What’s With All the Songs About Love?

Every possible stage of the creation and dissolution of romance has been documented in song, encompassing the good, the bad, and the ugly. Romantic love is a prominent component of human life and society, so it is no surprise that artists and listeners alike have resonated with these themes across time and space.

The representation of love-related experiences is noticeably dominant in music culture, especially when compared to other artistic forms like film, TV, books, or theater. The music scene — irrespective of genre — appears disproportionately saturated with themes of romance, from classics like Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” to contemporary hits like “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo. And while love-themed music’s profound impact and relatability cannot be overstated, one might argue that music should reflect a broader range of human experience than just romance.

Love songs have a robust history that traces back centuries. In fact, the oldest known love song is that of Shu-Sin, which was discovered in the library of Ashurbanipal in Mesopotamia and dates back to 2000 BCE. Later, love ballads were popularized by the 8th-century tunes of medieval Arab female slaves in Spain. Overall, it has been estimated that more than 100 million love songs have been recorded.

Some could argue that the modern love song is cliché and overdone. However, this does not necessarily have to be the case. History shows that love-themed songs are continually reshaped and redone with each new generation, infusing fresh life into the tried and true category. Whether in the late 19th century cabarets of Germany and France or the American rap scene in the 1980s, after every stale, uninspired period of love songs inevitably comes a period of distinct vitality.

Love-themed songs today appear to have not lost any of their prominence: The predominant topic of music remains romantic and sexual relationships. A 2018 study found that between 1960 and 2010, 67.3 percent of lyrics from top-40 songs referenced relationships and love, and 29.9 percent alluded to sex and sexual desire. Other themes are far less frequent: Social/political issues, religion/God, race/ethnicity, personal identity, family, friends showed only a modest occurrence.

It is not difficult to conceptualize the allure of love songs. The idea of romance has near-universal appeal, with individuals from different backgrounds able to relate to experiences of attraction, relationships, and heartbreak. Love is also deeply emotional — between the wide variety of highs and lows in romantic experiences, there is always plenty of content from which to draw on when writing or consuming music. Society is truly in love with love, and the musical landscape both capitalizes on and contributes to this phenomenon.

This disproportionate focus on romantic love within music can, however, be detrimental. Most significantly, it overlooks the vast range of human experiences that do not involve romance. Alternative possibilities are endless: Discussions of personal identity, nostalgia, and life anxieties are just a few options. Love can also take many forms, like familial or friendship bonds, yet these relationships are dramatically underrepresented in songs. Romantic love is not the only experience that has the universal, emotional qualities that foster connection with listeners.

Interestingly, Disney songs and musical theater are major categorical exceptions to the love-theme phenomenon. Although both contain their fair share of love discussions, there is a significantly more even split among other subject matter — namely, personal growth. Yet this does not preclude these categories of music from having tremendous fan support, daresay a cult following. Think of hits like “Defying Gravity,” “My Shot,” “Go the Distance,” “How Far I’ll Go,” or “Let It Go.” These serve as prime counterexamples to the argument that only love songs are lucrative. Even in the realm of pop music, one can look towards non-love songs like “Lean On Me,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” or “Eye of the Tiger.”

This is not to say that the love song is obsolete. Love songs have played a vital role in culture across the world, even serving as a tool of subversion against repressive norms by promoting individual freedoms and autonomy. And certainly nobody can be held accountable for the inescapable trance that Adele’s “Someone Like You” casts on its listener.

An issue arises, however, when love is the only theme consistently represented in music. While it is true that sex and love sell, this reasoning is not sufficient to explain the industry’s reluctance to venture into other topics: There is an untapped musical market waiting for engagement, a wealth of experiences waiting to be explored in song. Being human does not center exclusively on romance, and it is time this fact is reflected in the musical landscape.

—Staff writer Julia Hynek can be reached at julia.hynek@thecrimson.com.