6. “Cherish” by The Association
Sometimes songs about unrequited love can be just as powerful as the ones about love that has been reciprocated. “Cherish” by The Association is an example of that by being a perfect slice of ’60s pop heaven. Its tone is hopeful and optimistic instead of taking the typical sad route of “I WISH YOU LOVED ME BACK, OH MY GOD” songs. This also happened to be my first boyfriend and I’s song. Do couples still do that—have songs? The second I dated this dude, I was like, “Okay, what’s our song gonna be?!” And he was just like, “What?” I initially wanted it to be “Pieces Of Me” by Ashlee Simpson but he kiboshed that idea faster than you can say “SNL.”
7. “All I Want Is You” by U2
Has anyone noticed how cool it is to hate U2 lately? Just mentioning their name is met with a unanimous eye roll and some mean comment about Bono. I get that they suck donkey balls now and haven’t made anything of quality in over a decade, but they produced some powerful stuff in the ’80s and ’90s. Case in point: the love song “All I Want Is You”. Stephanie Georgopulos and I were hanging out last week in a random bar when this song came on and we both sort of just went silent for a second. It’s an epic and powerful track that builds up its intensity and makes you feel like you’re having some kind of moment with a capital M.
8. “Someone Great” by LCD Soundsystem
When I googled the lyrics to “Someone Great”, I realized that this was actually a song about a break up. I guess I always knew that since James Murphy repeats “When someone great is gone…” over and over again, but it always seemed to be more of a love song than one about devastating heartbreak. It’s more of a touching ode to a relationship, which makes it prime love song material to me. It’s also a great example of what makes LCD Soundsystem so special. James Murphy creates dance music that could very well be perceived as unemotional. His songs often revolve around getting drunk and being a nightcrawler but every so often, he’ll make a song that’s so unflinchingly honest, it will take the wind right out of you. There’s depth beyond the dance floor and “Someone Great” attests to that.
9.”By Your Side” by CocoRosie
I’m not really clear on CocoRosie because a lot of “By Your Side” seems like a parody. They sing about wanting to be someone’s housewife and being willing to bake their man apple pies, clean the house and shine their shoes. They sing, “For a diamond ring, I’ll do these types of things.” Yeah, okay, so maybe it is a joke. I don’t really care though because the song’s beat is just so damn sweet. You forget about all of the disgusting messages in the track and just blindly sing along. Sure, I’ll wear someone’s black eyes!
10. “The Only Exception” by Paramore
Just deal with the fact this just happened. Yes, Paramore is on this list. Why? Because they’re the bee’s knees. They make stellar pop jams and are the closest thing we’re getting to Blink 182 these days (New Blink 182 doesn’t count). “The Only Exception” is drowning in schmaltziness. It’s a glorified power ballad but damn if it doesn’t sound so good. It makes you feel like you’re back in high school and experiencing your first love with its delicate guitars and cotton candy vocals. Don’t fight it. The best love songs can often be the ones that are dripping in amazing production. 
