Love has been described in a multitude of ways throughout history, but some of our favorite descriptions come to us via song. Here are a few classic rock songs that have a knack for putting love into words.
“Something” by The Beatles
There are a lot of people who suspect “Something” was written about George Harrison‘s then-wife, Pattie Boyd. Selfishly, I want to believe that it was, simply because it being written about someone makes “Something” all the sweeter. This gem might be one of The Beatles’ finest rock love songs from their later career.
“Somewhere in her smile, she knows / That I don’t need no other lover / Something in her style that shows me.”
“Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton
For every George Harrison song about Pattie Boyd, it seems there’s an Eric Clapton tune to match it. “Wonderful Tonight” was written by Clapton, who ended up marrying Boyd after she divorced Harrison. Apparently, he came up with this one while she was busy getting ready for an event they were going to. Who was hosting the event, you might ask? Well, it was Paul and Linda McCartney, of course. The drama just never ends.
“Open Arms” by Journey
Members of Journey, Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain, wrote this song together. As Perry told Classic Rock Revisited, it made him emotional listening to the band play it years later, because of how proud he was of having written “Open Arms”. He commented on how the “wanting you near” line in particular struck him.
“Living without you, living alone / This empty house seems so cold / Wanting to hold you, wanting you near / How much I wanted you home.”
“…I wanted it to be heartfelt,” he explained. “Every time it would come by I would just have to keep my head down and try to swallow the lump in my throat. I felt so proud of the song.”
“Thank You” by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin might be a hardcore rock band, but “Thank You” from their album Led Zeppelin II is pure poetry. The lyrics read like a sonnet, and coupled with the organ in the song, “Thank You” exceeds expectations.
“If the sun refused to shine / I would still be loving you / When mountains crumble to the sea / There will still be you and me.”
Photo by: Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images
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