Love in Every Genre👩🏼‍❤️‍💋‍👩🏼

pa los enamorados y mis amigos bellos

Happiest Valentine’s Day to my music heads!🎧

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Love is the eternal muse of human creativity.

No theme has been touched upon in the arts more than love. It’s the catalyst for the most intense, passionate emotions one can identify, building up until they demand to be set free.

Distribution of themes on music over the decades. Love always wins.

Naturally, I couldn’t just come here and throw a bunch of random love songs.

So, to honor the day, I’d like to explore how different music genres display their own perception of love. It is quite curious to see that each style reflects a distinct way of both experiencing and expressing love, mainly shaped by cultural influences that define them.

Hence, here is a list of some of my absolute all-time favorite love songs, one from each style, and delve a bit into their peculiarities🐵 Full playlist here

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Pop

As we just mentioned, love songs are not scarce by any means. A corny as ever Paul McCartney acknowledges it in his track Silly Love Songs. Deeply admire how unafraid he was to pivot in such a way. Also, gotta confess that Glee’s Warblers rendition was my gateway into this track. TQM, Blaine.

Jazz

Abstract, energetic and uncontained Love Is Everywheeere. Cause it is!!!

Salsa

El amor más rico lo canta la salsa, sin discusión. Y pocos artistas lo verbalizan como JLG, usando como aliadas millones de metáforas que nos hacen empatizar con sus niveles de enamoramiento.

Quisiera ser el rizo de tu pelo (…)

El calcio que te dan tus vitaminas
Tu ruta cuando cruzas la neblina.
Y el cordón umbilical de tus zapatos, ha

Señora Nora Vega, usted se ganó la lotería de esposos.

Reggae

I’ve always thought that Reggae has this yearning quality to it, reflected he syncopated beat, plus the recurrent themes of struggle and hope. They long for a love that’s yet to be corresponded (turn a blind eye to the fact that this one kind of breaks the theme). Waiting in Vain, a track that will or will be played at my wedding behaves in the same exact way.

R&B/Soul

Don’t be fooled by this one! In the midst of the infinite praises, Curtis is trying to allure his current partner to sway under the rug is affair. My only excuse to include it is that I actually believe how in love Curtis is…

Neo Soul

(excuse me for doubling up on the soul)

Sexiest genre. Magnificent baby making tunes, as explicitly intentioned in the title of this D’Angelo joint, as well as in the entirety of Voodoo.

hyperpop

I imagine a teenage-friendshipy relationship, super ride-or-die. Limitless fun. Hella infatuation.

Folk

Songs of two different Beatles in the same list? From a very casual Beatle fan? Wow.

George’s display of affection is a 180º turn from Paul’s. Less corny, more raw and intimate. Is as if Paul is shouting to the universe his feelings, while George revealing them with caution in the intimacy of a dim lighted small room, just for his lover to hear.

(Soft) Rock

Wouldn’t have been able to go through this list without mentioning the King of Sappy Love. A solid 70% of his repertoire fits the category, but Edge of Desire’s bridge solo doesn’t just convey longing—it embodies it.

House

Living proof of how words are not needed to evoke a specific emotion.

Balada

Beware of how, and to whom you dedicate Receta.

Esta es mi joyita. No le suelo dar play mucho para darle el respeto que se merece, y escucharla únicamente cuando mis niveles de enamoramiento alcanzan los de José y Vicente. Todo el uso de la nube de palabras alrededor de la cocina me mata, especialmente dada la intimidad de ese espacio.

Reggaeton

Encontrar un reggaetón puramente romántico — sin que mencionen que te van a dar tabla hasta el amanecer — no es easy task hehehe… Danny Ocean es uno de los referentes de lo que yo llamo ‘reggaetón para dedicar’, y aunque Me Rehuso sea el perfecto ejemplar, le tengo especial cariño a amor tonight. Es catchy, es juvenile, es fuuuun.

Shoegaze

Different This Time generated in me some of the most violent sobs and cries a song about two years ago. I wanted to feel in my own skin the delicate, yet intense desire Cornelia describes so vividly, to give every bit of herself to her counterpart.

Flamenco

Not gonna ramble too much on this one cause I’m planning to do a full Flamenco piece juju.

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I’m gonna stop myself right here. I could go on for weeks on end, and you have a date to attend tonight!

Hope these tunes make you cherish the presence of love in your life, in all shapes and forms. Dedicate them, sharing is caring❤️🩷❤️🩷!

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To get to the nitty-gritty of it — you know what to do.

PS: Working on adding some Hip Hop, Afrobeats, Bossa Nova, Country, & Boleros. Any recommendations are welcomed with open arms🫂