as well. My favorite lyric in the song is “Love me like you won’t let go, with all that I know, with all that I am.” This song brings tears to my eyes because of the emotion that Furstenfeld spills out when singing.
Even if you’re spending this Valentine’s Day alone, you might find some self-love, maybe even some puppy, kitty or whatever pet you might have love, in the songs on this list. There’s a little bit of something for everybody.
