LOVE IN MUSIC

The most prolific and wide-reaching subject of music is love. Insufficiently, in the eyes of a musician, expressed with words alone, this topic is set to melodies that endure the ages. From the guitar’s ancient ancestors to sprawling Romantic-era orchestras to the computerized beats of today, the concept of love has long been a central component of the musical landscape. Here’s a look at some of the most important love songs throughout history. 

TIMELINE OF WESTERN MUSIC; GRAPHIC BY BENJAMIN BRENNER

Classical 

Classical music consists of six main periods: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary. Because of a general lack of lyrics, it is 

difficult to tell what a classical piece’s inspiration was if the composer didn’t explicitly tell us. Of the genres, though, classical music was probably the least focused on love. But due to the era’s colossal stock of works, it has no shortage of pieces on the subject. 

“Greensleeves” is a lilting Renaissance-era ballad seemingly composed around 1600 from the point-of-view of a brokenhearted lover. We can surmise that the character played by the singer is lamenting the breakup between him and his “lady Greensleeves.” It is among the most enduring love songs in western music. 

“Für Elise” is perhaps the most famous classical piano piece to modern listeners. It was written by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1810, but it's manuscript was only discovered 40 years after his death. The prevailing theory is that it was written for a beloved adult student of the composer, and that the father of the student refused to let her marry the maestro. Its widespread fame and its composer’s neglect to publish it doesn’t mean that it’s not a good piece, despite what many classical musicians and critics may say. In a manner somewhat unique to early Romantic piano works, the melody masterfully interweaves with the accompaniment, and the whole thing has smooth transitions that squeeze a light happiness and a gut-wrenching anger into about three minutes of music.

The English composer Edward Elgar composed a very famous love song to his wife called “Salut d’Amour” or “Greeting of Love” in 1888. The piece was written for solo violin with a piano accompaniment. It is built around a lush theme that seems to explore the entire realm of romantic emotion.

The progressive composer Gustav Mahler wrote his fifth symphony in 1902. The fourth movement of the piece is the “Adagietto,” which was written for his wife, Alma. It is thought that some of the melody is pulled from a previous Mahler piece that was made to accompany a poem.

Jazz and Blues

Around the early 1920s, jazz musicians began to challenge the rules of traditional western music. Mid-sized groups (as opposed to small ensembles and large orchestras) became more common, and brass instruments found their heyday. Music as a whole, in this era, became more fun and lighthearted, mirroring the economic security and glamorous splendor of the Roaring ’20s. Lyricists and composers became less hesitant to write about love, especially in the more casual style that romance was donning in the period.

Erroll Garner wrote “Misty” in 1954 and Johnny Burke added lyrics to it later. Burke’s lyrics are from the point-of-view of an unrequited lover who’s “as helpless as a kitten up a tree.”

“At Last” was written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren and most famously recorded by Etta James in 1960. The words are from the perspective of a character exulting and musing about their new love, saying, “at last, the skies above are blue.”

Nat King Cole recorded the most popular version of “Unforgettable,” written by Irving Gordon. It’s a simple love letter from a star-struck romantic to their apparently perfect match.

“Stormy Weather” is another torch song, this one written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler in 1933. The singer’s character mourns the loss of a relationship, going so far as to say, “I can’t go on, everything I had is gone.”

Rock

Eventually, around the late 1950s, popular music shifted to feature upbeat tempos and more energetic sounds, and even more so than in the Jazz Age, songwriters were more comfortable with writing about more traditionally obscured and suppressed topics.

“You Never Can Tell” was written by Chuck Berry in the early ’60s. The song tells of the wedding of two young lovers. Chuck Berry is widely credited with firmly establishing (though he was not the first to introduce it) the upbeat style of rock ‘n’ roll.

Kris Kristofferson wrote “Me and Bobby McGee” in 1969. It was most famously recorded by Janis Joplin in 1971. It’s about two drifters who fall in love on a cross-country hitchhike.

“Brown Eyed Girl” is a very famous song written and recorded by Van Morrison in 1967. The singer’s character reminisces about the fun they had with their now lost young love.

From the ’60s onward, songs like  “Come on Eileen,” “Happy Together,” “November Rain,” “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” and countless others enjoyed great success in the rock genre.

Pop

Appealing to more modern and general audiences, pop music has perhaps the highest proportion of love songs of any genre. In order to portray even a small portion of the massive pop repertoire, here is a list of some of the top-performing songs in the 21st Century from the Rolling Stone’s top 100 list:

“Rolling in the Deep” - Adele

“Bad Romance” - Lady Gaga

“All Too Well” - Taylor Swift

“Sorry” - Justin Bieber

“Toxic” - Britney Spears

“Call Me Maybe” - Carly Rae Jepsen

“Thinkin Bout You” - Frank Ocean

“Take Me To Church” - Hozier

Overall, love has been and will be the most versatile and common topic of music. It is a malleable clay that can be molded to fit a wide range of musical  moods.