The Top Ten Songs to CHOO-CHOO-CHOOSE for your Valentine’s Day playlist!
Words by Olivia De Zilva
Need some extra mood music for that special night with that special someone? Well, you’ve come to the place. Here at On Dit, we’ve got you covered (thank us later, lovers).
#10: Truly, Madly, Deeply — Savage Garden (1997, Columbia Records)
A golden oldie from way back when, Savage Garden’s Truly, Madly, Deeply was a staple for every teen romance movie in the 90s. However, our team at On Dit believes this song to be truly timeless. With its smooth, soft-rock melodies, this song is perfect for any slow dance, make out session or candlelit dinner. When Darren Hayes said he’d stand with you on that mountain, he really meant it.
Best line: I’ll be your dream, I’ll be your wish, I’ll be your fantasy/I’ll be your hope, I’ll be your love, be everything that you need.
#9: Love of My Life — Queen (1975, EMI Records)
One of Queen’s most criminally underrated songs from A Night at the Opera (1975), Love of My Life tells the story of an unconditional love despite all the hurdles of being in a committed relationship. Stripped back to piano, bass, 12-stringed guitar and Freddie’s Mercury’s tantalizing harmony lines, this song is a great ode to any devoted relationship. A simple and beautiful piece of song writing, this track is important to include in any playlist dedicated to that special someone.
Best line: You will remember/When this is blown over/Everything’s all by the way/When I grow older/I will be there at your side to remind you/How I still love you (I still love you)
#8: Sunsetz — Cigarettes After Sex (2017, Partisan Records)
From their 2017 eponymous album, Cigarettes After Sex bring their signature brand of nonchalant dream-pop to their third track Sunsetz. Exploring love and hardship through desperate adoration and anxiety, this song shows what it’s like to fall in love with someone in the most natural of ways. It’s bare, but there’s a burgeoning warmth which touches all the right feels for a low-key date night with someone new or someone you’ve been with for a while.
Best line: And when you go away/I still see you/The sunlight on your face in the rear-view
#7 Maps — Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2003, Interscope Records)
Maps is a song that makes you want to shout out your feelings from the rooftops. One of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s most iconic songs, this track is three and a half minutes of pure catharsis, releasing all those pent-up feelings in one singular guitar line. If you’re wanting a more relaxing night in with your loved one, try listening to the acoustic version instead.
Best line: Wait, they don’t love you like I love you
#6: Edge of Desire — John Mayer (2009, Columbia Records)
John Mayer’s Edge of Desire is another soft-rock gem dedicated to the constant miscommunications and anxieties of falling in love. Singing of those early apprehensions and magnetic attractions, this song is simply sweeter than those unwrapped Haigh’s chocolates lying on your bedside table.
Best line: Wired and I’m tired/Think I’ll sleep in my clothes on the floor/Maybe this mattress will spin on its axis and find me on yours
#5: Dress — Taylor Swift (2017, Big Machine Records)
Exploring her surprisingly sensual side, Taylor Swift sings of the sacred bonds shared between two people in a deep and impenetrable love. Set against an 80s-inspired synth line, the song is one of her more laid-back tracks, with soothing harmonic lines and deeply personal lyrics about what it’s like to fall truly in love.
Best line: Inescapable, I’m not even going to try/And if I get burned, at least we were electrified
#4: And I Remember Every Kiss– Jens Lekman (2007, Secretly Canadian)
Ever wanted to make a grand gesture to the one you love? Well, this song is the perfect background music for any public proposal, declaration of love or the iconic last-minute airport dash (think, the kid from Love Actually). Blending Lekman’s brutally honest song writing with a loud and cinematic backing track, the song shouts over all the noise to declare that love is real and here to stay.
Best line: But I would never kiss anyone/Who doesn’t burn me like the sun/And I remember every kiss
#3: Taking Pictures of You — The Kooks (2011, Virgin Records)
A deep-cut from the discography of this wildly popular indie quartet, Taking Pictures of You is much like the other slow jams on this list. With a more stripped back approach, the song reminisces on adoration, desire and those special moments of intimacy shared between two people. The song is perfect for any moment and can be played before, during or after the overpriced restaurant dinner you paid for with the remnants of your Austudy allowance.
Best line: Do you remember me?/Taking pictures of you as the light came through/You were running away/And I asked you for a place to stay
#2: Flightless Bird, American Mouth — Iron & Wine (2007, Sub Pop)
Though the title’s a bit of a mouthful, this song is well worth it. Famed for being Edward and Bella’s wedding song in the Twilight Saga, Iron & Wine’s slow folk tale of (we’re not quite sure, actually) is a perfect accompaniment to any extra special date night featuring tonnes of scented candles and viewings of sappy romantic comedies. Like many songs on this list, it’s simple, and isn’t that what love is really about?
Best line: I was a quick wet boy/Diving too deep for coins/All of your straight blind eyes/Wide on my plastic toys
#1: There Is a Light That Never Goes Out — The Smiths (1992, WEA)
Used in indie movies a plenty, this track is every pretentious, latte sipping, Birkenstock wearing person’s answer to Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You. Morrissey may laugh and smirk at love, but at least for these four and a bit minutes, we are treated to his inner-sanctum of longing, desperation and total devotion.
Best line: And if a double-decker bus/Crashes into us/To die by your side/Is such a heavenly way to die
We hope you enjoyed our top picks for your Valentine’s Day playlist. Let us know what songs you’d put on your laid-back list of tunes for your special someone.
On a side-note, we are also looking for contributions for our Pop Culture edition! We are looking for a range of topics including think-pieces on celebrity culture and iconic moments in pop culture. Remember to submit by the 23rd of February for a chance to be featured in our very special Issue 2!
