Love Songs that Aren't Corny?

[ogreboy88]

This is a great listen and contains a lovely argument that a certain kind of corniness should be celebrated and maximized, at least within the subgenre of the torch song:

Break-Up - This American Life

 

[buldog5151bass]

Like anything else, know your market. Think about the early Beatle hits:

I Want to Hold YOUR Hand
From ME to YOU
Love ME Do
Ask ME Why
P.S. I Love YOU
Do YOU Want to Know a Secret
And I Love HER
I Saw HER Standing There

They were speaking to the teen age girls. To quote Ray Davies, Give the People What They Want.

 

[Richland123]

 

[Clark Dark]

 

[interp]

Close to You by The Carpenters. Not corny at all.

 

[interp]

Kinda sentimental, but certainly not corny.

 

[SoundOfOneHandSlapping]

Arnold Schwarzenegger sang some profound lyrics in this ditty.

 

[mellowinman]

Love this one, including Heart's remake.

 

[dalkowski]

 

[basscapes]

Zappa once said “I detest love lyrics. I think one of the causes of bad mental health in the United States is that people have been raised on 'love lyrics'."

I disagree. What are some good love songs that aren't corny.

Here's a few I thought of:









And don't post that Ugly Kid Joe song. That's not what I'm talking about.

I think that Mr. Zappa's attitude towards "love songs" was in particular vented towards the schmaltzy ones- remember the era he made that statement in- the eighty's! That when all the hair-metal bands had a ballad that basically consisted of "I love you baby, lets get some burgers" (to quote Stu Hamm from a bass player interview). With all the great (and basically unknown) music out there, most people were gravitating towards that kind of stuff (self NOT included).

 

[Mannyinnewyork]

Great song, great performances

And nothing corny about this either

 

[TheReceder]

A true liricle jeenius.

 

[Blankandson]

Agree with basscapes above. Think about what was being written back then that were called 'Love Songs' - I'm loosing you - Baby don't go - One less bell to answer - You don't bring me flowers - You give love a bad name - I can't make you love me - Angry eyes - probably hundreds more more about loosing love than getting love. If you don't consider "He stopped loving her today" a love song, come on down to Nashville to lower Broad, and watch the tourists stop and cry whenever they hear it ( usually every 15 minutes!).

 

[mbelue]

I dunno. Love songs kinda have to be corny. Otherwise it's just denial.

 

[ahc]

 

[TheReceder]

The one love song you'd never want to be "corny".

 

[Inara]

As others have said, what's "corny" to one might be "beautiful" to another. I don't consider these two songs to be corny, but many here might.

"Lady in Red," Chris De Burgh with Pino on bass (the first song I heard Pino play on):


And "Wonderful Tonight" by Clapton:

 

[Richland123]

 

[Richland123]

 

[48thStreetCustom]

I think that Mr. Zappa's attitude towards "love songs" was in particular vented towards the schmaltzy ones- remember the era he made that statement in- the eighty's! That when all the hair-metal bands had a ballad that basically consisted of "I love you baby, lets get some burgers" (to quote Stu Hamm from a bass player interview). With all the great (and basically unknown) music out there, most people were gravitating towards that kind of stuff (self NOT included).

I donnoh, man. I've listened to almost every Zappa and the only two love songs I can think of are Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up and his cover of the Turtles' Happy Together... Unless you count Dirty Love and Penguins In Bondage as love songs.