Valentine’s Playlist

With Valentine’s day right around the corner here are some songs for the month of love.

Valentine – Laufey

There isn’t a way to make a Valentine’s playlist without adding the obvious: “Valentine.” Laufey’s soft and jazzy voice is perfect for love songs. Sweetly sung lyrics accompanied by melodic humming and warm buzzing instrumentation make it hard not to feel cozy. The main lyric “I blinked and suddenly I had a valentine,” perfectly encompasses the surprising feeling of a new relationship.

Glue Song – Beabadoobee Ft. Clairo

With its gentle guitar and sweet violin, “Glue Song” is another great example of a soft and sweet love song; Beabadoobee and Clairo’s soft vocals mesh together perfectly to create a beautiful song. The main lyric “I guess I’m stuck forever by the glue, oh, and you,” embodies the feeling of endless love. Clairo’s lyric changes make the song so much better, which is why I prefer this version to the original.

Kingston – Faye Webster

Much like Laufey, Faye Webster has a voice that fits love songs so well, as shown clearly in “Kingston.” Both the lyrics and instrumental get stuck in my head often; they’re soft, sweet and happy. The opening lyric “the day that I met you I started dreaming, now I write ‘em down if I remember in the morning time,” has a double meaning; the first half of the lyric suggests she’s dreaming of a future with this person, it’s love at first sight, but the second half suggests that she’s quite literally having dreams about this person, and she’d like to remember them.

Anyone Else But You – The Moldy Peaches

Often known as “the song from that movie ‘Juno,’” Kimya Dawson and Adam Green’s “Anyone Else But You” is a classic in the indie folk genre. With only two alternating guitar chords and simple vocals, this song has been covered time and time again, including Michael Cera and Elliot Page’s version in “Juno.” The opening lyric of the song “you’re a part-time lover and a full-time friend” shows the sweetness of being in a relationship with someone who isn’t just your partner, but is also truly your best friend. “I don’t see what anyone can see in anyone else, but you”: this lyric is the main point of the song, this person is so special to them that they simply don’t understand how anyone could feel that same special way towards another person. 

We’re In Love – boygenius

“We’re In Love” strays away from the romantic love mentioned in these other songs: it’s about Lucy Dacus’ platonic love for band members Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker. This song shows the raw feeling of an intense friendship or bond. Dacus discusses a hypothetical in which she seeks out her friends in the next life in the lyrics “I’ll be the boy with the pink carnation pinned on my lapel, who […] asks for help, and if you do, I’ll know it’s you.” She then further reminisces about all of the things that make her friends who they are, stating that “there is something about you that I will always recognize.” Every lyric in the song is beautifully written, especially the aforementioned carnation lyric, which is a reference to Elliott Smith’s “Miss Misery” music video. If you like this kind of love song, Boygenius’ album, “The Record,” is filled with songs like this.

 For the full playlist, click here.