Motley's Favourite Love Songs: A Mixtape

1. “Something” written by George Harrison, performed by The Beatles, from Abbey Road, 1969.

Written for George Harrison’s then wife, Pattie Boyd, “Something” is a masterclass (to this writer anyway) in simplicity. The lyrics are deceptively plain, eschewing metaphor. ‘Something in the way she moves,’ the song begins, ‘attracts me like no other lover,’ building to the emotional climax in the chorus: ‘You’re asking me will my love grow./I don’t know./I don’t know.’ The words are bare and honest, acknowledging their own inadequacy in the face of raw emotion. But as with all “Harrisongs”, where words fall short, the guitar is ready to swoop in, bridging the gap with a riff that cries out at the end of each verse and a solo that, with its bent notes and wide tremolo, expresses what language cannot. Not gentle in its weeping, “Something” is a duet of the brain and heart. Each listen is a pleasure.

– Tess O’Regan (Entertainment Editor)

2. “Candy” By Paolo Nutini, 2009

Firstly this song was recommended to me by someone who is very dear to my heart, so immediately this song is going to be a favourite of mine. However, the more I listen to the lyrics, I see how emotional and revealing it is about love. It is allegedly written about Nutini’s childhood sweetheart and girlfriend at the time,and describes the lengths he was willing to take for love. There is something so personal that is bared to us with the lyrics of this song. “Darling, I'll bathe your skin/ I'll even wash your clothes”. Acts of service to the person he loves are small tasks but show that he will do everything for this person just for love in return. Nutini concludes the song with this message that they were fated for each other and even the Gods and angels know that this girl is worth waiting for. The song also symbolises to me that love requires work, and time to flourish, making it realistic and relatable to listen to.

– Lisa Ahern (Editor-in-Chief)

3. “Stolen Dance” By Milky Chance, 2013.

The song makes me reminisce of afternoons spent dancing with somebody I used to date, wooden spoon in hand singing along to the lyrics and throwing our hips and arms our offbeat because neither of us have a musical bone in our body. I know for us the song's lyrics fit the relationship, the escape that we gave each other is replicated by the song's lyrics. It's a nice song that captures the smiley happy go lucky early days of a relationship, while the lyrics manage to speak to the melancholy after thoughts of a dead relationship as you look back at the absence of that person. In many ways it captures what love is. The lines “stoned in paradise, shouldn’t talk about it” seem to me to discuss the happiness felt towards the dying days of a relationship when you kind of stop fighting. Depressingly happy. Other than that I’ve no clue. I cannot comment on the intricacies of the chords or the musical style. Just that the song makes me feel warm and soft on the inside like jelly, which is probably why it's so easy to dance to.

– Tiernán B. Ó Ruairc (Deputy Editor)

4. “Lets Get It On” By Marvin Gaye, 1973.

When it comes to love songs, nevermind “Angels” by Robbie Williams, forget “I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner, don't even bother wasting your ear muscle on “(Everything I Do) I do It For You” by Bryan Adams, this is the tune to end all Love Songs and will destroy any thought one might have of not getting it on. Que, “Lets Get It On” By Marvin Gaye, all the way from 1973, this tune is a belter! From The opening intro, that wah-wah guitar riff and a slap of the high hats and snare drum, in comes Marvin Gaye with that sweet sexy mofo of a voice that no man, woman or beast could resist with these lyrics; ‘I’ve been really tryin’ baby / Tryin’ to hold back this feeling for so long, / And if you feel, like I feel, baby / Then come on, oh, come on, ooh / Let’s get it on’, You have to give credit to the man of soul, what more can he do to prove his sexual feelings for another woman through this song and in this way with such romantic, sexual lyricism. If you haven't heard it yet, play it loud, play it proud and make sure to damage those speakers in the process. Marvin will compensate you for it!

– Darren Keogh (Deputy Entertainment Editor)

5. “Angeles” by Elliott Smith, 1997

Now for a more depressing turn from all these extremely wholesome and individually special expressions of love. Elliott Smith himself is a heartbreaking character and my god, he knows how to put that into his music. From his album, Either/Or, it’s a song that makes me picture a first meeting of two people where one finds themself looking into the million and one possibilities of their life going forward from that moment. Something in Angeles feels very hopeful. Despite their cynicism, the verses repeatedly end with the phrase “So nice to meet you, Angeles,” which I think lightens the overall nihilistic vibe of Elliott Smith’s music. It’s not like the other songs I considered for this article. Songs like Niel Young’s Harvest Moon, or Big Thief’s Simulation Swarm which I am greatly fond of, carry more consistent tones throughout. Whether it be Young’s distant lyrics where it seems he’s more planning on what to say to his love rather than the words he’s said aloud before, or Adrienne Lenker’s childlike and pure of heart vocals that cast a nostalgic shawl over her listeners, they both maintain that energy throughout each song. Angeles is a song about wanting to be everything for somebody you feel the world has and still is, letting down. It’s apologetic but makes promises to its subject. It sees where the world falls short, but hopes to be better all the same. It’s so nice to meet you, Angeles.

Cian Walsh (Features and Opinions Editor)

6. “To Be Alone With You” by Sufjan Stevens, 2004

Like the rest of Seven Swans, this song is about Jesus Christ and Christianity, but it’s also not. Stevens has always toed the line between writing about homosexuality and writing about God. In ‘To Be Alone With You’, it’s both. It’s familiar love, it’s platonic, it’s erotic. Stevens longingly sings, ‘I’d swim across Lake Michigan,’ solely to spend a moment alone with his love. His voice shakes as he admits, ‘I’ve never known a man who loves me’. The whispered vocals emanate intimacy, and the directness in his singing shows that this isn’t a fleeting moment; he’s afraid and unsure in his performance, but he knows exactly how he feels. There isn’t a whirlwind of emotion or racing heartbeats, just a quiet declaration for his lover and his love. It’s melancholic and comforting, and relays back to the concept of God’s son sacrificing himself for every single person: it’s as beautiful as it is depressing. And in a way, that is what love is: grieving the living. Knowing your time together will be limited, and accepting that future suffering just to have this moment with someone. To me, this is the ultimate love song, and whilst ‘The Predatory Wasps of The Palisades’ off Illinois is perhaps the sweeter love song of his, this one just feels real. No bullshit or embellishments, just an honest song of unconditional love about a man, from a man.

Stephen O’Brien (Fashion Editor)

7. “Work Song” by Hozier, 2015

Hozier is known for his captivating and ethereal voice. His songs always draw me in and I find myself closing my eyes and swaying to the rhythm, feeling the love and passion in his voice and “Work song” is no different. The mournful hymn "Work Song" from his self-titled debut showcases the earnest singer weaving an early 20th-century traditional gospel song into a chorus that transcends death. Hozier is so overflowing with love that not even death can separate him from his partner. Drawing on the timeless sounds of old-world gospel and soul, "Work Song" envisions a reality where love’s intensity defies mortality. Yet, his passion is so consuming that it leaves him unable to eat; ironically threatening the very life that fuels his devotion. For me, Hozier’s other-wordly songs pull me in and I can’t help but feel all the pain and love, the desperation of his love to defy death itself is heartbreaking, the profound, almost divine power of love that his music frequently honors.

Luca Oakman (Deputy Features and Opinions Editor)

8. “Time After Time” by Chet Baker, 1956

The face of West Coast Jazz and one of the most gifted trumpet players to grace the scene, The “Prince of Cool” was one of the best when it came to love songs. Taken from his seminal work, Chet Baker Sings, it could have been just as easy to pick any other song from this album to include here - but, for me, it had to be “Time After Time”. The boyish fragility of Baker’s voice is perfectly suited to performing the vulnerable lyrics of this song. Accompanied by a subtle double bass and piano, the simple phrasing of the song really stands at the fore, despite its gentle delivery. At the halfway point, Baker, as is customary with most of his music, gifts us with his ever-smooth trumpet solo. The stripped back simplicity and melancholic tones really does poke at the sometimes felt feelings of weakness and idealisation that's involved in love. Unfortunately, Baker, having his own personal troubles with drugs and marriage, met his untimely death in Amsterdam in 1988. While music can be analysed, this song's emotional lucidity is perhaps best enjoyed without the dissection, and instead just listened to.

Adrian Quinn (Current Affairs Editor)