It’s my estimation that human beings have been expressing their love (and hate during break ups) for one another through song since the dawn of modern man. Whether they are sappy or wistful, love songs are timeless. No matter when the lyrics were penned and the music was composed, the songs remind us of our own relationships, a first kiss or a devastating heartache. Love songs remind us to believe in the possibility of true love and that despite all the broken hearts, tears and nausea that can ensue, there’s no greater experience than being in love.
While a love song’s value is truly subjective, there are numerous compilations and lists of the so-called “greatest love songs of all time” out there. According to “The All Time Greatest Love Songs of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s” compilation, Robson and Jerome’s “Unchained Melody,” Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is” and Bette Midler’s “the Rose,” are some of the best expressions of what it means to be in love or in the case of Foreigner, what love is rumored to feel like. The Bee Gees’ “How Deep is Your Love,” Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” and Elton John’s “Your Song” are also standout gems.
    If you really broke them down, I think you would find most songs are really about some kind of love. There are a lot of artists out there who are creating moving, but unconventional tributes to love and as a result their songs likely will not make it onto a greatest list. I am of the opinion that a love song doesn’t have to be sugar coated and dripping syrup. A song that offers a new perspective or encourages me to look at love’s experiences in a new way is more likely to have more meaning for me.
Bright Eyes’ “First Day of My Life” is one of my favorite depictions of how it feels to find someone who changes your life. “Yours is the first face that I saw / I think I was blind before I met you/ Now I don’t know where I am / I don’t know where I’ve been / But I know where I want to go,” Conor Oberst sings. In the music video, people sitting on a red couch listen to the song through headphones. I love watching what seem to be genuine reactions to the song as the individuals and couples listen to it.
    Maine’s own Ray LaMontagne sings about the redeeming powers of love in his more well-known song, “Trouble.” He sings “I’ve been... / Saved by a woman,” but love is not perfect as he suggests: “Feels like every time I get back on my feet / She come around and knock me down again.” LaMontagne’s “Jolene” is more powerful, I think, because it suggests maybe love can’t always conquer all. “Held you in my arms one time / Lost you just the same / Jolene / I ain’t about to go straight / It’s too late.”
A friend introduced me to The Moldy Peaches and their song “Anyone Else But You,” which people might recognize from the movie “Juno.” I like the quirky song and the oddball lyrics. With alternating male and female singing parts, I feel as though I’m eavesdropping on a couple who are just trying to figure it all out: “Here is the church and here is the steeple / We sure are cute for two ugly people / I don’t see what anyone can see, in anyone else / But you.”
    Those are just some examples of what I would consider great love songs and they’re not even my favorite songs. As a lover of all kinds of different types of music, I appreciate artists who find new ways of peddling an old theme. Every relationship is different and it may not be everyday that your significant other just calls to say I love you, but if you’re very lucky, he or she will find a meaningful way to say how much they care.  
    – Amanda Estes