10 Best Valentine's Day Songs

The best Valentine's Day songs are not those where hearts are broken or lovers part tearfully, knowing their love will never last. The best Valentine's songs are about the true magic of perfect, eternal love. Sometimes the words and the music fit together powerfully enough to move us to tears, but at the very least, if we are ever going to be touched by the beauty, power, and truth of true love, let it be on love's special day, in the arms of our own special love, with our spirits soaring to love's own special music. Here are ten of the very best Valentine's day songs.

10. "Time In A Bottle" - 1972. Jim Croce, at a young age, had a mature understanding of love; he longed to spend every precious minute with his true love. This is a gentle, almost subtle proclamation of a settled and "grown-up" love. A simple, folk-pop blend of words and music that suits a certain personality perfectly. The strong quiet lover who will cherish you forever, and will let you know about it in subdued yet unmistakable language that will never fail to warm your heart.

9. "Unchained Melody" - 1965, The Righteous Brothers. If you prefer a bit more passion, there's not a trace of quiet reserve or subtlety in the hunger and longing of this great song. He needs the love of his true one or he's going to flat out bust a gut and die. Whether you first heard this song in the 1955 prison movie for which it was originally recorded by Todd Duncan (unlikely), learned to love it by listening to the original Righteous Brothers release, as I did, or whether you discovered it watching Patrick Swayze in Ghost, it's just as powerful today as it was fifty-five years ago. Here's a man who will shout his love from the rooftops, or get down on his knees and beg if needed. His completely unrestrained and unbridled love inspires us all to leave caution behind and pursue our own love with all our heart.

8. "The Rose"-1979. Bette Middler recorded this for a movie of the same name about Janis Joplin. This is not the place to argue about whether Janis ever sang it, but she didn't. A beautiful song with sweet lyrics about the survival capacity of love, even in the harshest of circumstances and environments. When only one seed remains, buried far beneath the deepest, coldest snow of winter, it can survive and flourish as a beautiful rose. Never give up, even when hope seems all but gone.

7. "Unforgettable" - 1951, Nat King Cole. Perhaps the smoothest, most soothing voice in all of music belongs to Nat King Cole, and when he sings "Unforgettable", it is. Unforgettable. Take that beautiful voice and the music behind it, and add it to a classic lyrical twist and you have an absolutely great Valentine's day song.
It doesn't get any better than this:

"That's why darling it's incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks that I am unforgettable too" .

6. "Chances Are" - 1957, Johnny Mathis. Crank Nat King Cole's voice up about half an octave or so to a nice tenor, and you've got a fairly close approximation of Johnny Mathis. No wonder so many young lovers have an album or two of Johnny's songs; they never miss. "Chances Are" even has a similar lyrical twist as "Unforgettable", with a line reading: "chances are your chances are awfully good". In addition, this is the only song on the list that mentions the word "valentine" specifically.

5. "Love Story (Where Do I Begin)" 1970, Andy Williams. So right in the middle of the great sex, drugs, and rock and roll 60's and 70's, Andy Williams recorded "Love Story", one of the most romantic songs of all time, and used it as the title track for one of the most romantic films of our time (if you consider 1970 "our time"). From the opening orchestra notes to the haunting final line, this song is classic love song. The last two lines are as good as any Valentine lyrics anywhere: "I know I'll need her 'till the stars all burn away, And she'll be there". Even the hippies couldn't kill romance, but give them credit, it wasn't for lack of trying.

4. "And I Love You So" - 1973, Perry Como. It's no surprise that Perry Como would land a song on a top ten Valentine's day song list. What may be somewhat surprising is the song was written by Don McClean and recorded in 1973 on Perry's twenty-first long play album for RCA Victor, a partnership reaching back to the mid fifties. This is a perfect blend of Como's silky smoothness and surprising power. Near the beginning he sounds nearly bemused at the condition of being in love at an advanced age, but builds in power and range as he seemingly convinces himself of the grandeur and majesty of not only his love, but all love and all lovers everywhere. A thoroughly enjoyable song.

3. "The Nearness of You" - 2002, Norah Jones. The Music of love knows no temporal boundaries. As if in bookend opposite to Perry Como, who was born in 1912 and sang a favorite that was written and recorded in the early seventies, Norah Jones was born in 1979 and records here a Hoagy Carmichael song first written and recorded in 1938. The lyrics are perfect for Valentines as Carmichael explains the universal fact of Valentines: nothing else is needed, only "the nearness of you". As for Norah Jones, they should subtitle every one of her albums "music for lovers". The combination of the lyrics and the music have made this a favorite.

2. "Endless Love" - 1981, Lionel Richie and Diana Ross. A soloist can no more represent the best of Valentines day music than one person can completely celebrate Valentines. The best love songs take two, just like the best Valentines day, and "Endless Love" is one of the very best romantic duets. Two souls entwined as one, pledging to love only each other for eternity. Is that not the meaning of Valentine's day?

1. "Don't Know Much" 1989, Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt. Songs win Grammy Awards for a reason, and this one was a winner in 1990. Besides being brilliant song writing and performance, it has the gasp factor. This song literally takes my breath away. The vocals, the expression, the artistry, it's all so good it hurts. For twenty years I haven't heard a song that can compare, and that may be all there is to know.