We may be a month or so past Valentine’s Day, but here is a Britop themed list of the top 5 greatest British rock love songs, mostly of the last 30 years or so.
5) Pulp – “TV Movie”
This one goes out to all of you who are nursing broken hearts this February 14. Jarvis Cocker captures the feeling of missing someone so much it hurts on this track from This Is Hardcore.
4) Blur – “You’re So Great”
This Graham-penned Blur classic has been a favorite of mine forever. The lyrics are classic Graham — i.e. somewhat hard to decipher exactly what he’s trying to convey — but they’re very sweet. It’s a simple sentiment but when you’re in love with someone, there’s little else to say but “You’re so great and I love you.”
3) Gene – “You’ll Never Walk Again”
Gene rightfully earned the title of most emotive Britpop band. Martin Rossiter has the ability to write about love and loss like few others. This song has a lot of personal meaning for me and I always find myself coming back to its optimistic lyrics. Sure I’ve been burned by love in the past, but with you by my side I feel I could conquer anything.
2) Oasis – “Slide Away”
Cue the inevitable cry of “But where’s “Wonderwall”?” Well, “Wonderwall” is fine but “Slide Away” has always been and will always be my pick for the best Oasis love song. It’s all about love and longing. I dig the version from Definitely Maybeof course but Noel Gallagher has recorded some positively heart wrenching acoustic versions of this tune over the years. When I get married, I hope Noelly G is there with his guitar singing this for me and my boo.
1) Suede – “The Wild Ones”
Here Brett Anderson begs his lover not to go away (a theme that Bernard Butler carried into his solo career with “Stay”) and promises said lady (or dude!) great things about bungalows. The lyrics might not be ideal but this is a perfect piece of music. It encapsulates the feeling of finding your match and praying that you’ll never be parted.
