When music fans think about the genre of classic rock, often the big and bombastic comes to mind. Giant stacks of speakers exploding. Guitars and drum kits smashed on stage. Instruments ablaze. Hotel rooms destroyed. But that is not the entirety of the genre. There are also love songs.
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Some of classic rock’s most popular and most accomplished bands have written ballads for the genre that fans can put on, light a few candles, get out the strawberries and melted chocolate, and have a romantic evening.
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The six songs below set the mood while also satisfying the sonic appetites of classic rock fans.
1. “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” The Police
Released on the 1981 album, Ghost in the Machine, this song from The Police is an ode to a loved one. It’s the song of a blind romantic who adores a woman but isn’t courageous enough to ask her out. Beyond the subject matter, the song is just fun and, in a way, pure. It contains none of the darkness that unrequited attraction can bring. Instead, it’s unadulterated affection. Sings the frontman Sting:
Though I’ve tried before to tell her
Of the feelings I have for her in my heart
Every time that I come near her
I just lose my nerve as I’ve done from the start
Every little thing she does is magic
Everything she do just turns me on
Even though my life before was tragic
Now I know my love for her goes on
2. “All My Love,” Led Zeppelin
From the band’s 1979 LP, In Through the Out Door, this Led Zeppelin song is all about love, as the title suggests. While it was written in honor of frontman Robert Plant’s son Karac, who passed away while the band was on tour in 1977, the song’s lyrics could stand in for any deep sense of affection. In the song, Plant sings:
Should I fall out of love, my fire in the light
To chase a feather in the wind
Within the glow that weaves a cloak of delight
There moves a thread that has no end
For many hours and days that pass ever soon
The tides have caused the flame to dim
At last the arm is straight, the hand to the loom
Is this to end or just begin?
All of my love, all of my love
All of my love to you
3. “Purple Rain,” Prince
Prince’s signature song, “Purple Rain,” which was released on the artist’s 1984 album of the same name and was a major part of the film (of the same name), is all about passion. Speaking about the song’s meaning, Prince said, “When there’s blood in the sky… red and blue = purple. Purple rain pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/God guide you through the purple rain.” On the iconic track, the Purple One sings:
I never meant to cause you any sorrow
I never meant to cause you any pain
I only wanted one time to see you laughing
I only wanted to see you
Laughing in the purple rain
4. “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” Poison
From the glam rock band’s 1988 album, Open Up and Say… Ahh!, this Poison song was written out of sadness. It’s about love gone wrong—but the track sounds so sweet. Lead singer Bret Michaels has said that the inspiration came one day while doing laundry on the road. He called his girlfriend from a payphone but heard a man’s voice in the background. Devastated, he wrote the song’s signature phrase. The destitute Michaels sings:
We both lie silently still
In the dead of the night
Although we both lie close together
We feel miles apart inside
Was it something I said or something I did
Did my words not come out right
Though I tried not to hurt you
Though I tried
But I guess that’s why they say
Every rose has its thorn
Just like every night has its dawn
Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song
Every rose has its thorn
Yeah it does
5. “In My Life,” the Beatles
This song from The Beatles, released on the 1965 album, Revolver, has a lot to do with love. But it was originally written by John Lennon about his childhood. As the song and lyrics evolved through the writing process, however, they began to take on a bit more of a generic sense of gratitude. Nevertheless, adoration is the thread that ties the whole thing together. That combined with the fact that the song sounds so sweet off Lennon’s tongue and it’s a perfect ballad. On the song, Lennon sings:
There are places I’ll remember
All my life, though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places had their moments
With lovers and friends, I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life, I’ve loved them all
But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
6. “November Rain,” Guns N’ Roses
An epic, nearly 10-minute song from one of the biggest bands of the ’80s and ’90s, Guns N’ Roses‘ “November Rain” is about a deep love but also the perils that come with it. Love, like anything else, has to end, and it’s not without its share of obstacles. Lead singer Axl Rose knows that, and on the heartfelt, heart-strings-tugging track, Rose sings:
When I look into your eyes
I can see a love restrained
But darlin’ when I hold you
Don’t you know I feel the same?
Nothin’ lasts forever
And we both know hearts can change
And it’s hard to hold a candle
In the cold November rain
We’ve been through this such a long long time
Just tryin’ to kill the pain, ooh yeah
Love is always coming, love is always going
No one’s really sure who’s lettin’ go today
Walking away
Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images
