Not much longer until the loveliest day of they year arrives: Valentine's Day. Eventhough love should be shown to each other all year round, on the 14th of February we like to emphasize our love for our family, friends, partner and maybe even our lovely pets! No matter how you are going to spend this day, together with Gigstarter you can immerse yourself in the universal language of music. In our previous edition of this blog we went back in time to highlight some timeless love songs. In this part we will stay more in the present.
As The World Caves In - Sarah Cothran
Eventhough this song was originally done by Matt Maltese, Sarah did such a wonderful job on covering this song we just couldn't leave it out. What started as a short version on the platform TikTok gathering over 25 million views and over 4 million likes in the original post, eventually turned into a full version released on multiple platforms such as her own YouTube channel and Spotify. Maltese, from the original version, mentioned in an interview with Northern Transmissions that the story was that of Theresa May and Donald Trump sharing a night of passion before the coming apocalypse. Maltese stated: "Hopefully it comes across romantic, sexy, but also sinister and stupid. It goes without saying but everything’s a bit sinister and stupid in 2017". In April of 2020, Maltese shared in a tweet that the song was no longer about Trump and May.
I Wanna Be Yours - Arctic Monkeys
The song reworks John Cooper Clarke’s poem with the same title. During an interview, Clarke mentioned that his poem falls into the category of classic love poems. In this style, the poet articulates a longing to be of service or value to the subject of their affection.
Alex Turner, frontman of Arctic Monkeys, said the following about the track "It’s just John’s words. It’s a very old poem of his, and one day I was sitting there with me four-track and there was this riff that I had laid down, and I sat there with headphones on and just started singing this melody and saying that line, 'I want to be yours…' and I remembered his poem, like, "Oh, shit. Maybe we could make that fit somehow." And then James Ford, the producer, was like, "Why don’t we do a really slow jam feel?” So then I thought those sweet, sexy melodies with a Johnny Clarke poem would be an awesome juxtaposition. An unlikely one."
Tacones Rojos - Sebastian Yatra
'Tacones Rojos', an upbeat dance track that listeners can’t help but sing along to, is featured on the recent album "Dharma" by the Colombian singer Sebastian Yatra. This ambitious record combines rock, cumbia, and reggaetón. Since its release, the song has climbed the charts in almost every Spanish-speaking country, including Colombia, Mexico, and Spain. Yatra, who collaborated with Manuel Lorente in composing the lyrics, shared his thoughts behind the song: "The lyrics were inspired by the morning rays of light that enter through your window and can completely transport you to a new, happy, and inspired place". Additionally, the artist reflected on the profound impact the songwriting process had on his personal life, expressing the hope that fans will experience similar transformations: "This album, the process, the journey, and the lessons I've learned from it led me to the decision to start seeing a psychologist and not be afraid of therapy".
Hold My Girl - George Ezra
This song delves into the noise of the world and explores the overwhelming workload and stress that life can bring, highlighting the challenge of finding time for your loved one(s). George Ezra has described the song as his personal favorite from his second album. Ezra mentioned that the track was “written about the fallout from a messy breakup where I felt I wasn’t able to offer the support she was after.” It captures the emotions associated with profound love, a desire to cling to someone, and a sense of helplessness in facing the issues that jeopardize the bond and seem unconquerable.
At my Worst - Pink Sweat$
This song became the fourth track off of Pink Sweat$‘ 2020 EP, The Prelude. Young artist started his musical journey behind-the-scenes as a songwriter with no ambitions of becoming a performer later on, however faith decided otherwise. In his recent hit, Sweat$ affirms his utmost loyalty to the partner and asks that she remain by his side, even under complicated circumstances. As artist himself has stated, he views commitment as a two-way street, and this track reinforces once again the personal significance he places on loyalty in a relationship: “I wanted to give a perspective that was super vulnerable, but while the lyrics are vulnerable, the music should stay happy. It takes your guard down. And the words are seeping into you.”
I Won’t Give Up - Jason Mraz
The song was an enormous success for the singer-songwriter, becoming his second top-ten single since 'I’m Yours' released back in 2008. Lyrically, it is an ode to a long-lasting relationship, with Mraz expressing his commitment to not giving up on a person, accompanied by acoustic guitar and emotional vocals. In his interview to Billboard he commented on inspiration for such a romantic love song: ‘I Won’t Give Up’ was written selfishly. As many of my songs are, I write for the purpose of understanding what the hell’s going on in my life, my position in the world, processing that lesson and that miracle that I’m learning. We all have something that we’re fighting for or that we’re striving for. Whether we want to coach our soccer team to victory or lose five pounds in a month, whatever it is, there’s nothing too small worth fighting for”.
Adore You - Harry Styles
Last but not least we close off with one of the many hits of Harry Styles, 'Adore You'. In 2019 Harry elaborate on the meaning of the song. "It’s about that initial infatuation stage when you get that heavy feeling of just bliss, like a blissful, very joyous connection with someone. We wrote this in a day, we just had so much fun making it. They’re usually the ones that end up kind of working the best, the ones where everyone’s having fun making it […] they kind of just write themselves. It was definitely a good experience, making this song, very excited to have it out."
From soulful guitar ballads to upbeat dance anthems, the diverse range of modern love songs gives every listener an opportunity to find the perfect soundtrack for all the planned date activities. So, let the music speak where words may fail, making this coming day the greatest celebration of your loved ones despite all the stereotypes. Happy Valentine's Day!
Related articles on Gigstarter:
