Tracks about love and romance
By Sonam Kaloti, Arts Editor
Valentine’s Day or not, if there’s one thing couples love, it’s playlists dedicated to their significant other. Embellished with a pretty picture, a title in old Latin (see: “ab imo pectore” meaning “from the bottom of my heart,” or the Irish phrase, “a chuisle mo chroí” meaning “O, pulse of my heart”), and a cryptic playlist bio—now you’re set! Now for the music…I’ve got you covered.
“Ghostboy”— Robotaki
EDM in nature, Robotaki’s 2016 hit is fun, upbeat, and features casual female vocals. The lyrics are playful, with Claire Ridgley singing, “I swear I fell in love with a ghost boy, I know cause I just see him when we under the sheet,” referring to only getting to be with the boy she loves when they’re hooking up. The song plays on the ghost sheet costume generally worn on Halloween.
Via Robotaki’s SoundCloud, “Ghostboy is about needing someone you can never really have, which makes you want him/her even more. Some people will always be a ghost to most, even those they keep close.”
“Got Your Love” — Dirtyphonics and RIOT
Harder electronic music with an industrial and completely unexpected bass drop that literally knocked my socks off the first time I heard it. The straight-to-the-point lyrics describe the meaning of the song: “You got your love, your sweet love; And keep the fires burning baby, it keeps my fire burning […] We set the place on fire.”
“Falling Autumn” — Alayna
This slow and sensual R&B track features soft drums, bass, a vibey guitar, and reverb-drenched synths. The focus stays on Alayna Powley’s soft and airy, yet resonant voice—one which effortlessly dances over difficult runs.
In an interview with The Line of Best Fit, Powley says that “ ‘Falling Autumn’ is about finding the stillness and comfort in someone else, it’s about connecting with someone on a deeper level and being confident in what you want, crave and feel.”
“Sex” — The 1975
This list wouldn’t be complete without this song. It was written by Matty Healy at only 19 years old and became one of the band’s staple tracks.
During a Last.fm session, Healy said, “ ‘Sex’ is a love letter to every prudish 17-year-old girl. Everyone’s been there with that indecisive, flirty girl who just can’t make her mind up. It gets labeled as being quite brash, but it’s very romantic.”
The track is rock, dance, pop, everything really. The best part is when you know the lyrics, because that’s when you and your partner can both sing “You say no!” at the top of your lungs during the chorus.
“Sex” — EDEN
Might be a little too on the nose to include not one, but two songs titled “Sex” in this article but fuck it—pun intended. It’s raw, soulful, and sad—yet, it is also a little hopeful. This song, unlike its predecessor, is much darker in it’s meaning, though of course you can listen to it with any meaning you’d like.
The chorus goes, “we’re just having sex, no, I would never call it love. But love, oh no, I think I’m catching feelings,” which sounds positive, if it weren’t for the part where the speaker would like to move on from this girl but finds himself unable to. It’s pretty sad really, so here’s to all the broken hearts on V-Day.
“Glue” — Somewhere Else featuring RAYE
Possibly one of the most upbeat and dance-y songs I’ve ever heard. It begins with a brass section intro and skillfully introduces more percussion parts until it naturally moves into a heavy drum machine beat… but it continues alternating with the brass between verses and the chorus.
RAYE’s vocals are infectiously joyous. The chorus contains the lyrics, “Lemme do, lemme do, what I want to you—
lemme have my way with you. If I have my way, I’d be turning up your temperature. If I have my way, you’d be blowing up my cellular.” Straight-forward and to the point, this song screams confident young love. Oh, and a notable lyric: “Never really cared about what I look like: now I’m putting on my make-up, the fuck?”
There
are thousands of sex songs out there. Most are fun, some are sad, but hopefully
this list inspires your Valentine’s Day playlist! Have fun lovebirds—and
remember: don’t be silly, wrap your willy.
