The Ten Best Love Songs

By ELISA BRAY

Music may be the food of love, but love, equally, has nourished some truly wonderful music. This Top 10 banquet should satisfy most tastes

1 AND I LOVE HER THE BEATLES, 1964

One of The Beatles’ greatest numbers, written by Paul McCartney for his girlfriend Jane Asher. From the album A Hard Day’s Night and featuring a flamenco guitar solo from George Harrison, the song has been covered by musicians from Neil Diamond to Bob Marley And The Wailers.

2 I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU DOLLY PARTON, 1974

It receives far fewer plays than Whitney Houston’s diaphragm- busting version, but Parton’s original is full of fragile tenderness and is one of the most enduring love songs.

3 ALWAYS ON MY MIND ELVIS PRESLEY, 1972

Country singer-songwriter Brenda Lee didn’t make it beyond 45 on the Billboard chart with her original version but Presley’s account the same year made the Top 20 and is the one we all know.

4 I JUST CALLED TO SAY I LOVE YOU STEVIE WONDER, 1984

This hit was written, produced and performed by the soul legend Stevie Wonder for the soundtrack to the 1984 Gene Wilder film the Woman in Red.

5 THE SHIP SONG NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS, 1990

A love song with a haunting undertone is not unusual from Cave, but this is one of his most beautiful and love-ravaged with an incredible emotive build up in the album (The Good Son) version.

6 ALL I WANT JONI MITCHELL, 1971

Sometimes the simplest love songs are the most effective. Mitchell’s classic album Blue is full of romantic gems, but the simple intimacy of the lyrics to All I Want are unrivalled. “I want to knit you a sweater/Want to write you a love letter/I want to make you feel better/I want to make you feel free”.

7 IM A FOOL TO WANT YOU FRANK SINATRA, 1957

A shattering paean to the love of his life Ava Gardner, recorded after their separation and illustrating the infidelities and recurrent separations that hampered their tempestuous marriage.

8 YOU MAKE IT EASY AIR, 1998

With its lubriciously laid-back grooves, Air’s seminal debut album Moon Safari is the perfect soundtrack to a dinner date, and You Make it Easy is the most romantically dreamy and seductive of their experimental pop songs.

9 THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE ROBERTA FLACK, 1969

The 1957 folk song by Ewan MacColl launched Flack’s career as a pop singer and hit the charts when it was included in the film Play Misty For Me and won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1973.

10 MY FUNNY VALENTINE CHET BAKER, 1952

The American jazz trumpeter and singer turned the show tune from the musical Babes in Arms into a chart-topping hit in 1952 with his gentle version.

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