With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I thought two CDs of love songs would be appropriate for this post. The first is a traditional collection of instrumental love songs, An Arthur Fiedler Valentine (2001) performed by The Boston Pops with Arthur Fiedler conducting. I love “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,” “Love Me Tender,” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”
For those of you who prefer love songs with a little more energy, I’ve included Love Bites: More Romantic Power Ballads (1998). There’s a range of songs with various performers and groups. I’m sure you’ll recognize many of the songs on this CD (but, you may not like them). Do you have any Valentine’s Day plans? GRADE: B (for both)
TRACK LIST:
| 1 | Moonlight Serenade | 4:18 | |
| 2 | Smoke Gets In Your Eyes | 4:21 | |
| 3 | Love Is A Many Splendored Thing | 3:18 | |
| 4 | Michelle | 3:40 | |
| 5 | Embraceable You | 3:15 | |
| 6 | Love Is Blue | 4:16 | |
| 7 | Love Me Tender | 4:02 | |
| 8 | Days Of Wine And Roses | 3:31 | |
| 9 | A Man And A Woman | 3:56 | |
| 10 | Laura | 2:54 | |
| 11 | In The Mood | 3:24 | |
| 12 | Star Dust | 3:09 | |
| 13 | And I Love Her | 2:21 | |
| 14 | Love Is Here To Stay | 2:47 | |
| 15 | The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face | 5:12 | |
| 16 | You Are The Sunshine Of My Life | 3:18 | |
| 17 | Moon River | 3:42 | |
| 18 | I Want To Hold Your Hand | 2:16 |
TRACK LIST:
1 Poison –Every Rose Has Its Thorn
2 Meat Loaf–Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad
3 Pat Benatar–Fire And Ice
4 Cinderella –Nobody’s Fool
5 Corey Hart–It Ain’t Enough
6 Enuff Z’Nuff–Goodbye
7 Starship –Sara
8 Europe –Carrie
9 Bonnie Tyler–Total Eclipse Of The Heart
10 Toto–I’ll Be Over You
11 Firehouse –Love Of A Lifetime
12 Styx–Lady
13 The Babys–Every Time I Think Of You
14 Kingdom Come –What Love Can Be
15 Mr. Big–To Be With You
16 Night Ranger– Goodbye
Where’s Sade’s Greatest Hits?? Now that’s what I call Valentine’s Day music!
Deb, I’ll feature Sade later in February (aka, the Month for Romance).
Sade would eclipse both of these albums for me, as well…and about half the album by the Kentucky to DC punk band Trusty, Goodbye, Dr. Fate are love songs of a post-Beatles nature. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6Pu-XkfhVQ …”Joseph and Jennifer’, “Wife”, and “A Modest Proposal” are straightforwardly so, and “Honey Mustard” from the POV of a Fugate/Starkweather or BADLANDS sort of couple, among a few others, including the amusing acoustic “Wicked”.
Hm…beyond the obvious, such as Dvorak, Mozart, and Thelonious Monk, I wonder what classical and jazz works I would gravitate toward that aren’t already love songs with appropriate lyrics?
Todd, as Deb suggested, we should just stick with Sade!
Can’t forget “Crepusclue with Nellie”…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFVTWEVhxY8
Only Monk insisted on spelling it “Crepuscule”….
Most of the women in my life have been pretty antagonistic about the king of Hallmark holidays (due mostly to the way it messes with the heads of single women). I only took a girlfriend out to Valentine’s dinner once and it was a nightmare finding a restaurant that hadn’t been booked solid for the night or didn’t have three hour waiting times. Once we got into a place it was so insanely packed and the air was so thick with the atmosphere of tense consumerism that my date actually asked that we get out as soon as possible, pick up a bottle of wine and go back to my place. Nothing against those who do enjoy the holiday and I think it’s sweet if you and your wife celebrate it. The Michigan Philharmonic is doing a program of romantic classical and film music down the road. If I was dating I’d actually consider that if I were ever lucky enough to date a girl who liked classical and film music (one can wish).
That Fiedler album is pretty symptomatic of his later career shilling (“Saturday Night Fever” anyone?) although he really was a fantastic conductor. His “Rhapsody in Blue” remains one of the better recordings of the work and his RCA Christmas albums (recently reteleased by Real Gone Music) are just magnificent and easily two of my favorite holiday albums.
If you’re looking for a great romantic CD I can’t recommend Jimmy Scott’s “All the Way” highly enough.
Byron, I just went to AMAZON and ordered ALL THE WAY. Thanks for the recommendation! I agree with you on Fiedler. He was an excellent conductor. I have about a dozen of his CDs with the RCA Christmas albums just as good as you say.
Hell is a place where “Lady” plays 24/7.
Fred, I knew some of these songs like “Lady” would rankle some folks. At least we were spared Starland Vocal Band’s “Afternoon Delight.”
Give me The Stooges “I Wanna Be Your Dog”. That’s a great love song.
Steve, forgive me but I think you’re barking up the wrong tree.
A few songs I remember – when I was a Young boy I liked “Smoke gets in your eyes” – but then I got into Rock …
Never heard of Valentine’s Day, only when it became commercialised too in Germany – as if buying Easter gifts wasn’t enough.
Wolf, one of our TV news programs estimated American Guys and Gals will spend over $14.2 Billion to celebrate the day. That’s a lot of flowers, chocolate, and jewelry!
We in the States don’t have too much of an Easter gift tradition….but we do keep a company, or at least a purchased brand name Paas, in business for producing Easter-egg dyes for home use. Easter baskets can be a sort of gift, I suppose.
Todd, when we were kids, The Easter Bunny used to bring us a small basket of chocolates and other candies. But that faded away as we grew older.
Exactly. Wolf’s description sounds as if the gifts are more widely dispersed…and perhaps more expensive…
Jackie is a fan of Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops. We used to watch him on PBS and we had at least a couple of his albums in our vinyl days. Most of the second CD is unknown to me. I’d take the Bonnie Tyler and I like Meat Loaf. I never liked “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” but I like most of the songs on the first CD, particularly the Mancini and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” – for Valentines Day, play The Platters’ Greatest Hits! – and “Stardust” and “Laura.”
Jeff, like you and Jackie, Diane and I enjoyed Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops on PBS. Love The Platters!
Ah…Roberta Flack would be another to listen to, not so much as Pops’d (I believe my first/only PETER AND THE WOLF concert was a Pops children’s special in the Hub, when we lived in the close ‘burbs in earliest ’70s). Never did get to their nor BSO’s Tanglewood concerts in New England years.
Todd, we have friends who love performances at Tanglewood.
I would eventually content myself with Wolf Trap. When I could pay for them myself.
Afternoon Delight is a great song!
For Valentine’s Day, I’m going to my modeling club’s meeting in the evening! Earlier in the day we’ll swap chocolates and cards! Frankly, I hate these phony holidays!
Bob, no one could accuse you of being a swinger!
Yeah? I was a REAL swinger back in the day! I won’t go into detail because I don’t want to shock your followers!
Bob, I witnessed your moves during the Milwaukee BOUCHERCON so I’m well aware of your shocking Past!