It takes two

Why couples in love make the cutest bands ever

By Julie Wright, Senior Columnist

Since Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, love is in the air and my iPod is playing music by couples bands more often than not. A couple band is a musical duo comprised of a romantically-involved couple that’s the most adorable thing ever. When the couple is in love and infatuated with one another, the music they make is more than electrifying. It reminds people of the time they had that feeling, and gives them hope that they may have it once again.

A few newer bands like Arcade Fire, the White Stripes, and Us the Duo are all prime examples of the chemistry that musical couple duos exhibit in their songwriting. When a couple comes together to make a work of art over several months, or even years, it says a lot about their resilience, especially since writing an album can be hard enough on your own let alone trying to do it with someone else. The songs produced on said album will probably be some of the most intimate, heart-string-pulling songs, made out of love and long days.

Arcade Fire consists of more members than just married couple Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, but they’re fantastic nonetheless. Their song “My Heart is an Apple” is truly raw and shows that even though love isn’t perfect, if you accept the flaws of the other person, they’ll leave you a little less vulnerable. Arcade Fire doesn’t do too many love songs, but when they do it’s pretty special since they’re all extremely talented musicians.

The White Stripes have a little bit of a harsher love tone to them since they’re already a little more punk and a little less indie than Arcade Fire, but the romantic feelings can still be heard. Their songs “We’re Gonna Be Friends,” “Fell in Love With a Girl,” and “I’m Bound to Pack it Up” all show that Jack and Meg White were in passionate and chaotic love. Unfortunately their relationship ended, but their music is still very powerful and intense when it comes to the romance.

Us the Duo is very different from Arcade Fire and the White Stripes since they mostly do covers, almost all of which have been love songs. In their songs “I Will Wait for You,” “Falling in Love,” and “Take Me Home,” the love they have for each other is apparent, and it seems even more real in their videos. They got married recently, so their love is pretty genuine, and hopefully they can stay together for a long time.

While bands that are made up of siblings, or good friends, or even a parent and child are quite fantastic and can produce deep music, a band made from a couple will make your heart wrench just a little bit more. The chemistry, intimacy, and pure love they have for one another is just enough to push their songs that extra little bit to achieve ultimate cuteness.

It’s true that not all love songs are good, and some are really cheesy. It’s also true that bands can be fantastic without the members being a couple; but when a couple gets together to try and understand emotions in one of the most expressive ways possible, that is true beauty.