Music Recommendations for a Day of Romance
“Strange Love”, Koop
You'll know it as the Coca Cola commercial song. Besides being a total bop, this terribly sad medley about being the lover, as opposed to the loved, a la Barthes, is unfortunately relatable to anyone who's ever been both totally self-aware and irrationally head over heels. The goal is getting to a point where you don't relate to it anymore, and can enjoy it as simply a musical exercise in nostalgia. —Jemimah Wei
“Weird Fishes”, Lianne La Havas
Lianna La Havas is a Valentine's day given if we're being honest. What is often overlooked is her cover of the song Weird Fishes, originally performed by Radiohead. On the surface, It's weird, the title gives that away, but this rendition adds a soulful touch which balances out the electronic production. It's strangely beautiful, which means it may work for Halloween as well...depending on how you intend to spend the holiday. –Akhim Alexis
“A Certain Romance”, Arctic Monkeys
Back when the Arctic Monkeys were still identifiably British by sound alone, they stormed the charts with “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” and “Fake Tales of Francisco”, and this song skated by with less notice. To be fair, I don’t think this is even a “romantic” romance, but it’s a beautiful journey. “A Certain Romance” kicks most other romance songs in the teeth - energetic, peppy, but likewise boasting kids who scrap with pool cues in their hands. —Elliot Alpern
“Suzanne”, Leonard Cohen
I mean, it’s either this or “I’m Your Man”, but if it’s “Suzanne” it’s because Leonard Cohen understands how love fills your head with grandiose ideas and glimpses of secret, impossible knowledge. It’s not a non-sequitur that the second stanza is about Jesus—Cohen loves Suzanne so much that it feels like it’s teaching him something about God and nature of the universe, and suddenly even the garbage in the harbor is beautiful and important. —Nathaniel Berry
“Lost on You”, LP
Got an ex that really messed you and/or your life up? Blast this baby, “Lost on You” by LP, and scream along. —M.M. Kaufman
“Oppenheimer”, Old 97’s
Maybe this is a hot take but Old 97’s are probably the best band to come out of Dallas? “Oppenheimer” presents the age-old narrative: boy moves into a house on Oppenheimer, boy falls in love with downstairs neighbor; the two sit on the roof watching the quarter moon go until it’s all the way down. It’s a perfect song, loaded on alt-country boyish charm. —Gauraa Shekhar
“Will We Talk?”, Sam Fender
A good ol' fashioned pop song asking if I hook up with you, what happens then? It's all bubblegum fun but, unsurprisingly, there's never an answer, which sort of is an answer. –Rachel A.G. Gilman
“Fell In Love With a Girl”, The White Stripes
The opposite side of the “song length continuum”, this is perhaps the most essential story in music. Fell in love, lost completely. What else is new. —Elliot Alpern
Green Day, “Jesus of Suburbia”
Angst at the Bush administration probably doesn't scream romance to you, but the line "the space that's in between insane and insecure" really spoke to me about how we have to kind of figure out our own nonsense before we can expect to bring someone else into the storm. –Rachel A.G. Gilman
“Cruel”, Prefab Sprout
I love Prefab Sprout, and I was so happy to see four of their records reissued back in 2019! “Cruel” is off 1984’s Swoon, and it is possibly my favorite song about wrestling with love gone lukewarm: “I'm a liberal guy, too cool for the macho ache/ With a secret tooth for the cherry on the cake/ With a pious smile, a smile that changes what I say/ While I waste my time in regretting/ That the days went from perfect to just okay.” —Gauraa Shekhar
