Valentine Songs for Everyone

From Pets to Parents, There's a Love Song to Somebody

© Noreen Mulcahy

Jan 28, 2009

When thinking about love songs, it’s easy to come up with the songs about couples in love or falling out of that state. There are a lot of tunes written for other people and even animals in one’s life. Here is a list of those non-traditional love songs along with romantic selections.

Love Songs to Kids

• "Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)" -- Double Fantasy -- John Lennon’s lovely song to his son Sean.
• "So Close to My Heart" -- My Better Self -- Dar Williams wrote this tune after the birth of her son.
• "Laughter" -- Further Adventures Of -- Bruce Cockburn reflects on about becoming a father and other important milestones in his life.
• "Walking Out of Stride" -- About a Boy -- Badly Drawn Boy wrote the soundtrack to the movie “About a Boy.” This song is a great explanation of the relationship between the mom and son.

Love Songs to Parents

• "I Love My Mom" -- Speak - The Roches express love to an important person in their lives.
• "Cat’s in the Cradle" -- Verities and Balderdash -- Harry Chapin’s classic that could go into either kid or parent category.
• "Pass In Time" -- Central Reservation -- Beth Orton’s heartbreaking song about her mom.
• "Mama You Sweet" -- West -- Lucinda Williams’ remembrance of her mother.

Love Songs to Pets

• "Everything Reminds Me of My Dog" -- Bound By the Beauty -- Jane Siberry’s quirky tribute to her dog.
• "My Shiny Black Bess" -- Mermaid Avenue, Volume 1 -- Billy Bragg’s music combined with Woody Guthrie’s lyrics produces an outlaw’s dedication to his horse.
• "Old King" -- Harvest Moon -- Neil Young wrote a bluegrass tune about his daring dog.
• "Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog" -- Talk That Talk -- Norma Tanega sings about the walks she took with her cat in this 1960s hit.

Love Songs to Friends

• "Kind and Generous" -- Ophelia -- Natalie Merchant’s vocals soar in this song of gratitude.
• "Lean on Me" -- The Best of Billy Withers -- This uplifting tune continues to have relevance today. Mary J. Blige performed it at the We Are One concert, kicking off President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremonies.
• "Thank You" -- No Angel -- Dido sings a special thank you to to the person who has given her the best day of her life.
• "You’ve Got a Friend" -- Tapestry -- Carolyn King’s classic to those who need love and support.
• "You’ve Got a Friend in Me" -- Toy Story -- Originally written for the animated film Toy Story, Randy Newman described the best qualities of friendship.

Love Songs to Lovers

• "Sail Away" -- White Ladder -- David Gray takes a stale cliche and turns it into a tender love song.
• "A Song for You" -- Leon Russell -- In this beautiful expression of love, Russell bares all.
• "Something" -- Abbey Road -- The Beatles have plenty of love songs, but George Harrison had a knack for the deeply romantic ones. This tune has such vivid imagery and strong feelings of love.
• "Till the Rivers All Run Dry" -- Rough Mix -- Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane cover this old ballad with simplicity and sensitivity.

Love Songs on the Lighter Side

• "Ice Cream" -- Fumbling Towards Ecstasy -- Sarah McLachlan has written plenty of love songs in her career -- mostly with a sadder take. In this one, she compares the feeling to a sweet dessert.
• "Is This Love" -- Legend -- Bob Marley’s classic that expertly captures the early days of a relationship.
• "Love Song" -- Little Voice -- Sara Bareillis’ hit is full of irony and humor on the topic of love.
• "When She’s Near" -- Fiction Family -- This catchy little pop tune came out of a side project of Jon Foreman of Switchfoot and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek. It has jangely guitars and smooth harmonies.

Thanks to these poetic musicians, there are love songs of every kind. Whether it’s the lighter side of the emotion, romantic feelings or the fierce love of a child, listeners can find songs to express their feelings of love.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Puppy Love

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