The title speaks for itself. I originally intended to write a post about “love songs” in time for Valentine’s Day, but there was too much going on in my world the week leading up to the holiday. Besides, it obviously doesn’t have to be Valentine’s season to enjoy romantic music. Heck, most of my favorites are love songs, and the R&B genre is primarily steeped in the subject of love and relationships…the good, the bad, and the ugly. With that said, this entry will focus on a handful(literally) of my favorites. This will be a recurring topic, and is a continuation of sorts to my Unicorn Milk Playlist post from last summer. Check that out if you haven’t!
Getting back to this post though, I will be keeping the entries in this “love songs” series relatively short, as there are plenty to go around, and more than enough for me to write a weekly entry on this topic alone. On that same note, the entries would get way too long if I didn’t limit myself. Haha. I thought about organizing by decade, but again, that would’ve also been too difficult for me when trying to narrow down. So just consider these posts a random assortment of Ashley’s favorite love songs. Any decade. Any genre. Happy love or heartbreak.
Let’s go!
“Love Zone” by Billy Ocean. I could write a book about this song alone, but I will try not to. I just love it. Lyrically, it definitely promotes romance. The lyrics are so smooth and sensual, yet sweet. Musically, the bass and the melody are just everything. This song just takes me somewhere else. Love it.
“Here We Go Again” by The Isley Brothers. SO much I could say about this song, but instead of spilling all of my own tea, I will just say that this is an example of a love song that tackles the complexities of relationships, especially one that should probably end, but never really does. Yes, there are many “happier” love songs by the group that I could’ve included, and believe me, I will in future posts. But this is the one that I can relate to the most at present. The lyrics though! “What do you do when you love somebody, and you decide to go it alone? It never pays to give up on someone, when on the inside, the feeling is strong.” Whew! Also, the instrumentation on the song is ridiculous. I usually listen to this song more than once.
“Make Me A Believer” by Luther Vandross. This is just one of many great love songs by Luther, and one of several personal favorites of mine by him. This particular song is otherworldly. If you’re not in love when you listen to it, it makes you want to be. In short, it is dreamily beautiful. Lyrically, vocally, and musically, it is the epitome of a “wooing” type of love song, where the male singer professes to the object of his affection that he is worthy of her love.
“Love Ballad” by L.T.D. This is one of my favorite songs EVER. It is a quiet storm classic, and it really doesn’t need much explanation as to why it is included here. The title tells you exactly what it is: a “love ballad”. I am especially partial to the latter part of the song when Jeffrey Osborne keeps repeating the lyrics “what we have is much more than they can see.” His voice is everything! I love him.
“Another Life” by D’Angelo. Where do I even begin? This song is celestial…musically and lyrically. It actually brings tears to my eyes, especially when it catches me off guard. He is basically professing his love and all that he thinks and desires for his love interest, but in such a profoundly beautiful way. This song is basically what love and relationships should be.
I hope you enjoyed my selections! As I did in a few posts last year, I will curate a Spotify playlist to accompany this series as I write more of them.
