Daryl Hall & John Oates – You Make My Dreams

A song born in the 80’s, the decade of some of the best and worst pop songs ever recorded, ‘You Make My Dreams’ is hands down one of the best. The walking beat of the song and doo-wop melodies perfectly embody the feeling of happiness behind reciprocated romance, as demonstrated in Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s iconic dance sequence half way through 500 Days of Summer. ‘You Make My Dreams’ takes inspiration from other classic songs, such as the allusion to Otis Redding’s ‘Hard to Handle’ lyrics ‘Pretty thing, let me light your candle / Cause mama I’m sure hard to handle’ in the Hall and Oates opening ‘What I want, you’ve got / but it might be hard to handle / like the flame that burns the candle.’ On top of this, the direct reference to The Beatles’ ‘Twist and Shout’ in the second verse really adds to the fun-loving feeling of the song, emitted by association.

You Make My Dreams feels like the anthem of young lovers

In creating the feel-good anthem of romance, Hall and Oates have found the perfect balance of happiness and adoration, and have constructed a love song that avoids falling victim to the clichés of the category. ‘You Make My Dreams’ feels like the anthem of young lovers, clicking their fingers to the beat, making their way towards each other from opposite sides of the dance floor. I applaud the individual that has enough self-control to not at least bop their head along to this song.

 

Fleetwood Mac – Songbird

‘Songbird’ is arguably the most beautifully written song on Fleetwood Mac’s album Rumours. The simplicity of the song allows the grand sentiment of true love to touch the hearts of any listener. The soothing vocals of Christine McVie are accompanied solely by an understated combination of piano and guitar which allows the song to be all the more intimate.

The simplicity of the song allows the grand sentiment of true love to touch the hearts of any listener

‘Songbird’ was recorded live in one take with McVie on piano and Buckingham on guitar. As a surprise for McVie, a bouquet of flowers was placed upon the piano and the lights dimmed before recording in order to create a romantic ambience perfect for the same passion that she expresses in her lyrics. The sweetness of this action really transpires through the recording as it is clear McVie is entirely at ease by her vocals floating effortlessly from note to note.

For a band famous for inner disputes and lovers’ tiffs, there is a purity in the lyrics penned by McVie that supersede this tension. The lines, ‘ ‘cause I feel that when I’m with you / It’s alright, I know it’s right’, encapsulate the idea that love should be somewhere you feel comfortable and can forget about the struggles of everyday life. This concept in itself is very heart-warming, much like the set up for recording the song.

As a first dance and Love Actually classic, ‘Songbird’ hits all the right notes and says ‘I love you’ just the right number of times to be considered an all-time great in the love song category.

 

Father John Misty – Real Love Baby

Josh Tillman has long been a man associated with love and romance. From his days drumming to the Fleet Foxes’ croons on Hopelessness Blues to the melancholic loneliness of his latest release under the Father John Misty title, God’s Favourite Customer. 

It’s a rare moment where Tillman doesn’t hide behind quips and elongated tales

While, you’d generally expect any romantic celebration to focus on Tillman’s 2015 opus I Love You, Honeybear, instead I’d like to focus on ‘Real Love Baby’. Aside from having one of the catchiest hooks of the last decade, what makes this track so great is its earnest nature. Tillman is famed for his charm, and this shines in his lyricism on other love songs like ‘Chateau Lobby #4 (In C For Two Virgins)’. While this song and many others in his repertoire are definitely worthy of this spot, they often complicate themselves with complex narratives which bring out Tillman’s inherent cynicism. It is the simplicity in Tillman’s words on ‘Real Love Baby’ which make it his greatest love song. The song is as short as it is sweet and is all the better for it.

This solo single stands apart from the rest because it’s a rare moment where Tillman doesn’t hide behind quips and elongated tales. Instead he’s straight to the point, with the song generally being based around an ongoing metaphor of bees and flowers. While this may seem like a pretty standard choice, the swapping of pronouns regarding who fulfils which role makes the song feel less like a male gaze of a beautiful woman and more of a genuine expression of compassion between a couple. 

Essentially, Real Love Baby shows off not only Tillman’s comprehensive ability as a songwriter and lyricist but also that he really does live up to the romantic reputation he’s built for himself and for that ‘Real Love Baby’ deserves to be swooned to.

 

Daniel Bedingfield – If You’re Not The One

In my opinion, an iconic love song should be one that carries just as much weight when belting it with your pals, as it does with complete romantic sentimentality. For me, ‘If You’re Not The One’ by Daniel Bedingfield assumes both of these roles perfectly. Rogue choice, you might be saying, but there is something about the obscure artist that Bedingfield is, combined with the boy-band-esque nostalgia it brings and the truly iconic lyrics that cemented its position as my all-time favourite. Daniel Bedingfield lies dangerously close to the one-hit-wonder cliche (although, ‘Gotta Get Thru This’ is absolutely superb) but he seems to fit in perfectly with the emotional male vocalists popular in the 2000s (think Westlife, Ronan Keating, Backstreet Boys).

Bedingfield seems to fit in perfectly with the emotional male vocalists popular in the 2000s

Being two years old at the time of release (2002), it should not be surprising to anyone that my love for this song developed much later in life. The countless times that I have sung ‘If You’re Not The One’ at the top of my voice has led me to realise that despite the lyrics being far from groundbreaking, it is the sickly sweet line of ‘I hope I love you all my life’ that really gets me. I genuinely find it impressive that such a simple lyric is able to completely perpetuate the incredibly cheesy nature of the song as a whole.

‘If You’re Not The One’ is a complete product of the 2000s: slow side-to-side clicks seem second nature to the slow pace of the backing track. Admittedly, my affection for 2000s music knows no bounds, so I am probably biased towards the time period, but I stand by my statement that it is the ultimate love song.