The Very Best Romantic Songs Ever Written (For Valentine’s Day Creativity)

Music and creativity go hand in hand. 

Researchers have found an increase in the number of ideas with catchy beats, resulting in improved cognition, memory, and enhanced learning. 

In today’s world, creativity is more than just art and music. Technology, science, and (in particular) social media marketing relies on this driving force to push the boundaries in the 21st century. 

To put simply: original ideas and insights are simply easier when a song orchestrates the effort. 

Modern science suggests that this process is called “convergent and divergent thinking.” Compared to a silence control condition, a study discovered that music resulted in higher divergent creativity tasks. The same publication stated that those listening to tunes had superior spatial abilities. According to researcher Barbara Fredrickson, rhythm broadens our mindset and enhances our desire to explore and play.   

It’s no surprise that more people listen to love songs this month than any time of the year. As they say, love makes the world go round. The power of emotion is best encapsulated in songs about finding love, losing love, feeling alone because of love, driving yourself crazy because of love, loving someone so much even if they don’t know you exist, etc. 

Each February 14th on YouTube, the sappiest love songs get played more on Valentine’s Day than any other single day. Last year’s list saw offerings from John Legend, Bruno Mars, Shania Twain, and many more. 

Keeping with the spirit of the season, and the fact that our team constantly listens to playlists while we work, we at Firebelly Marketing decided to make a Valentine’s Day playlist to celebrate our favorite lovey-dovey songs we’re always streaming. 

Whitney Houston — I Will Always Love You (1992)

As Mariah Carey returns to hibernation until next Christmas, this powerful chart-topper is just waking up. Originally performed by the great Dolly Parton, Houston recorded her high-register belt of the tune to epic, romantic significance. 

This is the best song ever sung for a soundtrack (The Bodyguard), followed by ‘How Deep Is Your Love?’ by the Bee Gees. 

We’ll get to that one in a second.

Elton John — Your Song (1970)

Despite being the first time John and songwriter Bernie Taupin realized the true potential of the pair’s partnership, ‘Your Song’ is a fairly straightforward and naive medley. The lyrics are about the yearning of youth that had never experienced romantic love. 

The object of affection that serves as the song’s basis was never revealed by the duo. Released in January 1971, the tune inspired John Lennon’s own hit ‘Imagine’ the same year. 

It was given a new lease on life with an excellent rendition by Obi Wan Kenobi himself Ewan McGregor in the film Moulin Rouge! three decades later.

The Beatles — Something (1969)

The quietest member of the Fab Four sure had a lot to say. In the band’s history, it was the first George Harrison-penned tune to serve as a Beatles A-side single. The muse in the lyrics is still difficult to pinpoint. Some claim it was for his then-wife Pattie Boyd. Others say it was about the Hindu deity Krishna. 

Either way, Harrison recorded the solo demos of ‘Something’ on his 26th birthday. 

To date, it remains the second most covered Beatles tune, behind only ‘Yesterday.’ 

Derek & The Dominos — Layla (1970)

George Harrison was excellent at writing love songs. Eric Clapton was even better at writing love songs about stealing Harrison’s wife. 

The one and only record created by supergroup Derek & The Dominoes was a love letter to one-time Pattie Harrison, and eventual Pattie Clapton. When she first heard the sprawling (7+ minute) title track, Patti was understandably terrified by good ol’ Slowhand. She eventually came around to his lyrical love letter and the pair were married… for ten years. 

U2 — With Or Without You (1987)

Fortunately, this wasn’t a U2 song that inexplicably appeared in our iTunes library. Privacy violations aside, the Apple loving Irish quarter became your father and grandfather’s favorite band with their smash album The Joshua Tree. A troubled love ballad, Bono confessed his conflicting feelings about fame and as a domestic man. Fortunately, he and his wife Ali Hewson are still together after all these years. Additionally, it’s hard to believe that this is the same band that would get stuck in a floating prop lemon only a couple years later. 

Yeah Yeah Yeahs — Maps (2003)

Fortunately, Karen O and the gang are still at their peak, with the recent offering Cool It Down serving as arguably their best record to date. 

For every Guitar Hero loving nostalgic, there’s the memory of the band’s first hit song ‘Maps.’ Sure, the lyrics are repetitive, with Karen O repeating “Wait, they don’t love you like I love you” about a dozen times. Regardless, it was another vital step forward for female artists to stomp freely across indie rock’s history. The unrequited love lament was also the band’s first top 10 hit.  

Bee Gees — How Deep Is Your Love (1977)

This Bee Gees tune is the second greatest song written for a movie of all-time. Performed for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, the ballad stayed in the Top 10 for a whopping 17 weeks. 

That’s a lot of falsetto harmonizing in a four-month span. 

Even Beach Boy Brian Wilson got the romantic buzz from this one, stating “I always liked the Bee Gees very much. ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ is… one that I think is really great… I turn the radio up a little bit when it comes on.” 

Incubus/Blink-182 — I Miss You (1999/2003)

This one is a two-fer. 

Both are equally filled with yearning. Both have played at every elderly millennial’s wedding. Neither are related, besides the genre where both bands reside. 

Incubus’ rendition is less spoofed, with some serious heart-on-his-sleeve pondering by frontman Brandon Boyd, including the heady proclamation: “to know that you feel the same as I do, is a three-fold utopian dream.” 

The Blink-182 offering is the meme-worthy mega hit from the band’s last great album, with co-lead Tom DeLonge abruptly asking “where are you?”

Arctic Monkeys — Cornerstone (2009)

A lovelorn youth skips from bar to bar, club to club, mourning his lost love. Sure, it's a song about rebounds, and sloppily trying to find that same emotional spark you struck with another. 

Still, over 15 years later, the lyrics strike more than a power chord for those of us that still harbor a little adolescent angst. 

Plus, the music video is one of our favorites.  

The Cure — Lovesong (1989)

Special shoutout to the stellar 311 and Adele cover as well, but you can’t go wrong with the original. 

Makeup smeared across his face, hair completely akimbo, The Cure frontman Robert Smith delivered this with the kind of pathos of a man who had his heart shattered and reshaped a million times. 

You can tell there’s a ton of emotion… especially from Smith’s running mascara. 

Prince — Purple Rain (1984)

Prince proved himself a sex and rock god with this closer to his best album of the same name. 

It’s okay if you need a minute after this sensual electric opera. No judgment here. 

Sade — The Complete Discography 

Pretty sure half our staff was conceived while their parents listened to Sade’s multiplatinum record. You’re welcome for that imagery. 

Any we missed? Let us at Firebelly Marketing know!