Real Goblin

Love is in the air. Truth be told, I found out today was Valentine’s Day the way I usually do – via some happenstance that occurs about halfway through the day. Last year, it was when I walked by a large number of couples dining outdoors on my street. This year, it was via the office group chat. Sad as that may be, I had already begun preparing this list about a week ago. If it feels rushed, that’s because I lied about preparing the list a week ago.

Are these even love songs? I don’t know. They’re certainly songs about love. And that counts. For the purposes of Real Goblin, that counts. Enjoy.

25. “Pressure Machine” – The Killers

The Killers’ bold, late career concept album delivered a wide variety of touching, honest tracks about life in small town America. The title track, “Pressure Machine”, describes the life of a working class family. Our narrator sings the tragic chorus:

“Why don’t you say little things?
Butterflies don’t just dance on a string
It feels like you clipped all their wings
And every year goes by faster than the one before”

Brandon Flowers sells the delivery with a rare falsetto, which is haunting and beautiful at once. The track is memorable in its own sort of brutal honesty.

24. “Accidentally In Love” – Counting Crows

Leave it to Shrek to inspire one of the most upbeat, punchy little love songs of the last 24 years. Apparently, the lead singer of Counting Crows (Adam Duritz) was tasked with writing a song for Shrek and Fiona’s honeymoon. He was shown the first half of the film for inspiration. Ultimately, Duritz felt the immense pressure of Shrek to be too much. The studio was reportedly very lenient and allowed him the creative time and space he needed to work and “Accidentally In Love” was born. Thank you Shrek.

23. “The Only Exception” – Paramore

Paramore’s early music can tend to feel very “of its time”. This isn’t to disparage it. I love Brand New Eyes. Those songs are on repeat to this day. But “The Only Exception” feels timeless in a sea of late 2000s rock anthems. Hayley Williams sings a jaded melody with lyrics to match. But the core sentiment defies it all: you are the only exception. It’s a beautiful, simple song that makes use of the best elements of Paramore, while almost practicing a bit of clever restraint at times.

22. “Emotion” – Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Rae Jepsen songs are at their best when they hit you like a ray of sunshine. The title track off of Emotion hits the listener with just that. Jepsen’s second album is a nostalgia fueled synth pop masterpiece. It contains some of her best work to date and it cemented her as a modern pop genius, setting her above some of her one hit wonder peers. “Emotion” is upbeat and bouncy and hits you just the way it’s supposed to.

21. “All Too Well” – Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift was bound to end up on this list somewhere. She has been unavoidable these past few years. But pollution and that horrendous Time Magazine article aside, Swift deserves most of her accolades. She has written some of the most iconic, ubiquitous music of the last quarter century. And she sure as hell knows how to write a love song. This was a difficult choice for me. While my favorites, “Ivy”, “betty” and others from the folklore/evermore era hold a lot of personal weight, it’s “All Too Well” that stands above the rest.

Reminiscent of a time that feels ancient, no song better exemplifies the current era of Swift’s dynasty than “All Too Well”. The song’s influence spawned a short film, a 10 minute version, and endless headache for ex-boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal (who I do not envy).

It all feels so quaint now, with her music now being played on the field after she took her private jet to Vegas to hug her Super Bowl winning, 65-year-old coach shoving, boyfriend. That aside, this song is classic. Try to shut the rest out while you enjoy it.

20. “A Thousand Miles” – Vanessa Carlton

A 2000s piano ballad good enough to have inspired me to sit down and try and learn it myself. I only got about as far as the opening riff, and I couldn’t even really nail it more than twice in a row. But that was enough to satisfy me. Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” has timeless lyrics, punchy vocals and a memorable piano line that you probably remember better than the words themselves.

19. “Wading In Waist-High Water” – Fleet Foxes

“Wading In Waist-High Water” is a powerful, romantic track that builds to an explosive climax and slowly fades to a mellow finish. The line “I love you so violent” sticks in my mind as one of the best descriptions of powerful infatuation I’ve heard. And it’s fitting of the song itself, which bursts with layered and intense horns and drums with a rolling, march like rhythm. Fleet Foxes are masters of their craft.

18. “Me and Magdalena” – The Monkees

An unusual pick, I know.

Written by Death Cab For Cutie’s Ben Gibbard for the band’s 50th anniversary album, “Me and Magdalena” sounds exactly how you’d expect a collaboration between the unlikely pairing to sound. Gibbard is a great songwriter. In tandem with the voices of the now much older members of The Monkees, the song feels weightier and wiser. It’s mellower than the band’s usual material, but the harmonies are beautiful and the backing instrumentation masterful.

17. “Archie, Marry Me” – Alvvays

“Archie, Marry Me” is an endlessly delightful indie rock song from Alvvays. From the tones of the soaring, fuzzy guitars, to the irreverent, witty lyricism, Alvvays delivers in spades here. There’s something so fun and lovable about this song that never fails to put a smile on my face.

16. “Mr. Brightside” – The Killers

That’s right. Two songs by The Killers. You’re gonna be so mad when you get further down the list and don’t find the one song you were just so sure would be here. But how are you going to deny “Mr. Brightside”? It has stood the test of time. It’s the unofficial anthem of the UK. Legend has it that British babies are born knowing the lyrics straight out of the womb. It’s true. I’ve seen it myself. My daughter’s first words were “JEALOUSLY, TURNING SAINTS IN TO THE SEA”. She still won’t call me “dad” to this day. She’s 27.

15. “Moon Song” – Phoebe Bridgers

“Moon Song” feels abstract. Phoebe Bridgers gives the listener little glimpses into a relationship. But every few lines or so, she delivers a gut punch of a line that feels universal.

“So I will wait for the next time you want me
Like a dog with a bird at your door”

The song describes a relationship that feels punishing (like the name of the album. The album is called Punisher. It’s like the name of the album). Bridgers has written many a dark, moody love song. But something about “Moon Song” just feels especially devastating.

14. “Starlight” – Muse

This song changed me. It truly was the song that ushered in my teenage angst era. And every time I hear it, it takes me right back. I’m immediately miserable. But the song itself isn’t. It contains a few of the elements that once set Muse apart from the rest of the alt rock bands of the day – grand synths and dark, driving guitars. Matching the aesthetic of their “Knights of Cydonia”, space epic era, “Starlight” is a moody ballad that strikes a chord with me on every listen, no matter how old I get.

13. “Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)” – Father John Misty

Father John Misty has a talent for creating characters and building a small world around them in the span of just one song. “Chateau Lobby” describes a couple’s first time having sex on their wedding day. The irreverent lyrics are sung from the perspective of a young Christian man whose mind is racing as he shares the first moment of true intimacy with his now wife. Father John Misty pokes fun at the idea of sex within the exclusive confines of marriage, painting a picture of a couple in love.

“I wanna take you in the kitchen
Lift up your wedding dress someone was probably murdered in
So bourgeoisie to keep waiting
Dating for twenty years just feels pretty civilian“

12. “You Are the Best Thing” – Ray LaMontagne

A staple of the hipster coffee shop Pandora station circa 2008-2012, Ray LaMontagne struck vintage soulful gold with “You Are the Best Thing”. He aims to make a timeless track and he strikes true. Bolstered by the impowered backing vocals, the swinging horns, and the soaring strings, LaMontagne’s peak love song is a banger in any year.

11. “Somewhere Only We Know” – Keane

Keane had an absolute chokehold on me during their peak years. And they still very much do. I long for some kind of comeback album from Keane. If the songs were even half as good as “Somewhere Only We Know”, I’d be thrilled. Very much in the style of the time, this track is piano driven, with a chorus that absolutely soars and pulls at your heartstrings. It’s the perfect song to shout on the freeway. It’s a beautiful plea for a moment of peace in a tumultuous romantic relationship.

10. “Don’t Know Why” – Nora Jones

Nora Jones’ “Don’t Know Why” feels like something Ella Fitzgerald would sing in a smoky jazz club. Jones has a mesmerizing vocal delivery and she sells every word. Nearly two decades since its release, the song’s enduring appeal is clear. It’s bittersweet, like a farewell hug from an old friend.

9. “Anyone Else But You” – The Moldy Peaches

The Moldy Peaches now beloved little acoustic duet was popularized by Michael Cera and Elliot Page in Juno, but the song was 6 years old by the time it really took off. It harkens back to one of the greatest duets of all time, John Prine and Iris DeMent’s “In Spire of Ourselves”. Over the years, it has become far more appreciated in indie rock circles. And deservedly so.

8. “Skinny Love” – Bon Iver

What can you say about “Skinny Love” in the year 2024? It certainly captured the hearts of white women with bangs in the 2010s. I’m not trying to put down white women with bangs. I love white women with bangs. Throw a few tattoos in and a nose piercing and I’ll fucking end my own life if they ask, so DON’T COME AFTER ME for making fun of them every now and then. They’ve had it too good for too long.

Bon Iver’s entire debut album could be on this list. But it’s “Skinny Love” that really stands above the rest for Justin Vernon’s aching, almost desperate vocals and stripped back sound.

7. “Maps” – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

“Maps” is an indie rock tune that you’ve surely heard countless times. It’s bit strange for a love song, with a rapid, racing guitar and pounding drums. It grabs your attention and holds you down from start to finish.

For whatever reason, I feel like I’ve seen an increased number of covers of this track in recent years. I would never blame an artist who couldn’t resist this track, though. That repeated refrain has a way of sticking in your head: “they don’t love you like I love you”.

6. “Do You Realize??” – The Flaming Lips

“Do You Realize??” is a grand, galactic anthem by The Flaming Lips. It’s lyrics are bittersweet, it’s melodies reminiscent of a different era. The instrumentation is varied and strange and bold and entertaining. It’s writing process was in part influenced by heroin withdrawl by band member Steven Drozd, and the anguish that came along with it (not just for him but from his fellow band members who had to see him through the difficult process).

5. “Slip Away” – Perfume Genius

Perfume Genius captures something truly special with “Slip Away”. It’s message is one of giving in to feelings held back for so long, a message that has long flowed through the pen of songwriters and poets alike. “Slip Away” has a unique quality to it. It doesn’t need lyrics to deliver its message. The song builds to such a burst of exuberant energy that it surpasses the need for language.

4. “If We Were Vampires” – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Jason Isbell reckons with death on “If We Were Vampires”. He delivers some of the most heart wrenching, honest lines I’ve ever heard:

It’s knowing that this can’t go on forever
Likely one of us will have to spend some days alone
Maybe we’ll get forty years together
But one day I’ll be gone
Or one day you’ll be gone

Isbell’s love song isn’t the typical yearning, La La Land, whirlwind romance you might expect. It’s simple, grounded, and honest. Isbell hopes to make the most of what he has. This theme is consistent across his discography, but is probably best exemplified and expressed on “If We Were Vampires”.

3. “anything” – Adrianne Lenker

Big Thief’s Adrianne Lenker has likely written a great many of the best love songs of the 21st century. But for my money, “anything” takes the cake. Released under her own name on the album simply titled songs, Lenker’s “anything” calls back to a life with someone from the past. The song feels strictly nostalgic, as if all the emotions, no matter how raw and fresh they are, are all felt in retrospect. Lenker’s vocal delivery carries tones of sadness, but the whole thing feels somehow comforting.

2. “Don’t Delete The Kisses” – Wolf Alice

Wolf Alice’s “Don’t Delete The Kisses” captures a kind of butterflies in the stomach, teenage, eagerness that few other songs can. Wolf Alice has such an immense talent for breaking their own mold, and they use that to great effect here. “Don’t Delete The Kisses” feels urgent, with a nervous, anxious, yet warm and fuzzy energy. Lead singer Ellie Rowsell delivers spoken word verses that could have easily fallen flat without her impassioned performance. “Don’t Delete The Kisses” is one for the ages.

1. “First Day of My Life” – Bright Eyes

“First Day of My Life” hurts me every single time. Conor Oberst’s vocals sound as they often do – painful, struggling to get by, but keeping a smile on. As is the case in a lot of love songs, less is more. And that’s certainly true here. “First Day of My Life” is consistent with the rest of the band’s iconic album, I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, but it stands above the rest. It resonates with the listener at a higher level.

Maybe it’s just me, but “First Day of My Life” is a timeless, bittersweet, hopeful anthem that belongs in the same conversation as the greatest love songs not just of the 21st century, but all time.