February may be the worst month of all at Kenyon College thanks to the bitter cold. For some, however, this time of year is made a little warmer thanks to Hallmark’s favorite holiday: Valentine’s Day. Regardless of whether you’re single or ‘Kenyon married,’ chances are you’ll soon be bombarded with movies, books, food , and an obnoxious amount of teddy bears relating to February 14th.
Most importantly, people will be getting ready for this day by playing the cheesiest love songs on the planet – probably on repeat. I’m all for expressing one’s love through music: by all means, serenade your significant other on the quad or hold up a boombox outside the window of their residence hall.
But now in 2014, some of the most classic love songs have been overused to the point of nausea. There’s nothing wrong with the Bee Gee’s, Frank Sinatra, and Peter Gabriel. In fact, I love all of those artists and their love songs. But why not change things up a bit? Below are some of my suggestions for a few love songs that are a little less commonly known:
- Layla – Eric ClaptonClapton wrote this song about George Harrison’s wife, Patty Boyd, with whom he was in love with for seven years prior to Harrison and Boyd’s divorce. Clapton and Boyd ended up married for roughly nine years, but before that he had to express his love for his best friend’s significant other through his music – and it worked!
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Because The Night – Patti Smith Smith describes love exactly as it should be: fun, emotional, and above all, passionate.
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She’s Thunderstorms – The Arctic MonkeysSometimes, someone will come along and will change everything and life as you know it, and that’s pretty cool and romantic.
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Got to Get You Into My Life – The BeatlesEven though this song is about Paul McCartney’s love for pot, the sentiment (and the message) is still there. The Lennon/McCartney duo would go on to write many of the worlds most famous love songs but this one is often (and unfortunately) overlooked.
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Loving Cup – The Rolling Stones. As the second best British band of all time, the Stones have written their fair share of great love songs. ‘Wild Horses’ tends to be their most well known ballad, but this song from ‘Exile on Main Street’ doesn’t stray too far behind.
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My Sharona – The KnackTechnically not a love song, but in a campus where hook-up culture is the norm I think ‘My Sharona’ adequately describes the thoughts that run through your head during a DFMO. Because isn’t a DFMO basically love for the night?
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Kill The Director – The WombatsLove isn’t always like a romantic comedy – get over it. But just because it’s not that way doesn’t mean that love isn’t real.
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There Is A Light That Never Goes Out – The SmithsMarr and Morrissey undoubtedly wrote some of the best, most brooding songs in the alternative rock scene of the 1980s. This song describes love in its all-consuming form, although sometimes that’s really not the best situation to be in. Their love for The Smiths is what brought Summer and Tom together in ‘(500) Days of Summer’ and we all saw how well that turned out.
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Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve) – The BuzzcocksSometimes you fall in love with your roommate’s girlfriend – hey, it happens. And it sucks, and then the only thing to do is dedicate this song to them the next time they’re in your room.
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Coney Island Baby – Lou ReedLove doesn’t always have to be like a fairy tale; at times, it’s all too realistic and imperfect. But no matter what happens on this journey, if you take a walk on the wild side, the glory of love will find its way to you.