Emotional Power: The Best Love Songs In History
Some of the best love songs in history have emulated actual feelings that the artist may have had for someone at the time of writing. Consider the late, great Johnny Cash and his hit “Ring of Fire”, or the more modern Colbie Calliat with her hit song “Bubbly”. When a musician, already a creative being at heart, can channel the energy from their experiences into song, the effect is powerful. While modern singers may have hits that fans call the best love songs ever, it is easy to hear what is being sung merely for profit, and what is being sung to convey emotions to someone special.
Consider, for instance, that during World War 2, there were many best love songs that implored the soldier’s sweethearts to stay true to them while they were deployed. The musical voices of this generation were filled with a national need to uplift and remind listeners what they were fighting for – their lovers and future families. Tunes urged young women not to sit under apple trees with anyone but their far-away soldier boyfriends, though lyrics later in the song find the ladies retorting with a warning to keep their eyes off foreign girls too. In the days before cell phones and internet, these were the best love songs to remember a distant lover’s message and keep both soldier and girlfriend loyal to one another. Morale, after all, was very important, and it’s hard to be a good soldier when you’ve been broken up with.
So when you are listening to some of the best love songs on the radio, remember that the best songs truly mean something. Or, you can take a hint from the past and tune into some good old big band on a CD or two – if it was good enough for 1942, maybe it will be good enough for you, too!
