Song Review: The Third Space Songs for Valentine’s Day
Rowyn Belt:
In March of 2020, Cavetown released the album Sleepyhead. At a time when the world needed it most, he gave us music. On this album was the song Feb 14, which had also been previously released in 2019 on the Live in Hoxton Hall album. The instrumentation of this song feels a lot like that of his album Lemon Boy, very bedroom-esque and homemade. It's heartwarming and beautiful, which is the perfect thing for Valentine's Day. Cavetown allowed people to feel something that had been lost in the pandemic—warmth. And what's better than that for a day all about love for those around us?
Brittany Davis:
Black Butterflies and Deja Vu by The Maine from their 2017 album Lovely Little Lonely has been one of my favorite love songs; it feels like an open letter of admiration for someone, and it shows that they hold this person so dear in their life. This song gives the impression that simply saying the words "I love you" isn’t enough. The song perfectly illustrates the love the singer feels. Through an alternative pop-driven style, an electric guitar leads the storytelling, along with lyrics like, “I lose my voice when I look at you,” and “there are only twenty-six letters I could use just to tell you I won’t let go.” This song has become a staple on their setlist; it’s truly a fan favorite.
Liam Hennessey:
Valentine’s Day is a holiday governed by many concepts: love, of course, but also poetry, pageantry, dedication, and most of all, sentimentality. Work Song by Hozier is best described as a tapestry of these values, unabashed in its admiration of the song's subject. Love is often something you can’t exactly define, but something you know when you come across it. This is a sentiment that I'd normally echo, as love is usually a patchwork of various thoughts, feelings, and experiences culminating in an emotional consensus. This song explores that thought through a unique blend of deeply personal ballad and anthemic stadium rocker. With the chorus declaring, “When my time comes around, lay me gently in the cold, dark Earth. No grave can hold my body down, I’ll crawl home to her,” it’s a representation of love at its most ideal.
Cole Weeks:
Adrianne Lenker, the talented singer from Big Thief, sings about the gentle, everyday side of love in her song Anything. While Valentine’s Day often focuses on big gestures and the performative noise of “love bombing,” with oversized teddy bears or 100 red roses, Lenker’s lyrics highlight the small moments. They express what it feels like to be deeply in love, with lines like, “wanna listen to the sound of you blinkin’, wanna listen to your hands soothe.” She sings about being totally and utterly in love with someone in a beautiful, poetic way that truly shows the dramaticism of the emotion. For the queer community, these lyrics are not just words but a sanctuary; they’re validation that love is profound for everybody. I admire how she depicts what it's like to have someone provide refuge. Lenker’s song Anything shows that in a world that's often loud, being witnessed is enough.
Sofia Crepeau:
Anyone Else But You by The Moldy Peaches is my go-to love song. What makes this song so special is its emphasis on friendship within love. The opening line, “You’re a part-time lover and a full time friend,” really showcases this ideology. The back and forth verses between the male and female voices displays how well they complement each other, “We both have shiny happy fits of rage. You want more fans, I want more stage”. This line is then followed by “My name is Adam, I’m your biggest fan”. Love is all about supporting the other person. The song ends with, “I don’t see what anyone can see, in anyone else but you.” They only want each other and don’t understand why anyone would want something different. The best part of loving someone is that they are your best friend, and this song turns that idea into an anthem.
