A love song can tell the story of a once-in-a-lifetime romance, an unrequited crush, or a chance encounter. Sometimes, the three come together to tell a complete narrative that sounds a lot like your favorite romantic comedy. With every genre of music holding their fair share of love songs, it's only natural that everyone's favorites are a little different.
There must've been something in the water in the 1970s, because the love songs that were written, recorded, and released within that decade are some of the most romantic songs I've ever heard. The genuine ion that spills out with every strum of a guitar and every simple note sung is palpable. Most of these songs aren't anything complicated production-wise. They rely on the singer's voice and the backing of a piano, guitar, or additional string instruments to get their point across, making each song that much more romantic. Here are some of the defining love songs of the 1970s.
10 Annie's Song
John Denver
John Denver's lyricism was always nothing short of poetic. The classic folk singer focused much of his catalog on describing the world around him, celebrating everything nature had to offer along with all the simple joys that come with just being alive. His 1974 album Back Home Again featured "Annie's Song," a sweet track dedicated to his first wife, Annie Martell. The song is said to have been written after the couple experienced a difficult period where they came out on the other side.
"You fill up my senses like a night in the forest,
Like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain,
Like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean.
You fill up my senses, come fill me again."
While looking out at the natural imagery that encircled Denver from a ski lift atop the Colorado mountains, "Annie's Song" was written as an appreciation for nature and the love he and his wife showed each other. The lyrics read like a poem, with the first verse alone evoking beautiful images of a love that is equal to surrounding yourself with the most dazzling gifts the earth has to offer. Telling someone you love that they fill up your senses is one of the most lovely ways I can think of to say "I love you."
9 If
Bread
There were a handful of Bread songs that I debated between, but "If" was the one that captivated me the most. David Gates' smooth voice sings lines that feel entirely pulled from a private conversation between two early lovers, asking questions like "If a picture paints a thousand words, then why can't I paint you?" and "If a face could launch a thousand ships, then where am I to go?" As the song goes on, however, Gates sings of the end, offering an answer to the unspoken question of "What will happen to our love after we're gone?"
"If a face could launch a thousand ships
Then where am I to go?
There's no one home but you
You're all that's left me too
And when my love for life is running dry
You come and pour yourself on me"
His answer? That "one by one the stars would all go out, then you and I would simply fly away," sung like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "If" is a song that asks a lot of questions, but also provides a lot of answers. It is the story of a lover who relies on their partner when the world around them feels too bleak to participate in, something people of just about any generation can find relatable.
8 Your Song
Elton John
Being many people's introduction to Elton John's music, "Your Song" is a charming, imperfect depiction of how vulnerable it is to it you're in love with another person. While listening to this song, it's easy to picture someone wringing their hands, picking at a loose thread on their jeans, or laughing nervously in between lines as they struggle to get every thought inside their head across to someone who matters so much.
"I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss
Well, a few of the verses, well, they've got me quite cross
But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song
It's for people like you that keep it turned on"
There's a conversational quality to every line. John often cuts himself off mid-sentence or dismisses what he says, making listeners smile to themselves as if they're the ones being confessed to. He and Bernie Taupin created one of the most romantic songs in the world, yet their narrator second-guesses the idea of gifting someone a song. The repetition of "I hope you don't mind" is what speaks most to this aspect, reassuring the person on the other side of the lyrics that the narrator doesn't mean to inconvenience them. All they ask is that they listen.
7 I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song
Jim Croce
One defining factor of the 1970s love songs is the humble nature in which each singer presents their gesture. Jim Croce's "I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song" is full of subtle apologies, something that makes complete sense when you know that Croce wrote this song on a night when he and his wife got into an argument. He presented the song to his wife the next morning, waking her up with, "Well, I know it's kind of late, I hope I didn't wake you, But what I gotta say can't wait, I know you'd understand."
"Yeah, I know it's kinda late.
Hope I didn't wake you,
But there's something I just gotta say.
Know you'd understand.
Every time I tried to tell you,
The words just came out wrong
So I'll have to say I love you in a song."
It's a gesture that shows how perfectly Croce wanted to get his words across. If he were to simply apologize, he might have stumbled over his words or forgotten something he wanted to say. With this song, he had everything written down in the exact order he wanted to present it, creating a tender love song that continues to speak to generation after generation.
6 Beth
KISS
Many of the classic hard rock bands, like KISS, found the most success with their stripped-back ballads; think "Faithfully" by Journey or "Home Sweet Home" by Mötley Crüe. With "Beth," KISS achieved their highest Billboard Hot 100 ranking at #7, making it their biggest commercial hit in the United States. Its inspirations are a bit cloudy between the and others around them, but the more general meaning feels like just the sort of ballad a rock band would connect with.
"You say you feel so empty
That our house just ain't a home
And I'm always somewhere else
And you're always there alone
Just a few more hours
And I'll be right home to you
I think I hear them calling
Oh, Beth what can I do
Beth what can I do"
KISS drummer Peter Criss sings with evident regret about the time he spends away from "Beth" working on music in the studio for hours at a time. He reassures her by claiming "Just a few more hours," only to repeatedly ask the loaded question of "Oh, Beth, what can I do?" The song doesn't end on the most reassuring note like other love songs, but it serves as a realistic detail in the life of a rock star who struggles to balance their career with their personal life.
5 Songbird
Fleetwood Mac
Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac played "Songbird" from start to finish at 3:30 in the morning after waking up to the idea. She recorded it the next day, and it remains as one of the band's most vulnerable songs on Rumours. McVie sings of selfless love, the kind of love that makes one want only the best for their partner, from themselves or otherwise. She claims that the sun will be shining just for them, that she'll never be cold to them, and that she wishes all the love in the world to them (although mostly from herself).
"To you, I'll give the world
To you, I'll never be cold
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you
It's alright, I know it's right
And the songbirds are singing
Like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before"
"Songbird" is a simple song with clean vocals that dance over a similarly simple chord progression. The lyrics may immediately feel dedicated from one person to another, but the song's reputation is more universal than that. It's a song that is dedicated to lovers, played at funerals for family , and even dedicated to pets when they . McVie's late-night bout of inspiration lives on today as one of the greatest love songs of the 1970s.
4 The Air That I Breathe
The Hollies
For lead singer Allan Clarke, all he needs is the air that he breathes and to love his partner. That's what "The Air That I Breathe" is about, anyway. Clarke, along with some impressive harmonies, sings of the act of being in love in simple , starting by saying that if someone were to grant him one wish, he'd . Why would he need a single wish granted when he already has everything he needs?
"If I could make a wish
I think I'd
Can't think of anything I need
No cigarettes, no sleep, no light, no sound
Nothing to eat, no books to read
Making love with you
Has left me peaceful, warm, and tired
What more could I ask
There's nothing left to be desired"
The song sounds like a lullaby. Clarke is almost rambling about those things he doesn't need, as if he's speaking to someone lying just in front of him, easing them into a peaceful slumber with the knowledge that they're safe and loved. The instrumental is one of the more grand on this list, but it works incredibly well with the way the vocals rise up, matching the song's orchestral quality.
3 Maybe I'm Amazed
Paul McCartney
After The Beatles broke up, Paul McCartney was set to work on his first solo album. "Maybe I'm Amazed" is largely inspired by his then-wife Linda, who he credits with helping him to get through such a difficult period of time for him and his career. Eventually, the couple would leave behind the stress of city life to raise their family among sheep on a farm in Scotland that McCartney had purchased years earlier. Their relationship was a clear place of solace for McCartney.
"Baby, I'm amazed at the way you love me all the time
And maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you
Maybe I'm amazed at the way you pulled me out of time
You hung me on a line
Maybe I'm amazed at the way I really need you"
"Maybe I'm Amazed" feels like the realization of just how deep one's love is for someone else. As the song flows, McCartney realizes that Linda pulled him "out of time," bringing him out of his head during such a specific period and into the present. He's amazed at how much he needs her, and states that he's afraid of the way he loves her, hoping it's not all too good to be true. Known as one of the most romantic songs of the decade, it's clear that their love inspired many a love story in their time.
2 Just the Way You Are
Billy Joel
From the moment Billy Joel opens his mouth to croon "Don't go changing, to try and please me," the listener is hanging onto every word he sings. With endless tenderness, he spends nearly five minutes reassuring his partner that they're perfect just the way they are. He doesn't want anything special or impossible from the person he loves, and he certainly doesn't want them to change themselves to fit into some kind of mold that he'd never ask them to fill. All he wants is someone to remain true to the person he met at the start.
"Don't go changing, to try and please me
You never let me down before
Don't imagine you're too familiar
And I don't see you anymore
I would not leave you in times of trouble
We never could have come this far
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times
I'll take you just the way you are"
Joel is a classic example of a songwriter who relies solely on stating exactly what he thinks. Why would he need to use feathery language or complicated metaphors when the casual way he speaks about people and the world around him is enough to make anyone swoon?
1 Babe
Styx
The charm of "Babe" by Styx is similar to that of KISS's "Beth." The 1979 hit from their album Cornerstone feels like an ission of love that any long-distance couple can relate to, especially those involved in any sort of creative pursuit. Although the song's couple are forced to separate, its narrator, voiced by Dennis DeYoung, offers constant validation that he loves her, urging her to believe him by leaving his heart in her capable hands.
"Babe, I'm leaving, I'll say it once again
Somehow try to smile
I know the feeling we're trying to forget
If only for a while
Cause I'll be lonely without you
And I'll need your love to see me through
Please believe me, my heart is in your hands
Cause I'll be missing you
Babe, I love you"
It's often difficult to smile while separated from someone you love, but DeYoung encourages his lover to "somehow try to smile," stating that he needs her love to get through the distance in a way he knows she can relate to. He'll miss her, but he loves her, and there's nothing that could stop him from returning to her loving arms.