After having a weekend filled with watching movie musicals and then listening to their soundtracks endlessly, I found myself wondering what the best love songs from musicals are. Oftentimes the love songs are the most recognizable or are the songs that have a recurring theme throughout the musical. Here I’ve listed my favorite love songs from movie musicals. To make things fair, I’ve only allowed myself to choose one song from each musical.
“All I Ask of You” from The Phantom of the Opera
This song, sung between the two main characters, Christine and Raul, is one that I always come back to when I watch this movie. This song comes at the halfway point in the movie and is the first time that they confess their feelings for each other. You can very clearly hear the love that each character has for the other as well as the hope that the other loves them back. With lyrics like: “Let me be your shelter/ Let me be your light/ You’re safe, no one will find you/ Your fears are far behind you,” it’s hard to deny their love.
“Hopelessly Devoted to You” from Grease
I know that there are some controversial parts to Grease, but this song is very good at showing the all-consuming love that one can feel even after having your heart broken. The lyrics “My head is saying fool forget him/ My heart is saying don’t let go/ Hold on to the end, that’s what I intend to do/ I’m hopelessly devoted to you” poses the age-old question to listen to your head or your heart (but we already know that she’s made up her mind).
“On my Own” from Les Misérables
Okay, now this is a sad love song about unrequited love but it’s such an iconic song that I had to include it. This very romantic song is all about ‘what if,’ as Epinone knows that Marius, her love, does not return her feelings. These lyrics really encapsulate what Epinone feels: “I love him/ But everyday I’m learning/ All my life/ I’ve only been pretending/ Without me/ His world will go on turning/ A world that’s full of happiness/ That I have never known/ I love him”
“Can I Have This Dance” from High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Okay, okay, hear me out. This song is actually so romantic, and Troy and Gabriella are so in love here it’s hard to deny it. High School Musical gets a bad rep for its cheesy plot line, but the songs are actually very good (I could write a whole article about this) and have a way of making you want what they have. How can you deny their love with lyrics like: “It’s like catching lightning/ The chances of finding someone like you/ It’s one in a million, the chances of feeling/ The way we do/ And with every step together/ We just keep on getting better”?
“I See the Light” from Tangled
This is undoubtedly one of my favorite Disney love songs. The visuals during the movie when this song is sung are breathtaking, and when paired with the lovely lyrics it completes this perfect love song. This song is not just about falling in love, but also wanting to be a better person because of the one you love: “All that time never truly seeing/ Things, the way they were/Now she’s here shining in the starlight/ Now she’s here suddenly I know/ If she’s here it’s crystal clear/ I’m where I’m meant to go/ And at last I see the light.”
“Suddenly Seymour” from Little Shop of Horrors
I haven’t seen this movie in so long but this song has stuck with me. It is one of the more recognizable songs from this musical, and many people consider it to be the most iconic of all the songs. Sung between the two protagonists at an emotional time, they end up spilling their feelings towards one another for the first time. When Audry and Seymour sing these lyrics: “Sweet understanding, Seymour’s my friend/ Tell me this feeling lasts till forever/ Tell me the bad times are clean washed away,” you can really feel the love between them.
“You Must Love Me” from Evita
This song, which only appears in the film adaptation of this Broadway musical, is beautiful. It’s sad, yet hopeful, desperate, but thoughtful, and it perfectly encapsulates what is going on in the musical. It is sung by main character Eva Perón about her relationship with her husband towards the end of her life, showing both her emotional state as well as her relationship. These lyrics really get me in my feels: “Deep in my heart, I’m concealing/ Things that I’m longing to say/ Scared to confess, what I’m feeling/ Frightened you’ll slip away/ You must love me.”
“I’ll Cover You” from Rent
Rent has so many sad moments in it that I sometimes forget the happy ones. This song, though, is one of the happy moments that you just want to continue on forever. With such sweet and genuine lyrics, you only wish for these characters to stay happy in love. The genius word play of the lyrics is another thing to commend: “I think they meant it/ When they said you can’t buy love/ Now I know you can rent it/ A new lease, you are my love/ On life, be my life.”
“I Can Hear the Bells” from Hairspray
This is a fun, upbeat song about the instant love the main character, Tracy, has for the most popular boy in school, Link. It’s all about her imaginary future with Link after one interaction together. These lyrics really show the all-consuming love-at-first-sight feeling: “And all because he/ Touched me/ He looked at me and stared, yes he/ Bumped me/ My heart was unprepared when he/ Tapped me/ And knocked me off my feet/ One little touch/ Now my life’s complete.”
“A Whole New World” from Aladdin
Another iconic Disney love song, the love is just pouring out of every note and lyric of this song. The visuals from the animation are stunning and add so much to the wonder of love that these characters feel. These romantic lyrics perfectly portray the budding love between these characters: “A whole new world/ A dazzling place I never knew/ But when I’m way up here/ It’s crystal clear/ That now I’m in a whole new world with you.”
These songs are honestly some of my favorite movie musical songs, and I think that’s in part due to the emotion behind each song that makes it all the more special. Happy listening!
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