Play On

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, and I for one am ready with enough candy, cards, crafts and cheesy decor to fill a Michael’s shopping cart.

I think it was a totally 90’s heart-shaped button with “heartbreaker” across the front that ignited my love affair with the holiday of questionable origin. It was a sweet gift from my first Valentine, my Dad, and I have continued to find myself tickled pink and red with each card, box of chocolates and bouquet over the many years since.

While I’ve always been a fan of music, my fondness grew this past year. I turned to it often during the dark days of 2020, and it was there with open arms ready to lift my spirits.

So in addition to my very extra decor this year, I’ve put together a Valentine’s Day playlist to celebrate and help us all find, feel and spread the love.

I went with 14 for obvious reasons, and am still a little sick about not including Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” because as a Schitt’s Creek late adopter and long-time Tina lover, I just saw that episode of Season four and am currently obsessed. So, I’ll save Tina for the next one.

And in the meantime, whether your heart is full or broken, lonely or longing for alone time, I hope you’ll find something here to warm it up.

PS - I included a little VH1-inspired facts behind some of the music plus my personal reasoning for some of the picks under each video. I also got a little fancy and attempted to embed the Spotify playlist at the end. If you can’t get it to play or have requests you’d like to share or dedicate, pretend I’m Delilah , leave me a comment and be sure to love someone tonight ❤️!

1) “Where Is The Love” by The Black Eyed Peas

The lyrics to this post-9/11 2003 hit continue to hit home: “But if you only have love for your own race then you only leave space to discriminate. And to discriminate only generates hate.” People are still living like they ain’t got no mamas, but this song, especially JT’s chorus vocals, has this mama’s soul gravitating towards the love y’all. Fun fact according to wikipedia, Will.i.am laid the track's main rhythm over the chord progression, which he claimed is inspired by that of a human heartbeat.

2) “Somebody To Love” by Queen

Penned and sung by the late, great Freddie Mercury, this song was inspired by the Queen of Soul herself, Mrs. Aretha Franklin.

3) “Dreamlover” by Mariah Carey

This is the stuff 90’s style dreams are made of. I remember wanting a pair of black Pumas like Mariah’s, but to recreate this look, I had to settle for a knockoff pair of white’ish Chuck Taylors from Payless. Mariah, you will forever be one of my 90’s style heroes.

4) “All You Need is Love” by The Beatles

One of many Lennon-McCartney gifts, this psychadelic song debuted on the first worldwide TV special “Our World” and was written and chosen for its universally understood message of peace and love. Lennon would later say that as a “revolutionary artist” and fan of advertising, “All You Need is Love” was a form of propaganda.

5) “Have A Heart” by Bonnie Raitt

I’ve always been a Bonnie fan for her bluesy vibe and big red hair, and this song, I just learned, is from the soundtrack for Heart Condition, a 1990 film about a racist cop (Bob Hoskins) who receives a heart transplant from a black lawyer (Denzel Washington) who returns as a ghost to ask the cop to help take down the men who murdered him. And I may or may not have added it to my Prime watchlist 👀.

6) “One” by Mary J. Blige & U2

Bono himself called this song about a breakup, “a bit twisted,” but maybe that’s why I love it. “We’re one, but we’re not the same, we get to carry each other.” Feels fitting as we grapple with how to celebrate and honor diversity while moving towards unity. And while the U2 original is hard to beat, I went with MJB’s for my one of my BFF’s.

7) “You’ll Be In My Heart” by Phil Collins

This sweet song celebrates the love between a parent and child and always makes me miss my Dad who always made me feel like his Valentine.

8) “Love On Top” by Beyonce

I heard this while shopping for V-Day crafts at Michael’s the other day (quarantine seems to have brought out the crafter in me), and it was the impressive accompaniment by an employee who was restocking the scrapbooking aisle that inspired me to include it here. Well, that, and the fact that I’m a loyal member of the Beyhive and will forever cherish my brief encounter with Beyonce and Kelly at a Houston Dave and Busters during which I got an autograph and a hair compliment from the Queen herself. #truestory

9) “Cupid” by Sam Cooke

I adore Sam Cooke, and so does my mama. And I adore my mama, so this is for her.

10) “The Power of Love” by Celine Dion

I don’t think a playlist that has anything to do with love can exist without a song by the Queen of the Power Ballad, Celine Dion. I remember listening to her CD with my dad who was a fan of female pop in the early 90’s and have loved her every decade since. It was a toss up between this one and “I Love You” which my dear friends Shane and Linzay would perform from the front seats of Shane’s Mazda 6 leaving a lasting impression on me and endless love for that song which doesn’t have a real video and I’m dedicating to them.

11) “Stand Inside Your Love” by The Smashing Pumpkins

This one is for my forever Valentine, my husband Matt whose love for me may be closely matched by his love of The Smashing Pumpkins. I wish I could share the brilliant acoustic version my dear friend Brooke sang and played at our wedding.

12) “Soulmate, Lizzo

My kids aren’t old enough to be introducing me to cool/not really old music, but despite my proclivity for the classics, I wanted to include something a little fresher like Miss Lizzo and her me, myself and I kinda attitude.

13) “Listen to Her Heart” by Tom Petty

My sister turned me onto Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers years ago, and my love forTom has grown exponentially. His passing broke my heart, as I’d only seen him live once and wanted more, but his music will forever touch my soul. And while I can’t pick a favorite Tom Petty tune, I think this one is a perfect match for this list. “She’s gonna listen to her heart. It’s gonna tell her what to do. She might need a lot of lovin’ but she don’t need you.” The best.

14) “The Heart Of The Matter” by Don Henley

I recently learned that Heartbreakers/Fleetwood Mac guitarist Mike Campbell cowrote this poetic song about forgiveness made famous by Don Henley. And the story behind the music, specifically where the inspiration struck, makes for some pretty good potty humor and makes me fall in love with it even more. India Arie’s cover is pretty great, too.

Shakespeare said, “If music be the language of love, play on.” And if you want to do it via Spotify, here ya go:

EDITORS NOTE, 2/9/21: For a sweet story about a clumsy giraffe who learns to dance by learning to look for what he loves and listening to his own beat, check out this beautifully narrated video of Giraffes Can't Dance" by Giles Andrea and Guy Parker-Rees. Perfect to watch with your kiddos or anyone who needs a reminder that everyone can dance, they just have to find the music they love.