7.9.2007 | 11:00 am

Reader Poll: What are your favorite love songs?


Photo by David Greenwald

As you can see, I’m in New York for the summer, but my girlfriend (as the Big Star song goes) is still way out West. So I’ve been listening to a lot of soul-baring love songs and feeling sad and romantic; I’m compiling a list of my absolute favorites that I plan on posting here soon. But everybody has their personal favorites and I’d like to see yours. Post your top five in the comments, and if there are some clear favorites, I’ll put together a reader list to go along with my own.

Before you start: Whitney Houston and Celine Dion? Not allowed. Mariah’s cool, though.

I’ll kick things off with what I think is my all-time favorite love song, Herb Alpert’s rendition of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s heartbreaking “This Guy’s In Love With You.” Listen to how Alpert’s quiet delivery sets up the big dramatic shock of the orchestral flourishes. Talk about goosebumps. I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Bacharach play this live, and man. I don’t even know what to say about it.

Herb Alpert – “This Guy’s In Love With You”: mp3

How about you guys, what are your picks?

More posts about: Classics, Polls

  • Anonymous

    Since you’re already thinking about Big Star, what about their simple “I’m in Love With a Girl”?

    Maybe not the best love song, but it is something that almost all Big Star songs are: honest.

  • Marlon

    The Beach Boys – God Only Knows
    Devin Davis – Giant Spiders
    The National – The Geese of Beverly Road
    Wilco – Jesus, etc.
    Iron & Wine – My Lady’s House

    Clipse are a close 6th with “Ma, I Don’t Love Her” though. There’s a lot of great and really interesting love songs out there, picking 5 is not easy.

  • Anonymous

    for me, it comes down to a top 3:

    The Beach Boys – God Only Knows
    Tears for Fears – Head Over Heels

    and lastly, my favorite of all time….

    The Smiths – The is a Light that Never Goes Out

  • Anonymous

    1)Style Council- Your The Best Thing
    2)The Bible- Skywriting
    3)Hunters & Collectors- Throw Your Arms Around Me
    4)You Belong To Me- The Duprees (50′s group)
    5)REM- At My Most Beautiful
    6)Del Amitri- Be My Downfall
    7)David Bowie-Absolute Beginners
    8)Dire Straits-Romeo & Juliet
    9)The Alarm-Presence of Love
    10)Paul McCartney-Maybe I’m Amazed

    Good question!

    GC from “Retro Music Snob”

  • alfred

    Mariah’s cool? Since when?

  • Ana

    hmm i guess my love songs are mostly the sad sigh songs

    so

    tindersticks – another night in
    leonard cohen – famous blue raincoat
    joao gilberto – manha de carnaval
    nick cave – (are you) the one that ive been looking for
    radiohead – exit music (for a film)

    but i also have

    bjork – hyperballad
    air – you make it easy
    jack johnson – banana pancakes (cant help it)

    btw mariah… so not cool.

  • Dave Rawkblog

    cooler than Jack Johnson ;)

  • Travis

    How about:

    1) I’m Still In Love With You – Al Green
    2) Good Vibrations – Beach Boys
    3) Too Busy Thinkin’ About My Baby – Marvin Gaye
    4) (What A) Wonderful World – Sam Cooke
    5) I Was Made To Love Her – Stevie Wonder
    6) Love and Some Verses – Iron & Wine
    7) Ophelia – The Band

  • Anonymous

    Alexi Murdoch- Orange Sky

  • Andrew

    I would have to go with:

    Etta James – At Last
    Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong – Isn’t This A Lovely Day?
    Nat King Cole – It’s Only A Paper Moon

    I do like the Iron & Wine – In My Lady’s House though…

  • Anonymous

    Billy Bragg – Must I Paint You A Picture

  • Chad

    God Only Knows gets my top spot, but I’ll have to think a bit about what other ones I’d include…

  • alfred

    btw the answer is clearly New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle.”

  • Anonymous

    So when’s the big list coming out? Can’t wait to see it!