Being a Valentine...Being someone’s One.

On Valentines Day, I have been pondering about what is the best love song of all time? And before you start to sway you hips and sing the Eveleigh Brothers while pretending that you’re just as sexy as Patrick Swayze or Demi Moore, I mean more what qualities it has, what exactly does it say rather than embarrass ourselves and sing WAM. 

On the one hand, there is the possessive, consumptive love song: Led Zeppelin’s ‘How Many More Times’  or more comically Lonnie Donnegan simply saying he” wants all my chidren to look like me” 

 “I'll give you all I've got to give, rings, pearls, and all.

 I've got to get you together baby, I'm sure, sure you're gonna crawl.” 

Dude, that ain’t love. That’s possessive masturbation. 

Then there is the ‘you and me ... doing stuff in a tree’ type song. 

Yuck, yuck and more yuck...

Not to hang the Zep, they did do a lot of ones that told a groovy story didn’t they? Like What is and What should never be, Fool in the Rain and Dyer Maker, but it’s telling a story using private language. Maybe that’s all love it. 

Then there is the good old fashioned sex thang – Paradise by the Dashboard Light, the Lemon Song or Deanna which is about possession, albeit maybe temporary. At least these songs aren’t hiding what they’re saying. But it ain’t love. 

I wonder if the best version of love songs would be songs that I believe are more speaking of love than psychotic possession and ownership masturbation. I am thinking of Blues Traveller’s wonderful “Maybe I’m Wrong.  

“Now it’s none of my business but I think I can make you happy.

But it really doesn’t matter if it’s me or someone else

All that I know is that I think you’re kind of special.

And one way or another I’m going to see if I can treat you well. “

Groovy.