To celebrate Valentine’s Day, we asked several musicians to tell us their favorite love songs. Here’s what they have to say.
Mat and Savanna Shaw
It has been almost a year since Mat and Savanna Shaw went viral for the cover of “The Prayer” – a performance they thought would not go beyond their close friends and family. Since then, the Utah father and daughter duo have released two albums. Their first single from 2021 – a cover of the classic song “LOVE” – will be released on Valentine’s Day.
Running machine
My favorite love song would be Jim Brickman’s “Love of My Life”. It is the first song I played and sang for my now (thanks to my lucky stars) wife, Brooke. Seeing how it convinced her to let go of my many shortcomings and marry me should provide enough evidence for the power and impact that this song carries. We sing it again as a duet on our wedding day, so it will always have a special place in our hearts.
Another favorite is Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud”. It is the story of a different kind of love – a love that has surpassed the surface. He sings a story of aging together and experiencing love in deeper and more meaningful ways along the way.
Savanna
My favorite love song is LOCASH’s “Kissing a Girl”. It is the sweetest song of all, and I think that because I love her so much it is because she goes through various stages of life! It goes from your girlfriend, to your wife, to your daughter. It’s hard not to cry hearing that!
The National Parks
National Parks emerged on the music scene in 2013, and the Provo band will play a great show at Vivint Arena on March 20, according to a press release sent to Deseret News. The band’s last album, “Wildflower”, was released in 2020.
Megan Parks – “Stolen,” by Dashboard Confessional
This is a song that I want to explode at full capacity so that I can scream at the top of my lungs. It makes me nostalgic and reminds me of what it is like to have the best summer of your life running carefree and wild with the person you fell in love with completely.
Brady Parks – “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” version Sleeping At Last
I grew up listening to the original version of Proclaimers and I always thought of it as a happy and quirky 80’s pop song. Because of that, I never thought much about the lyrics. When I discovered the cover of Sleeping At Last, the song completely changed for me and honestly took me by surprise with how powerful it is a love song.
Only the phrase “I would walk 500 miles and walk 500 more just to be the man who falls at your door” really got me. For me, it represents a love that you would do anything for, and I think that’s why Megan and I chose it as the song for our first dance at our wedding. It’s still kind of funny when we tell people that we dance to the song “I would walk 500 miles”.
Jake Shimabukuro
Virtuous ukulele Jake Shimabukuro rose to fame in the mid-2000s with his version of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” – one of the first YouTube videos to go viral. Shimabukuro will broadcast a live Valentine’s Day concert at 6 pm MST on Sunday.
I think one of the greatest love songs of all time is “Something” by the Beatles. And it plays so well on the ukulele, it was George Harrison’s favorite instrument.
I was so amazed the first time that I saw Paul McCartney pull out his ukulele and play “Something” during his world tour, and he dedicated it to George. Such a good song.
Todd Tilghman
Last year, on “The Voice,” Todd Tilghman became the longest-running winner in the show’s history. Since his victory, the 43-year-old pastor from Mississippi has moved to Nashville, working with several people in the music industry to start a new career. Her next single, “In a Heartache”, will be released on Valentine’s Day. Tilghman said he has more songs on the way and a book coming out in June.
In your favorite love song …
In fact, it is not easy to choose a favorite love song. I will choose one of my favorite love songs. I think, on this Valentine’s Day, I would choose Ben Folds’ “The Luckiest”. It is a beautiful tribute (musically and lyrically) to how much the people we love mean to us. It’s kind of a “Broken Road” song, in a way. I made many mistakes, but those mistakes brought me here.
On the Valentine’s Day single …
This is released at midnight at the central time of Valentine’s Day. It’s a song about how exciting love gets, but it tends to get really hard along the way. What if we had to go through everything we went through to get where we are now, right?
Jonathan Clay (Jamestown Revival)
Jamestown Revival, an American / rock band from Texas that recorded their debut album in Utah, was scheduled to play in Salt Lake City on March 17, 2020. Like all musicians, the band’s tour was canceled a few days earlier, at the beginning of the pandemic. Since then, Jamestown Revival has written and recorded music at home.
One of my favorites would be Guy Clark’s “My favorite photo of you”. It is an honest look at love and the fact that it is not always roses. The inspiration for this was a Polaroid that one of Guy’s acquaintances took from his wife Susanna. She’s giving him a look that I know very well. Music is a reminder of our most precious gift: time.
Ryan Innes
Utah singer-songwriter Ryan Innes appeared on NBC’s “Songland” last year, releasing his original song “Long Way Home” for Lady A. Although his music was not cut by the band, it ended up reaching No. 1 on the iTunes charts when Tilghman debuted on “The Voice”. Innes released a new single, “Creature”, a few weeks ago.
This may have been the first love song that I loved myself. I was obsessed. He sang all the time. So perfectly syrupy, homesick and dramatic. That high note ?! Woooo … I love man.
Jeff Plate (Trans-Siberian Orchestra)
Jeff Plate has been touring as a drummer for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra for two decades. During the pandemic, Plate revived an original project, writing, arranging and creating music for his band Alta Reign, which released an album last month.
“Beth” – Kiss
I was a big fan of Kiss when “Destroyer” was released. This song took me by surprise because it was nothing like “Kiss Alive!” But I really liked the song. And as I got older and music became a big part of my life, the meaning of the music really connected even more.
“Tears” – Rush
The album “2112” was a game changer for me. I was a young drummer trying to find out, and Neil Peart came and showed me the way. Like “Beth”, “Tears” was also a departure from what you would expect. The lyrics can be interpreted differently, tears of sadness or tears of joy. Anyway, so exciting and such a simple and beautiful song. It opens your heart.
“Always” – Alta Reign
I wrote these lyrics about lost loved ones. I took it from myself, my wife and my guitarist Tommy Cook, and the experiences we had with it. They never really left, they are always with you. And that makes those we still have physically much more important.