Love Songs

   Today is Valentine's Day. There have been hundreds of articles on gifts, food, drinks, chocolate and other things relating to romance. I thought today I would write about love songs.
  You would expect that being married to a musician music is very important our life, You'd be right. The first Valentine's Day present I gave C was a mix tape. The second Valentine's Day I gave him a another one. His wedding present to me was a song that he had written.
  I am picky when it comes to love songs. I'm not a big fan of overly sappy,gooey love songs. The only gooey things I like are melted cheese and caramel. I'm also not fond of songs that just seem unrealistic. "I Won't Last a Day Without You", "Saving All My Love For You", "You're Every Woman in the World to Me" come to mind. That whole smothering can't breathe, can't eat, can't live without you thing is just sick (not in a good way) to me.
  I prefer my songs to be realistic. You can be realistic and be quite romantic at the same time. Ask C, he'll tell you. I'd like to give you a list of some of my favorite romantic tunes and why they are special to me. They are not in any particular order.
   Eydie Gorme and  Steve Lawrence sang a delightful tune called, "Darn it Baby That's Love". It's a song about a couple talking about what will happen when they are old and not as young or spry. They sing about going bald, becoming hard of hearing, needing bifocals and getting wrinkles. They sing about how they will always love each other even though one will become a "physical wreck". The songs ends with "You will always be my turtledove. Well it's me for you and you for me, collecting Social Security. Darn it, baby that's love." It's just a fun song and also a little romantic as well. Any song that celebrates long lasting love deserves a listen.
  Along the same lines is another song called, "You Smell so Good". It is sung by a lesser known duo called Jackie and Roy. There are all kinds of songs about physical attributes, personality quirks and style. This is the only song I know that praises a scent (actually many scents if you listen to the song). It is a touch racy especially when you consider it was recorded in 1955.
  I like Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call the Blues." I think it does a good job of capturing what it feels like when you have to be away from someone you care a lot about. Elton John to me has a very expressive voice and you can actually believe that he on tour somewhere writing to his loved ones back home.
   Frank Sinatra's "The Second Time Around" is special to me. Most love songs are about young love or new love. This one is written from the point of view of someone who is older and has fallen in love again. For C and I it is a perfect song. Both of us have been in long term relationships. When we met it was not the first time being in love for either of us. One of the lyrics is, "Love is lovelier, the second time around, Just as wonderful, with both feet on the ground." Another line that rings true is, "Who can say what lead us to this miracle we've found? There are those who bet, love comes but once and yet, I'm very glad we met the second time around." The version on my iPod is sung by Frank Sinatra who does a wonderful job with this song.
   Englebert Humperdinck sings a romantic tune called, "They Say it's Wonderful". I had to include one Humperdinck tune on this list. I have been a fan of his since I was young. "They Say it's Wonderful" is very light and romantic without being sticky and sappy. It's got lovely instrumentation and he is another one with a very expressive voice. Listening to this you can believe that he feels the words as well as sings them.
   "Thou Swell" is a fun tune. It shows that you can praise someone without being sickening. I think the best known version is by Tony Bennett. The version I have is a live one by Nat King Cole. It's a short sweet song that leaves me in admiration of someone who can sing it at tempo without screwing up the words.
  The last song on the list is very special to me. Every couple has a song or two that is their song. "They All Laughed" is one of C's and my songs. When we were first married there were a few people who didn't think we would last as a couple. On paper we are something of a mismatch. C and I didn't believe those people. We knew we had something very special and that it would last. "They All Laughed" is my response to those  people. It was written by George and Ira Gershwin in 1937. It was performed by Ginger Rogers as part of a movie song and dance routine with Fred Astaire. The version that I prefer is the one done by Rosemary Clooney. There is a very nice sax solo in the middle of the song. The instruments and the vocals could not blend together better.
  There are many more songs I could write about, but I'm going to stop the list here. I hope that all of you have a good weekend and can spend some time with someone you love. (Music optional)
Happy Valentine's Day!