In honor of St. Valentine’s Day, here is some of my favorite love songs.

Some are well known, but there are probably others you haven’t heard before.

Dave Mattingly: The Musical, Part 16

• Billy Bragg – Greetings to the New Brunette
• Cayucas – Summer Thing
• Cranberries – Dreams
• Cucumbers – My Boyfriend
• Cure – Friday I’m in Love
• Depeche Mode – Meaning of Love
• Fleetwoods – Come Softly to Me
• Flesh Lights – Crush on You
• Fountains of Wayne – Hey Julie
• Georgia Satellites – Battleship Chains
• Guantanamo Baywatch – Sea of Love
• INXS – Burn for You
• Ivan – Forever
• James Maddock – Beautiful Now
• Jazz Butcher – Big Saturday
• Men Without Hats – I’m in Love
• Men Without Hats – Love (All Over the World)
• Men Without Hats – Love in the Age of War
• Mika – Big Girl (You are Beautiful)
• Neil Diamond – Delirious Love
• Nick Peay – Life & Love & Us
• Old 97’s – Bird in a Cage
• Parsonfield – Anita, Your Lovin’
• Prince – Take Me with U
• Ritchie White Orchestra – Come Home, Jenny Brown
• Robyn Hitchcock – Beautiful Girl
• Rolling Stones – She’s a Rainbow
• Simone Felice – You and I Belong
• Smiths – There is a Light That Never Goes Out
• Steve Martin and Edie Brickell – Love has Come for You
• Stiff Little Fingers – Gate 49
• Van Morrison – Brown Eyed Girl
• Vance Joy – Riptide
• Violent Femmes – Love Love Love Love Love
• Yardbirds – For Your Love

Others: Honorable mentions, or barely-about-love songs.

• Belle and Sebastian – Write About Love
• Big Black – Precious Thing
• Bob Lind – Elusive Butterfly
• Bobby Womack – Love is Gonna Lift You Up
• Brute Force – Tapeworm of Love
• Chad and Jeremy – Yesterday’s Gone
• Clyde McPhatter – Lover Please
• Cure – Lovesong
• Dead Milkmen – Punk Rock Girl
• Death Cab for Cutie – I Will Possess Your Heart
• The Doors – Love Her Madly
• Everything But the Girl – Like the Deserts Miss the Rain
• Fatboy Slim – Praise You
• Fine Young Cannibals – Ever Fallen in Love
• Herman’s Hermits – Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter
• Jack White – Love Interruption
• Johnny Cash – I Walk the Line
• Josh Ritter – New Lover
• Levon Helm – False Hearted Lover Blues
• Lisa Hannigan – I Don’t Know
• Ludo – Love Me Dead
• Petula Clark – My Love
• Queen – Crazy Little Thing Called Love
• Real Life – Send Me an Angel
• Ryan Adams – Chains of Love
• Shelters – Rebel Heart
• Simon F – Prisoner of Love
• Soft Cell – Tainted Love
• Vitamin Z – Burning Flame

Go back to Part 15: Retro Rock