Unconventional Love Songs for an Unconventional Valentine’s Day

Tired of the same overplayed love songs? Does your love not fit into a neat little box?

Not all love songs have to be the sappy numbers we all know and have heard a thousand times. There are plenty of tunes that convey love in all its offbeat, unconventional forms.

With Valentine’s Day coming up this Friday, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is looking at some of the more unconventional love songs out there in the world. Ranging from pop to punk and everything in between, here are five offbeat songs to listen to with your other half.

1.       Ludo, “Love Me Dead”: Late 2000s pop-punk band Ludo’s biggest hit, “Love Me Dead” is about being in love even if the other person drives you crazy. Singer Andrew Volpe’s lady in this “cancerous” relationship is referred to as a “high-maintenance” narcissist, “bitter and dumb” and a “parasitic psycho, filthy creature,” among other things, but she is still his “sugarplum.” He still sees the beauty in her and loves how she knows him so well. No matter how “awful,” he loves her. (video)

2.       Pinhead Gunpowder, “On The Ave”: An acoustic track from punk band Pinhead Gunpowder’s short 2008 reunion, “On The Ave” details a couple living and loving in the moment. The details in the song are a bit messy for your typical love song (it’s not every day a couple in love brags about being bloody from hopping over a fence or having to kick down a door in a burning building), but it’s chorus about time being fleeting, taking things slow and savoring the memories is a nice sentiment that you don’t care about the gory details. (video)

3.       Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Maps”: Written by Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O about her then boyfriend Angus Andrew (Liars), “Maps” begs for the singer’s love to stay with her. O’s vocals are vulnerable as the chorus of “Wait, they don’t love you like I love you” intensifies with every repetition. (video)

4.       The Darkness, “I Believe In A Thing Called Love”: One of the most over-the-top rock songs of the early 2000s, “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” takes the 80s classic rock sound and turns it on its head. It’s a love song in hyper overdrive about the way his girl makes him feel. He talks about how his heart pounds when she touches him, making him believe that they can do anything together. The lyrics are a bit silly and “daft” (to take a quote from frontman Justin Hawkins himself), but sometimes love is that intense. (video)

5.       Say Anything, “Alive With The Glory Of Love”: Love conquers all, even Nazis. Say Anything frontman Max Bemis wrote “Alive With The Glory Of Love” about his grandparents who survived the Holocaust. The song is intense in a hopeful way, with a bursting, full-volume chorus that lets you know that no matter what, everything will be okay. (video)

When it comes to love songs, there is more out there than just the sappy, overplayed songs you hear on the radio. Whether it’s an over-the-top rock song about your heart being aflutter, one that details a dysfunctional relationship filled with admiration or one that tells a story about how love conquers all, there are some unconventional tracks out there that fill in the broader scope of what a love song can be. Check out some of our favorites above and let us know what your favorite offbeat love songs are in the comments below.

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Find the perfect music for your Valentine’s Day playlist at Vinyl Bay 777. As one of Long Island’s top independent record shops, we have thousands of titles to choose from in a range of genres to satisfy most music fans. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs, memorabilia and more in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

Anti-Love Songs to Blast This Valentine’s Day

We get it; Valentine’s Day isn’t for everyone. A day based around couples telling each other how much they love one another can make any single person feel “forever alone.” It’s not referred to as “Singles Awareness Day” for nothing.

Just like music has the power to bolster your feelings of love, it also has the power to support your hatred of it. From break-up songs and songs that disagree with the foundations of love to empowering anthems that stress loving yourself instead, there is an anti-love song for whatever you’re feeling.

With Valentine’s Day tomorrow, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, is taking a look at songs for those who’d rather the holiday didn’t exist. Here are six that make being single sound extra good.

1.       P!nk, “So What”: P!nk’s “So What” takes break-up songs to a new level. Born out of anger, the song focuses more on embracing one’s independence. A relationship doesn’t define a person. What’s important is being the rockstar that you know you are. (video)

2.       J. Geils Band, “Love Stinks”: The quintessential anti-love song, “Love Stinks” has been culture’s go-to song for those who have given up on looking. It acknowledges love’s inevitability, but maintains that the acts and its fickle nature are not worth it. (video)

3.       Beyoncé, “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”: “Single Ladies” was a massive hit when it came out in 2008 and for good reason. The song, in no uncertain terms, is an anthem for those without beaus the world over who are enjoying the single life. Just because your ex might get jealous doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be you. Because if he really liked you, he “should have put a ring on it.” (video)

4.       Puddle of Mudd, “She Hates Me”: Heartbreak sucks, especially if you really loved that person. “She Hates Me” laments one of these failed relationships. But instead of wishing that they were still together, the song documents the actual heart breaking. There’s a lot of anger and pain going on here, which someone can surely relate to. (video)

5.       Natasha Beddingfield, “Single”: Natasha Beddingfield’s debut single “Single” isn’t anti-love. She even says in the lyrics that she’s not ruling it out. However, she does make it abundantly clear that she doesn’t need a man to make her feel good about herself. The song acts as her “declaration of independence,” stating that she’s doing just fine on her own. (video)

6.       Nazareth, “Love Hurts”: Another classic anti-love song, “Love Hurts” lists the painful things love can do to you, including scarring, wounding and burning. He sums it up with the line “Love is just a lie made to make you blue,” affirming his disbelief and saying that those who do believe in that kind of happiness are fooling themselves. (video)

Valentine’s Day can be hard for those who aren’t into the whole “love” thing. But there is a wealth of music to counter all the lovey-dovey imagery being thrown at you. Check out some of our picks above and let us know what songs get you through “Singles Awareness Day” in the comments below.

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Find you’re perfect Valentine’s Day soundtrack at Vinyl Bay 777. As Long Island’s top new independent record shop, we have thousands of titles to choose from in a range of genres to satisfy most music fans. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. Whether you’re looking for music that spreads love or despises it, we have you covered. And with more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.

Seven Love Songs for Valentine's Day

Love songs are all around us. Not only has it been one of the most popular themes in music for the last six decades, but “love” has also been one of the most popular words in songs for the same period of time. This means that there is no shortage of songs to tell your significant other how you feel about them on Valentine’s Day.

We all know that the right song can set the mood for a day or moment. The same goes for love songs. Just as cathartic as they might be for their singers, the right love song can help it’s listener express how they feel about their significant other.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, has created a list of some of our favorite love songs from the last six decades. Here are seven songs to help you express your feelings to the one you love.

1.       Ed Sheeran, “Perfect”: Ed Sheeran always has that one song on an album that screams “I Love You” from the top of its lungs. On 2017’s ‘÷,’ that song was “Perfect.” The vivid image Sheeran paints with his words, describing the love he has for his girl, combined with its waltz timing and heart-fluttering voice, can’t help but make you smile. This song is bound to be the wedding song of so many couples to come. (video)

2.       Sixpence None the Richer, “Kiss Me”: Sixpence None the Richer had two hits in their career: their cover of The La’s “There She Goes” and original “Kiss Me.” The latter’s ultra-sweet lyrics about the perfect way to end the perfect date continue to invoke warm thoughts nearly two decades later. (video)

3.       Savage Garden, “Truly, Madly, Deeply”: There’s a reason why “Truly, Madly, Deeply” is one of those songs that people constantly come back to on Valentine’s Day year after year. The devotion expressed in the song’s lyrics is sweet without being too over the top (a la Bruno Mars’ “Grenade”).  Anyone who loves love has to admire the kind that will withstand the end of the world. (video)

4.       Stevie Wonder, “I Just Called to Say I Love You”: Another song that gets renewed interest every Valentine’s Day, “I Just Called to Say I Love You” is Wonder’s ode to the power of the words “I Love You.” Letting the one you love know how you feel and that you care is important, especially when it’s not expected. (video)

5.       Elvis Presley, “Can’t Help Falling in Love”: A classic inside and out, Presley’s “Can’t Help Falling in Love” has been covered by just about everyone. Its smooth melody, with its slight country tinge, and sweet, innocent lyrics convey the feeling of loving someone so completely. (video)

6.       Celine Dion, “Because You Loved Me”: Actions speak louder than words and the lyrics for “Because You Loved Me” attest to that. The song describes the gratefulness the protagonist feels from their partner whose love has helped them be the best they could be, even at their lowest point. Now that’s love. (video)

7.       All-4-One, “I Swear”: Originally written by John Michael Montgomery and most famously covered by All-4-One, “I Swear” is a passionate confession of one’s devotion to their partner. The protagonist here is overwhelmingly in love with their significant other, to the point that they want to spend the rest of their lives with them. (video)

Love is a very popular theme in music and has been for decades. That is why it is imperative to find the right one that expresses precisely how you feel about your significant other. Check out some of our favorites above and let us know what your favorite love songs are. Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Find the perfect music for your Valentine’s Day celebration at Vinyl Bay 777. Long Island’s favorite new independent record shop has thousands of titles to choose from in a variety of genres to set the mood. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia in store at our Plainview location or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added all the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.