An Assortment of 7 ‘Valentine’ Songs

Dear listeners,

Every once in a while, I like to compile a playlist composed entirely of songs with identical titles. You may recall that, last October, I sent out a newsletter about six different tracks vying to be the greatest “The Greatest.” Today, in honor of a certain loved-and-occasionally-loathed holiday, I made a playlist of seven songs with the same timely, evocative name: “Valentine.”

While most of these tracks are about romance, they vary widely in tone. Some — like the witty ditty from the precocious musician Laufey or a sloshed-but-smitten album cut from the Replacements — are rather heartfelt declarations of love. But, as Valentine’s Day can stir up some sharp pangs for the heartbroken among us, a few of these songs — like wrenching tracks from Snail Mail and Fiona Apple — are also full of longing and loneliness.

This is certainly not a complete list of every song ever titled “Valentine,” but it is a sampling of seven of my favorites. Whether you’re buying roses for yourself or someone else this year, I hope you find at least one track that reflects your mood.

I’m a tulip in a cup,

Lindsay

Listen along while you read.

1. Laufey: “Valentine”

On this endearing 2022 single, the old-soul Icelandic jazz-pop musician Laufey captures the strangeness of suddenly falling in love after many years of celebrating Valentine’s Day solo. OK, not that many years, as she reveals in the second verse: “Maybe I should run / I’m only 21 / I don’t even know who I want to become.” But she ultimately chooses to stay put — at least for now — concluding in her weightless croon, “Honestly, I can’t believe I get to call you mine / I blinked and suddenly I had a valentine.”

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