BY JEREMY HAAS
It seems like so many classic high school stories rotate, in some ways, around the music they feature. Reading books and seeing movies where love, friendship, and loss are all glorified through themed mix-tapes consume me with a sense of longing. Although we have websites like 8tracks.com, playlists seem to have fallen out of our current cultural coversation. While most people have little interest in making personal mixes, they give me a sense of comfort. I think that self-created albums with a varied blend of songs are important for individual identity. So in an attempt to revive a piece of the past that is almost forgotten, this blog is dedicated to short, themed playlists, courtesy of the Lariat staff.
Love is a delicate subject, especially in music. When writing a love song, an artist can’t come off as too whiny, or too weird, or lacking in passion. Here are what I consider to be five remarkable love songs, ranging from corny and cute to angry and jealous.
I Want to Hold Your Hand-The Beatles
This is a classic track that captures the true nature of a love song. In it, affection is shown without the gory details that plague modern pop music. It really portrays love in the most simple and innocent form. John Lennon sings about everything you feel but can’t say. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” is so relatable. When you first meet a girl, you don’t want to jump into some Romeo and Juliet-type relationship; you don’t want to proclaim undying love, but you do feel an overwhelming longing, one that you can’t really describe or understand. This song is so relevant; there’s a reason it isn’t “I want to kiss you” or “I want to marry you,” because sometimes all you really want to do is hold someone’s hand.
Just Like Heaven-The Cure
Yeah, I know, I’m obsessed with the Cure, and this song is one of the reasons for it. Robert Smith has a certain way with words, and even though he’s sometimes a pretty creepy dude (Lullaby), he knows how to be romantic. This track is fun and fast paced musically, and lyrically, well, just perfect. Without being overly complex, Smith finds a way to avoid the overly meek approach most guys who wear eyeliner and lipstick would have around girls. It delves into true love, rather than initial “she likes me” jitters, and should make any listener with a love interest melt.
Tracey’s Buns-Dr Manhattan
Some may say this song is lazy, or sloppy, or even stupid. I can see all of those things in “Tracey’s Buns” and yet I still love it. Maybe it’s because I’m a Dr. Manhattan fan-boy, but I see so much love throughout the song’s cutesy one-liners and simplistic instrumental track. What’s really charming about this mostly unknown little song is it was really impromptu. During the recording process, singer Matt Engers played this song in one take. The little screw-ups in the lyrics and guitar playing are really endearing, and they make this one of the most genuine love songs I’ve ever heard.
The Calendar Hung Itself-Bright Eyes
Okay, let me start by saying this song is overly emotional and pretty creepy. However, I wouldn’t be a real teenager if I didn’t include at least one track like this. Essentially, “the Calendar Hung Itself” travels to the deepest darkest depths of jealousy as a neurotic songwriter sings his heart out to an old love. This song is filled with passion and combines a noisy instrumental with poetic pleading in a perfect way.
I Love Creedence-Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
Lo-fi music makes for some great, modest emotions. Casiotone is just one guy, Owen Ashworth, equipped with a lot of electronics and blunt lyrics. In “I Love Creedence” Ashworth sings a possibly hypothetical story of a narrator named Creedence, who was friend-zoned by their one true love, El. It’s difficult to get the power of this song across without listening to it, but there’s something about its frank storytelling, orchestra of computer-generated sounds and melancholy melody that give it an impact. I dare anyone to try and listen to the final chorus of “I Love Creedence” without getting chills.
