Hear Me Out: ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ is the greatest love song ever written
Love and romance have been a common theme in music for hundreds of years, preceding the advent of pop music by centuries. This should come as no real surprise, given the inherently emotional nature of songwriting and the prevalence of love as a distinctly human emotion. However, when the punk rock revolution hit the airwaves in 1976, many groups wanted to move away from the lovey-dovey sounds of times past, opting instead for cries of anarchy and rebellion. Inadvertently, though, the punk years produced the greatest love song of all time: Buzzcocks’ ‘Ever Fallen In Love’. I suppose even anarchists need a cuddle sometimes.
Since the dawn of rock and roll romanticism, there have largely been two types of love songs: heartbreak and jubilation. Typically, the heartbreak songs tend to have the most commercial appeal, as more or less everyone has had to grapple with the pains of unrequited adoration. With their 1978 single ‘Ever Fallen In Love’, however, Buzzcocks managed to blend those two very different styles of love song together. The infectious energy of the song captures a kind of adolescent lust, but the lyrics certainly do not paint a picture of a joyous relationship. That is, in part, what makes the track so endearing; it is honest.
The emotional weight of Leonard Cohen’s ‘So Long, Marianne’ or the intimacy of Serge Gainsbourg’s ‘Je t’aime’ are all well and good, but, for me, neither of those songs manage to capture the excitement of emotional and romantic connections. ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ is far more reflective of everyday romances, catching somebody’s eye across a pub as the smell of cheap lager and broken promises haunt your surroundings.
Whereas most love songs give an idealistic view towards relationships, Buzzcocks deliver a somewhat cynical view towards romanticism. The tune might give the impression of an exciting, fast-paced love affair, but the lyrics paint a very different picture. “You make me feel like dirt and I’m hurt,” hardly gives the impression of a healthy relationship, yet it is a feeling that most people can relate to.
Something that is also incredibly important to consider in the case of ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ is the fact that the lyrics are not tied to one particular gender. Largely as a result of songwriter Pete Shelley’s outspoken bisexuality, the lyrics do not employ gendered pronouns – instead opting for words like ‘we’, ‘you’ and ‘someone’. As a result, the track is applicable to virtually every romantic connection, regardless of gender, sexuality, or any other dividing factors.
I distinctly remember the first time I heard ‘Ever Fallen In Love’; it was a summer afternoon. I was probably 12 years old, and I had just bought a battered vinyl copy of the single from a second-hand shop in Shipley. Of course, at that age, I was far too naive to understand the complexities of Shelley’s lyrics or the importance of the genderless lyrics, but something about the rhythm and energy of the tune grabbed me instantly, altering me to the life-changing quality of what I was hearing. Since then, every pivotal moment in my emotional development, with regard to relationships and romance – both positive and negative – has been soundtracked by that song.
Pete Shelley is among the greatest songwriters Britain has ever produced, certainly one of the greatest within the punk movement. From the pioneering quality of Spiral Scratch, which spawned the post-punk and indie boom of the late 1970s, to the high-energy excellence of ‘Fast Cars’, Shelley had an indescribable effect on the face of both popular and alternative music in the UK. In fact, Buzzcocks and ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ were pivotal in breaking the rebellious sounds of punk into the musical mainstream.
Commercialism and mainstream appeal were seen as the bogeymen of punk, and appearing on Top of the Pops was an excommunicable offence. As always, though, Buzzcocks operated by their own rules, performing ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ on the BBC’s music programme, thus alerting living rooms around the nation to the incredible sounds of punk rock. Shelley and company were not concerned with a phoney sense of punk credibility; the music was their main focus, and their music was incredible.
Your favourite love song is largely tied to your own experiences and the songs that you connect those experiences to. Even something like Minor Threat’s ‘In My Eyes’ could be classified as a love song if you connect it to your loved ones. On the whole, though, ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ is a significant, innovative love song, the appeal of which has never wavered.
