Valentine’s Day is special when it comes to music. After all, out of the millions of songs that exist in the world, a good portion are dedicated to one of the most intense feelings a person can feel: love.
Although everyone has their favorite love songs, there are a certain few that everyone knows, simply because of how sensational they are. Since I enjoy songs that make you want to scream at the top of your lungs, dance, and move you to tears all at the same time, I decided to gather some of the most dramatic love songs ever written.
So, without further ado, here are, in my opinion, the top five most dramatic love songs of all time:
5. “Can’t Fight This Feeling” – REO Speedwagon
There’s quite literally nothing more dramatic than someone who feels the need to “crawl upon the floor/Come crashing through your door” in order to profess their love to you. And who would question such a profound metaphor as “It’s time to bring this ship into the shore/And throw away the oars, forever.” There’s something so powerful, but also concerning, about the visceral feeling of love that REO Speedwagon describes in this song.
4. “If I Ain’t Got You” – Alicia Keys
“Some people want diamond rings/Some just want everything/But everything means nothing/If I ain’t got you….”
While this tune doesn’t have the dramatic, instrumental hits that some of the songs on this list do, the lyrics, and Alicia Keys’ outstanding vocals, are certain to sweep every listener into another plane of existence. This song feels like you’re dancing with your one true love… like you’re sipping the most delicious cup of hot chocolate you’ve ever tasted… like your soul is being filled. And, if you haven’t screamed along to this one while driving or dancing alone in your room… have you really lived?
3. “Grenade” – Bruno Mars
Some may say that they don’t make dramatic love songs like they used to… but don’t let Bruno Mars hear you say that. Even though the subject of this song has been objectively awful to Bruno, it doesn’t stop him from describing his infatuation in the most dramatic way possible. Let’s just say, if Bruno sang “But darling, I’d still catch a grenade for ya/Throw my hand on a blade for ya,” to me, I certainly wouldn’t put him through all that pain.
2. “My Heart Will Go On” – Céline Dion
“My Heart Will Go On” is probably the first song that people think of when “dramatic love song” enters the conversation. Honestly, I would have placed this iconic tune at number one… if it wasn’t such a “meme.” Despite kazoo covers and association with the majorly successful film Titanic, it’s hard to ignore the impact that the iconic climax has on the heartstrings: “You’re here, there’s nothing I fear/And I know that my heart will go on.”
1. “I Have Nothing” AND “I Will Always Love You” – Whitney Houston
Let’s face it… I couldn’t decide which of these two songs by the incomparable Whitney Houston should top this list. Although they each deserve their own essay, I am pained to have to call it a tie.
While “I Have Nothing” hits those ultra dramatic beats within the first 20 seconds, giving the listener the satisfaction early on, “I Will Always Love You” is a slower build, leaving the listener in beautifully sustained suspense (featuring a gorgeous sax solo), resulting in arguably the most famous climactic moment in songwriting history. While I am, personally, more partial to the heavy-hitting lyrics of “I Have Nothing”—“Don’t you dare walk away from me/I have nothing, nothing, nothing/If I don’t have you”—it’s hard to get the classic refrain of “I Will Always Love You” to leave your mind after listening. Together, these two songs have to be the best, and most dramatic, love songs of all time.
Honorable Mentions:
Somewhere Only We Know – Keane
Although this song never explicitly mentions love, it feels like the most comfortable hug you’ve ever received. It’s hard to make a person feel sad and giddy at the same time, yet this song does just that: “This could be the end of everything/So, why don’t we go somewhere only we know?”
Never Tear Us Apart – INXS
This song is the epitome of ‘80s love songs. It has a cool synth line, a sick guitar riff, fun vocals, and insanely simple yet powerful lyrics: “I was standing/You were there/Two worlds collided/And they could never, tear us apart.”
Enjoy these ultra dramatic love songs, and have a happy Valentine’s Day!