My first love. You're every breath that I take. You're every step I make...

Monday was my 18th wedding anniversary. Holy smokes! 

So, to celebrate(?) I am writing about love songs.

I am first to admit that I do not have my finger on the pulse of popular music anymore. I mean, I know who people are and I do know stuff (I really like Idles, and Fontaines DC). But I don't know if I could identify a FKA twigs song and I definitely couldn't tell you the name of anything that Suki Waterhouse has released. So, it will be a surprise to no one that my top 10 love song list will not contain any songs of the past few years. And probably some Lionel Richie.

Honorable mentions- Fall on Me, REM and Maps, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, When I'm With You, Sheriff, and anything by Air Supply

In making this list I realized that I could make an entire John Hughes movie AND Phil Collins post(s) about love songs. But not in the love-love way. Un-requited love. Lost love. Forbidden love. Of course, all through the scope of a teenager Erica Watson. So, when I started thinking about this blog post I took the first 13 that I wrote down. And Air Supply. Because I am not sure where one Air Supply stops and the next one begins. Below is my list with the lyrics that get me every time.

10. You Are, Lionel Richie 

                You are the sun, you are the rain, that makes my life this foolish game

9. Eternal Flame, The Bangles

                  Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling. Do you feel my heart beating?

                   Do you understand? Do you feel the same? Am I only dreaming?

SO MANY QUESTIONS!          

8. Take My Breath Away, Berlin

                    Watching in slow motion as you turn to say, my love, take my breath away

7. Tender Love, Force MDs

                    Loving me straight from the heart

6. Beautiful Ones, Prince

                    Do you want him? Or do you want me? Cause I want you! I said I want you.

MORE QUESTIONS

5. Endless Love, Diana Ross and Lionel Richie

                    I can't resist your charms

4. I Will Always Love You, Dolly Parton (Whitney Houston version and John Doe version)

                    But above all this, I wish you love

3. Golden State, John Doe

                    You are the lump in my throat...I am that falling sensation

2. Melt With You, Modern English

                    There's nothing you and I won't do

1. At Last, Etta James

                    My lonely days are over, and life is like a song

Looking at my list I guess I am/was really drawn to movie soundtrack love songs.

I couldn't tell you exactly where the Berlin song was in Top Gun, but I do remember liking the video a lot. "Tender Love," is the main love scene between the main character Blair Underwood (?) and Sheila E. A lot of back kissing. "Endless Love," I am pretty sure I did not see that movie until a TV time version was released and I just looked up the plot and honestly don't remember anything about it except the movie poster. 

"I Will Always Love You," has multiple entry points of me loving it- (jumping on the highest mountain top and yelling I love the movie The Bodyguard!) Whatever. Costner? Houston? 199whatever? Perfection. The first time I saw that movie was at a friend's house on VHS. It was pure magic. My buddy made fun of it. I probably cried and got teased about it. In the scene where Frank and Rachel are at the honky tonk type restaurant bar eating and talking (sparks are flying!) and then they dance to the John Doe version of "IWALY." Cinematic GOLD! Discovering the song years later when I became obsessed with Dolly Parton (she wrote it and recorded it in the 70s- huge hit) a few years later. And then in the 2000s when I was in a production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. There is a part in the play where this song is mentioned. Folks from that production (one of the best times I have ever had making music and performing) are gone now, so I think of them too. 

Purple Rain, the movie, was the summer of 1985 on cable and the performance scene "Beautiful Ones" cemented my love of Prince. 

Valley Girl. Enough said.

 

The other tunes- You Are. It was the summer of a long time ago and I was deep into listening to love songs on (pause) the kost. Most were a slow to slow-mid tempo and Lionel (Richie) comes out with "You Are." It was a little fast for love songs on (pause) the kost and so it stuck out to me. And really Lionel Richie has so many love tunes. He is an American treasure. 

John Doe is my favorite. Forever. "Golden State," is one of my favorites when he plays it, and it is a me-type love song. I think it is one of the songs that my husband heard of his and thought "oh, I get it" when it comes to my super fandom.

The last tune is "At Last." Kind of cheesy, yes. But it was the song me and the hus danced to at our wedding. It wasn't our first pick (that also could be another blog post), but it was the right one.

Happy anniversary jerk face. You are the lump in my throat...