I spend most of my time here posting angry, cynical songs. But I do occassionally deal with matters of the heart. So for Valentine’s Day, here’s a rundown of some of some of my favourite love song tabs. And for those of you celebrating St Skeletor’s Day on the 15th, there are some songs of rejection, scorn and infidelity for you to play between pushing couples holding hands into a puddles.
Valentine’s Day
The Beach Boys – God Only Knows
Definitely the best love song ever written and a strong contender for greatest song of all time.
Tom Waits – Johnsburg, Illinois
Written by Tom Waits for his wife Kathleen Brennan who did grow up in Johnsburg, Illinois. Such a simple and beautiful song.
The Temptations – My Girl
I’m not usually a fan of songs that are this sweet but this has an irresistible melody. And David Ruffin’s voice is buttery.
Mama Cass – Dream a Little Dream of Me
You can’t have love without at least a tinge of sadness.
Dolly Parton – I Will Always Love You
If you asked 100 people to name a love song, I guarantee this would be top answer.
The Zombies – This Will Be Our Year
I listen to this one every year. And it never is our year but there’s always hope.
St Skeletor’s Day
R.E.M. – Losing My Religion
Losing My Religion cropped up my favourite movie of last year, Aftersun, in an excruciating karaoke scene. Pro tip: when selecting a karaoke song, don’t go for one with an outro that’s just one note over and over at a crawling tempo.
alt-J – Fitzpleasure
This has to be the nastiest song I’ve ever covered. I can’t believed they played this on the radio.
Nirvana – Heart-Shaped Box
You could make an argument for this being a twisted Valentine song. But I think its violent images of obsessive love make it a good one for St Skeletor’s Day.
Hank Williams – I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
A good contender for the most pathetic song of all time.
Lizzo – Truth Hurts
Lizzo is leaning a bit too far into the positivity stuff these days for my taste. I prefer her songs that have a bit more “fuck you” mixed in with the self empowerment.
BLACKPINK – Kill This Love
Putting these lists together, it was very clear that the Valentine’s songs were mostly older and the Skeletor songs were much more recent.
