Brandon’s Love and Valentine’s Blues

Brandon’s Love and Valentine’s Blues

“Love” is a word that gets thrown around a lot. It doesn’t accurately describe the feelings associated with the word. For instance, we can love pizza, our pet, our mother, our partner, etc. We don’t love all of them in the same way though, do we? I should hope not.

These are eight love songs that describe different kinds of love.

1. “Make You Feel My Love” performed by Adele; written by Bob Dylan

I never knew Bob Dylan wrote this. The first time I heard it was when Garth Brooks sang it, which was great. I love Adele’s version though.

My last relationship wasn’t perfect, but we loved each other. My boyfriend Joe wasn’t great at expressing his feelings; in fact, I truly didn’t realize how much he loved me until I was talking to his family at his funeral. I cry every time I listen to this song. The lyrics say “There is nothing that I wouldn’t do, to make you feel my love.” I would do almost anything to have Joe back with me and I would do anything to make him feel my love.

2. “A Thousand Years” performed by Christina Perri feat. Steve Kazee; written by Christina Perri and David Hodges

Most people recognize this as being part of the soundtrack for “Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2.” I was actually not a huge fan of the movies (I really don’t like Kristen Stewart’s acting), but I love the song and I prefer the duet version. It’s another one that will many times make me cry. The idea of loving someone for a thousand years and beyond is a beautiful sentiment.

3. “Always On My Mind” performed by Connie Talbot; written by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, and Mark James

For some reason, I thought Willie Nelson wrote this one; I don’t know why. After looking it up, I was reminded that Elvis recorded it as well as Brenda Lee. I am not a fan of Willie’s voice, and Elvis is great but I wanted something different. I found Connie Talbot’s version and thought it was perfect.

This is a different sort of love song because it sounds like the couple is drifting apart and one is trying to keep the other from leaving. “Maybe I didn’t hold you all those lonely, lonely times. I guess I never told you I’m so happy that you’re mine.” So many times we take our relationships for granted and forget to express how much we love each other.

4. “The Prayer” performed by David Archuleta and Nathan Pacheco; written by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager, Alberto Testa, and Tony Renis.

Most people are familiar with this song being performed by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion. They are two of the most talented singers in the world, but I chose this version, partly because it’s performed by two male singers, and particularly because David Archuleta is one of them. He was one of my favorite contestants on American Idol several years ago and just recently, he came out as gay.

This is another song that can many times make me cry (it sounds like I cry a lot, eh?). It won several awards and has been recorded by many different artists. I love the sound of the Italian lyrics in combination with the English. It’s a prayer to God for protection and guidance in a couple’s journey through life.

5. “I Will Always Love You” performed by Whitney Houston; written by Dolly Parton

I listed this one in my post “The Best 7 Cover Songs Across the Universe,” so you can check that out if you’d like. It fits in this list as well. I included this partly because it also is a different type of love song. It is a song about saying goodbye to someone you love. The others are all about holding on, but this one is about letting go.

When I love someone, I love them forever. Even if our relationship doesn’t work out, that doesn’t mean I suddenly hate them or regret ever being together. It just means we weren’t compatible enough to stay together. I tried listening to other versions of this, but couldn’t bring myself to use anyone else’s but Whitney’s.

6. “Girl Crush” performed by Little Big Town; written by Lori McKenna, Hillary Lindsey, and Liz Rose

I love Little Big Town. They have great voices that blend beautifully together. I wanted to include this song because it’s about loving someone that you can’t have. And truly, love may not be the right word. As the song says, it’s a “crush” and may be more about infatuation than love.

7. “I Will Be Here” by Steven Curtis Chapman

This is a love song of commitment. Sometimes we hear that “all you need is love,” but that isn’t true. Sometimes you don’t feel that love, but you have to be committed through those times until the difficulty is over. This requires committing and choosing to love even when you don’t feel like it. It was featured in the Disney/Pixar movie “Up,” and that’s the video I used.

8. “Flowers” performed by Miley Cyrus; written by Miley Cyrus, Gregory Aldae Hein, and Michael Pollack

Finally, I thought I should include this song because, unlike all the others, it’s about loving yourself. You don’t need someone else to be happy; in some cases, in fact, you’re better off alone than with someone that doesn’t love you or treat you with respect.

I hope you’ve enjoyed listening to these if you hadn’t already been familiar with them. I enjoyed reminiscing and yes, I cried a few times as well. Get over it.

If you feel like getting in touch with your feelings, write a post that includes the songs that you feel describe the kind of love you have, lost, or hope for, and tag me in your post.

*Originally published on Medium

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