REVIEW: My top picks for Valentine’s tunes
We’re approaching that time of year again, when every storefront is covered in hearts, candies are all suddenly cherry-flavored and forgetful boyfriends are scrambling to find a meaningful gift for their girl. The time when lovers love and relationships are either founded, strengthened or ended. And in addition, the best excuse to gorge on chocolate since Christmas.
In my quest to give love to the world, I have chosen some of my favorite love songs to share with you today. I haven’t chosen just any love songs, I’ve picked ones that truly show love. I haven’t discriminated as to whether the songs are happy or sad, I figure that love is love, whether it hurts or not.
With no particular order, the first is Dashboard Confessional’s “Hands Down.” From the album “A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar,” this is one of the songs that pushed Dashboard into popularity, and for good reason. It just rocks, aside from the fact that it’s a great love song.
Pulsing power chords in the guitar with a tense, almost-frantic high-hat rhythm and nearly-whispered vocals set up the feeling of the whole song – the story of two young lovers hiding out, just “doing nothing at all,” as the song says. It is an incredibly honest depiction of young love, the feeling of hiding from the world, of turning simple things like hanging out into an almost unreal love story.
Next is Death Cab For Cutie’s “What Sarah Said,” from the album “Plans.” This may seem like an odd choice to some. Try listening to it again, if you thought that. A great drum part supports the simple piano line and clear voice of Ben Gibbard.
The truly beautiful thing about this song is the story it tells; the story of sitting in the waiting room of a hospital, “a place where we only say goodbye.” It gives you the feeling of losing yourself in the emotions of anticipating the death of a loved one, while “thinking of what Sarah said, that love is watching someone die.”
Yes, this song is sad. It’s downright depressing when seen in the wrong light. But when looked at from a different perspective, it can be inspiring. Gibbard is telling us that if you love someone, you will be with them through their ups and downs.
You will stand with them, even when it is hard for you. Even when you want to run away and forget it all, when you feel like if you stay even a second longer your chest will tear in two, if you love them you will stay with them.
Another great song about young love is Blink-182’s “Going Away to College,” from the album “Enema of the State.” Yeah, I can hardly believe that I’m citing Blink as truly showing love, but I am. The song is about a guy looking back at his high school sweetheart, wondering how she feels now that he’s gone and desperately holding on to his memories of her.
It is definitely a less mature example of love than what is shown in “What Sarah Said,” but its youthful honesty is what makes it great, and often more accessible. While not all of us have felt the pain of losing a loved one, I’m sure more have left the pain of moving away and being forced to leave a loved one behind. The anguish that comes from not knowing what happened after a breakup and the uncertainty of not knowing how the other person feels is something we can all relate to.
The last song I have room to talk about is Ben Folds’ “The Luckiest,” from his album “Rockin’ the Suburbs.” The beautiful piano part gives wonderful contour to the musical lines of the song as it is accentuated by a full string section, giving the song a sweeping feeling. It speaks of love in a way that is in some ways very traditional, but in others very not so. For example, Folds tells the story of an old couple that died within days of each other and says, “I know that’s a strange way to tell that I know we belong.” This song is not the type of song where the lyrics were constructed to fit together, to rhyme or flow in an organized cadence. They appear to be included in the song because Folds was actually thinking these things, actually thinking that he is “the luckiest.”
To all you anti-Valentine’s Day cynics out there, I want to ask you to forget the commercialism, to forget the dumb gifts and even forget the scars from your past relationships. Open up your hearts and show some love on Monday.
I don’t care if you’re a guy or girl, young or old, dating someone or single, just go show someone that you care for them. Heck, I don’t even care if it’s someone you’re romantically interested in. Give them a hug. Tell them you care. It’s not often that we have a holiday specifically devoted to love, so we had better take advantage of it.
– rex.colin.mitchell@aggiemail.usu.edu