“What are we gonna do for the ballad?” Our guess is that such a question was asked at one point or another by a member of a band for every classic rock album ever made. For as much as the genre has been associated with thunder and fire, the slow stuff has always been a key component to classic rock. After all, fans might want to rock out, but at some point they’ll want that perfect soundtrack for when they settle in with their significant others. With that in mind, here are eight classic rock songs you can turn into a playlist for a quiet, romantic night.
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1. “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys
When people make lists of the greatest love songs ever, this one is usually right up there at the top, and for good reason. It’s found on The Beach Boys’ landmark 1966 album Pet Sounds, which is where Brian Wilson left behind the surf-rock for something more mature and profound. Kudos also to Tony Asher, who wrote the lyrics to this beauty. It starts with a bit of misdirection: I may not always love you, Carl Wilson sings. But the rest of the song proves in fact that the narrator’s love is actually eternal and all-encompassing. And all those interweaving Beach Boys voices make for perfect slow-dance material.
2. “Something” by The Beatles
Before someone corrected him, Frank Sinatra used to introduce his cover of “Something” in concert by saying it was a Lennon/McCartney song. Of course, the song actually came courtesy of George Harrison, whose skills as a writer had risen during his time with The Beatles to the point that his work on Abbey Road could stand up to that of his bandmates.
“Something” is brilliant for the way the narrator expresses his admiration by admitting that it’s brought on by something indefinable in his romantic partner. The music here is also breathtaking, especially the instrumental section where Harrison’s lead guitar, Paul McCartney’s bass, and Ringo Starr’s drums weave around each other in a mesmerizing dance.
3. “Your Song” by Elton John
Did you know that Elton John wasn’t the first artist to record “Your Song?” That honor went to Three Dog Night, who cut a long-forgotten version of it for an album a few months before John’s own iconic take arrived in 1970. Even as much as this song gets played, it never quite goes out of fashion because of the sturdiness of the melody and the aw-shucks charm of Bernie Taupin’s lyrics. This is another song where the narrator is struggling to properly express the feelings of love roiling inside of him.
Let’s also shout out John’s vocal performance. He hits the right notes of humility early in the song, before his upper register toward the end expresses the urgency of this guy’s need to spill out the contents of his heart.
4. “Looking into You” by Jackson Browne
This might not be one of Browne’s most well-known tracks, but in terms of the beauty of its melody and lyrical expression, it’s right up there with his best and with anything else on this list. “Looking into You” is found on Browne’s 1972 self-titled debut album (sometimes referred to as Saturate Before Using because of the message on the cover). He frames it as a journey of sorts, as the narrator travels back to his former haunts to try and make sense of his past. But what he finds is that the old attachments mean nothing next to the sight of his lover’s eyes.
5. “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker
A lot of major names are involved with this song’s writing and recording. It was written by legendary “fifth Beatle” Billy Preston and his collaborator Bruce Fisher, with master songwriter Jimmy Webb handling the arrangement. Joe Cocker’s version of the song features Nicky Hopkins—who ranks right up there with Preston as one of the most preeminent keyboardists of his generation—on piano, as well. But it’s Cocker who steals the show with his inimitable phrasing and tough-to-tender timbre. Even though the song contains only about 30 words (repeated twice), Cocker takes us on a complete and total journey of love and redemption.
6. “A Song for You” by Leon Russell
Like many of the songs on this list, this one has been covered memorably over the years. (Donny Hathaway’s lusciously soulful take is probably the tops.) But there’s something so scrappy and endearing about Russell’s original, complete with him straining to reach the higher notes of the melody, that it’s hard to imagine any other version being definitive. The narrator is a musician who seems to fail when it comes to the basics of sustaining a relationship. But he does have his music to express himself when all else fails: Listen to the melody / ’Cause my love is in there hiding.
[RELATED: 10 Songs You Didn’t Know Leon Russell Wrote for Other Artists]
7. “We’ve Got Tonight” by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
The unlikely duo of Kenny Rogers and Sheena Easton scored a big hit with this song in the ‘80s. But again, it’s the original writer, the one who probably lived the song, or at least its emotional content, who gives us the purest version. Seger released it on his smash 1978 album Stranger in Town, although not as a single. His narrator is making the case for a one-night stand, but he does so in the most heartfelt and romantic way possible. Why don’t you stay? he asks. So convincing is his argument that we can give a pretty good guess as to the response he’ll receive.
8. “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel
As if to prove that ’80s classic rock could also get romantic, Peter Gabriel came along and delivered this weeper on his massive 1986 album, So. Would we have included it on this list were it not for the boom-box scene in Say Anything? It’s hard to say, because Gabriel’s earnest yearning is now forever intermingled with the film’s signature moment in the minds and hearts of so many. But if you throw this in at the end of your classic rock romantic playlist, we don’t think you’ll need any visuals to get swept up in the emotion.
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