My Favorite Love Songs (Tuesday Tunes)

Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons.

You will find it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body.

-Oliver Wendell Holmes

A little indulgence, if you please.

(If you’re reading this in a reader, you may have to click through to view the videos/ hear the songs.)

My list begins and ends, as so many do, with Bob Dylan. But Adele takes his “To Make You Feel My Love” to a whole new soul-wrenching level. (This was what I wanted to be my wedding song.)

The most real love song of all time. G Love gets me, man. “Still Hangin’ Round.”

Mazzy Star’s “Give You My Loving.” It’s not even the lyrics so much as her voice and the music. She feels like love to me.

This is truly embarrassing, but I gulp back a sob every time Taylor Swift sings that line “he knelt to the ground and pulled a ring, and said–” in her “Love Story.”

Another Bob Dylan. The love of true friendship, taken too early. I really, deeply regret that I didn’t play “He Was a Friend of Mine” at my dad’s viewing. He would have loved that. In any case, this song came on the radio recently and I had to pull over for the tears. Music at its best: universal, raw emotion.

Edwyn Collins’ “Never Met a Girl Like You Before.” Such a sexy voice for such a dorky looking dude. They don’t play this song nearly enough on the radio, never did.

John Mayer’s “Daughters” is another one that never fails to wrench a couple of tears out of me. (Hmmm. I cry a lot.) Anyway, it’s one I think all dads of girls should take to heart.

Jake and I saw The Pixies play in November and damn, they are better than ever. He says that “Gigantic” isn’t really a love song but I think it is. And it’s a lot of fun to sing along to, especially in concert.

I started a relationship just as Romeo + Juliet was released and you couldn’t escape “Lovefool” on the radio. It’s inseparable from the movie and the feeling of being 19 for me, and that’s a good thing.

I know people say this is the ultimate breakup song. I’ve never heard it that way: to me it’s about loving someone who didn’t love you back. Loving them in spite of the way they’ve treated you. Loving yourself enough to carry on. It’s my favorite song of all time, and damn, there are a lot of covers of it on YouTube, so I’m thinking I’m not the only one who loves it.

Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.”