Five love songs where the music is sweeter than the lyrics
From the world of folk to heavy metal, artists everywhere are constantly penning love songs.
So much of our lives is spent in our own heads that it can often be difficult to talk about feelings of love with people, so we turn to musicians who have already articulated those emotions and find solace in the songs they write, making them a quintessential part of society.
While there is no escaping that the lyrics of a love song are incredibly important, and a lot of the time that is what makes it so great and relatable, there are other instances when it’s the music itself which is the most eye-catching. It’s hard to describe, but some artists are able to inject emotion into their musicianship so much that before a word has even been uttered, you know a track’s theme is going to be one of unrelenting devotion.
Let’s have a look at these songs, which are able to take human emotion, break it down and then sprinkle it over some chords.
Five songs where the tune is more romantic than the words:
Aerosmith – ‘I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing’
This is a love song that resonated with listeners around the world, and the success meant that Aerosmith needed to stay on tour, as there was a brand new demand for them.
“We were just about to go off the road, and that song came around,” said Joey Kramer, “We continued to tour off that song for another year. That was welcomed by the band. At that time, that was what we did. We would be on the road for 12 or 18 months, and the only time we came off the road was to make another record.”
The lyrics play a big part in the success of the song, but it’s the music that really elevates everything. The blend of distorted guitars and a massive string section made for something truly heartfelt. It was a ballad, and certainly not something that you would quickly associate with Aerosmith, but they pulled it off beautifully.
Bee Gees – ‘How Deep Is Your Love’
While some of the Bee Gees biggest hits use music that people can dance to, their track ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ is a much slower and sincere offering.
The love sung about throughout is represented in the glimmering instrumental, and when you learn how the track was written, that no longer comes as a surprise. It turns out that when playing on a piano that was previously Chopin’s, Blue Weaver felt he needed to craft a song that was undeniably beautiful.
“We went into a room at the Chateau. Chopin had stayed there, so every time I looked at this piano I envisioned Chopin playing,” said Weaver. “I sat down at the piano and thought of his ‘Prelude In E-flat’, and I knew Barry could sing in E-flat. Through the stained-glass window came a beam of sunlight, and Barry sang, ‘I know your eyes in the morning sun’.”
Chicago – ‘If You Leave Me Now’
When you listen to Chicago, the band quite evidently have a penchant for rock, and so a song like this comes as a surprise to many people. It was written by Peter Cetera, who was the band’s bass player, specialising in ballads, and he constructs this track in a way which is subtle but also heartfelt, and it completely overshadows the words, which in themselves are lovely to listen to.
The song turned out to be a real turning point for the band, as it meant that a new audience was suddenly listening. This simple song appealed to people because it reminded them that falling in love doesn’t need to be a complicated thing, and it’s some sweet chords and a declaration of devotion, nothing more and nothing less. If the music were anything other than what we know, the message would be completely different.
The Beach Boys – ‘God Only Knows’
This one’s quite complicated to explain; the words are a massive part of what makes ‘God Only Knows’ so special, but if the music and the layering of those words weren’t done in the way that we know and love, it wouldn’t be celebrated as one of the best songs ever written. Every single aspect of this track needed to be perfect, and you hear that perfection best in the music.
Paul McCartney said that he thinks the way this song is put together is what makes it so special, admitting, “‘God Only Knows’ is one of the few songs that reduces me to tears every time I hear it. It’s really just a love song, but it’s brilliantly done. It shows the genius of Brian [Wilson]”.
The Cure – ‘Just Like Heaven’
“I’ll never write something this good again”, is what Robert Smith said when talking about his song ‘Just Like Heaven’. It’s about as pure a love song as you can find, as it talks about going to the beach one day with the person you love. The lyrics are incredibly sweet, but the upbeat and joyous music is what makes you smile when you listen.
No wonder Robert Smith was on such a high when he wrote and recorded the song, as the person he was in love with was sitting with him in the studio at the time.
“The girls would sit on the sofa in the back of the control room and give the songs marks out often,” he said, “So there was a really big female input.”
