# IMHO, "Your Song" is the greatest love song written to date. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 14, 2007, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760 "2007-07-14T15:13:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/21 "2007-07-15T02:13:10Z")
“Lovesong” by The Cure gets high marks from me. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/22 "2007-07-15T02:37:57Z")
For a long time I held that _Unchained Melody_ was the greatest. However, there’s a nagging feeling that k.d. lang’s _Constant Craving_ (more as a mood piece than lyrically) or, perhaps even moreso, Sarah McLachlan’s _Sweet Surrender_ are challenging it in my personal hierarchy. Sailboat ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/23 "2007-07-15T02:42:21Z")
Dance Me To the End Of Love. The tension, the danger, the passion the…love. Elton and Bernie can bite me ---
**Author:** ![VernWinterbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c67d28/32.png) [@VernWinterbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VernWinterbottom)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/24 "2007-07-15T02:48:02Z")
“Somewhere” from _West Side Story_ has to be up near the top. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/25 "2007-07-15T04:46:19Z")
My picks: Till There Was You - Beatles version - written by Meredith Wilson And I Love Her - Lennon/McCartney Unforgettable - Nat King Cole (Not sure who wrote it.) ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/26 "2007-07-15T04:50:31Z")
Neither are the greatest–that one’s too hard to decide–but my votes go to the Dave Matthews Band’s “When The World Ends” and Burt Bacharach’s “What the World Needs Now”. And, of course, all you need is love. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/27 "2007-07-15T05:04:12Z")
I really like **Your Song** as well. For my money, **Reservations** by Wilco is right up at the top of the list. \*I’ve got reservations About so many things But not about you. Not about you. \* Oh, **The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face**. I’m most familiar with Johnny Cash’s version from the **Man Comes Around** album, and it just makes my heart ache. _The first time ever I saw your face I thought the sun rose in your eyes And the moon and the stars Were the gifts you gave to the dark And the endless sky My love_ Ok, one more nomination. **You’re My Only Home** by The Magnetic Fields _I will stay if you let me stay And I’ll go if you let me go But I won’t go far away Because you’re my only home._ ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/28 "2007-07-15T05:21:06Z")
I think _Your Song_ is quite perfect, for all of the reasons mentioned here - mostly the humbleness of the singer. It always does choke me up. I think Ben Folds’s **The Luckiest** is sort of a new version of “the best love song ever” with the same sort of humbleness and “song about writing a love song” feeling to it. \*I don’t get many things right the first time In fact, I am told that a lot Now I know all the wrong turns, the stumbles and falls Brought me here And where was I before the day That I first saw your lovely face? Now I see it everyday And I know That I am I am I am The luckiest\* I know more people who like this song than I know Ben Folds fans, which is odd to me. It seems like a standout song for him. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/29 "2007-07-15T05:43:29Z")
[QUOTE=jsgoddess] My vote for the greatest love song (greatest song really) goes to “Stardust.” Especially as performed by Nat Cole. [/QUOTE] OK. Accord, Delete all previous posts I may have made, and respectfully submit that this thread is over. You’re right. Nat King Cole’s _Stardust_ totally owns the category. I can’t imagine otherwise than that it always will. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_Samaritan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bad\_Samaritan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_Samaritan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/30 "2007-07-15T05:44:20Z")
Although it’s not as poignant and well written as “Your Song”, I always liked Climax Blues Band’s syrupy “I Love You”. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/31 "2007-07-15T06:00:13Z")
Eh, I’ll go for **Something Changed** by **Pulp**. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/32 "2007-07-15T06:27:25Z")
My SO sent me a love songs mix CD and “Your Song” was on it, so this song is special to me. But I still can’t say it’s a great love song. I mean, there is the line > [@](#): > > Yours are the sweetest eyes I’ve ever seen. but in the lines preceding it, he reveals he doesn’t actually know what color his beloved’s eyes are. :dubious: This has bugged me since the first time I heard the song years ago. I can’t say what I think the greatest love song is, but I am fond of “Come What May” from Moulin Rouge, “Amazed” by Lonestar, and “I’ll Still Be Loving You” by Restless Heart. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/33 "2007-07-15T06:35:08Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] Actually, as the most _realistic_ love song to date, I have to nominate Charles Aznavour’s “You’ve Let Yourself Go”. I can’t quote the full lyrics here, but the excised middle part is a laundry list of all the little annoyances and negligencies and such that any couple has with each other after a while. And yet, by the end, the song has come back to the point that they still love each other very much, despite all the commonplace detritus that builds up. [/QUOTE] My favorite in this genre is John Prine’s “In Spite of Ourselves”: [ [QUOTE=John Prine and Iris DeMent (duet)] . . . . . [John:] She thinks all my jokes are corny Convict movies make her horny She likes ketchup on her scrambled eggs Swears like a sailor when she shaves her legs She takes a lickin’ And keeps on tickin’ Never gonna let her go. [Iris:] He’s got more balls than a big brass monkey He’s a wacked out weirdo and a lovebug junkie Sly as a fox and crazy as a loon Payday comes and he’s howlin’ at the moon He’s my baby, don’t mean maybe Never gonna let him go [Both:] In spite of ourselves We’ll end up asittin’ on a rainbow Against all odds Honey, we’re the big door prize We’re gonna spite our noses Right offa our faces There won’t be nothin’ but big old hearts Dancin’ in our eyes . . . . . [/QUOTE] ]([In Spite of Ourselves Lyrics — John Prine ♬](http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/prine-john/in-spite-of-ourselves-10897.html)) ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/34 "2007-07-15T06:39:39Z")
Overall, of all the love songs I’ve ever heard, the only one that continues to shiver my spine is Mary Margaret O’Hara’s “You Will Be Loved Again”: [QUOTE=Mary Margaret O’Hara] . . . . . But will she sing and will she dance And will she forever And will he sing and will he dance And will he forever Someday you will feel a love so deep And you’ll find someone not lost in sleep And you will be loved again . . . . . [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/35 "2007-07-15T10:10:03Z")
[QUOTE=minlokwat] Any estimate as to how many times he’s done the song in concert? I know he’s a performer and he probably views that his job is to give the people what they want but I would think that after a while it would get a bit tough getting up for another rendition of a song you’ve done a million times now. [/QUOTE] Generally speaking, he begins _every_ concert with it. Like I said earlier, it’s still his personal favorite out of the whole collection. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/36 "2007-07-15T10:29:12Z")
And for completeness, I should add that _Candle in the Wind_ (the original) is Bernie’s personal favorite. ---
**Author:** ![PerditaX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@PerditaX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PerditaX)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/37 "2007-07-15T13:34:13Z")
I have to go with the Beach Boys’ **God Only Knows** as the greatest. Also on the list are **In My Life** by the Beatles, **Forever and Ever, Amen** by Randy Travis. I agree wholeheartedly with **Annie’s Song** and **Weekend in New England.** Sorry, but for me, **Your Song** is pretty far down the list, if on it at all. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![Made\_in\_Macau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Made\_in\_Macau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Made_in_Macau)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/38 "2007-07-15T14:07:14Z")
About 30 years ago Elton was a guest on a Bruce Forsyth special and they dueted Your Song. I still sing Bruce’s high harmony whenever I hear the song now. My favourite love song is Marie by Randy Newman. He confesses his weaknesses to Marie while drunk. The line ‘and when you’re in trouble I turn away’ has me crying just typing it. Coldplay’s ‘Fix You’ has become more emotional for me since my father’s cancer took hold - specifically the harmony vocal on ‘lights will guide you home and ignite your bones and I will try to fix you’ But the greatest…dunno MiM ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/39 "2007-07-16T02:51:31Z")
The problem with rock love songs is that too many of them are about lust rather than love. I’m glad that most of the songs I recognize here don’t have that problem. A few of the great rock love songs: Association, “Everything That Touches You” > [@](#): > > In my most secure moments, I still can’t believe > I’m spending those moments with you > And the ground I am walking, the air that I breathe > Are shared at those moments with you Lovin’ Spoonful, “Darling Be Home Soon” Chad & Jeremy, “A Summer Song” Dusty Springfield, “The Look of Love” ---
**Author:** ![Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a4c791/32.png) [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frustrated_Wonderer)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760/40 "2007-07-16T02:57:11Z")
My pick for best romantic songs: Strangers in the Night - Frank Sinatra Just the Way You Are - Billy Joel Until the Night - Billy Joel (probably my all time fav, it’s such a shame it’s not well known) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imho-your-song-is-the-greatest-love-song-written-to-date/411760.md?page=3)