Ah, Valentine’s Day. In the
post-Super Bowl haze, it’s easy
to lose sight of this celebration of
romance and love because, well,
we’re still blissfully celebrating
our beloved champions. But other
kinds of love exists outside the
green-and-silver heart-shaped
bubble we’re all cocooned in right
now. There’s love that’s true and
pure, love that inspires the likes of
“The Notebook” and Mona Lisa,
the kind of love that makes Super
Bowl babies.

But you don’t get that kind of
love from scaling lamp posts on
Broad Street together (well, that
last one might be the exception).
This is how that love story love
happens:

1: The Meet Cute
Past Lives: BORNS
“Lost love is sweeter when it’s
finally found/I’ve got the strangest
feeling/this isn’t our first time
around”

It’s that movie moment every
romantic dreams of: you lift your
gaze, you say hi, and within a second,
you know you’re supposed to
be with this person. They almost
feel familiar in a way you can’t
explain. Don’t worry, BORNS
can. By the last catchy refrain,
you’ll believe in soul mates.

2: Falling for Each Other
Lottery: Jade Bird
“You used to tell me/Love is a
lottery/And you’ve got your numbers/
and you’re betting on me”
So you and the object of your
affection are flitting around each
other, pining while you hide your
true feelings…like chumps. So instead,
you’re sitting there, talking
about the dates you’ve gone on
with other people. As masochistic
as this is, Jade Bird finds a way to
make it really bearable by putting
it to some pop guitar.

3: First Date
First Date: blink-182
“I dread the thought of our very
first kiss/A target that I’m probably
gonna miss”
One of you fools decided to end
the denial dance and actually ask
the other out on an actual date! At
a movie/restaurant/some activity
that involved the two of you
spending quality time together!
This is not Netflix and chill nonsense,
this is as thrilling as it is
terrifying. And this Blink classic
completely captures that.

4: Being Together
Cupid’s Chokehold: Gym
Class Heroes
Ah, the honeymoon phase. Y’all
are in a rose-colored world of
your own design, where nobody
can do any wrong. You’ll sing
your partner’s praises to anyone
who’ll listen– especially your
parents. Travis McCoy does just
that here, rapping to his mom
and dad about how his girlfriend
cooks him pancakes and gives
him alka-seltzer when his tummy
aches. “If that ain’t love, then I
don’t know what love is.”

5: Being…“Together”
Get You (ft. Kali Uchis): Daniel
Caesar
“Every time I look into your
eyes I see it/You’re all I need”
We’re all adults here, people,
so even if you haven’t had any
real-world experience with this
part of dating, it does happen.
No, I’m not talkin’ the bump and
grind of those wham-bam-thankyou-
ma’am hookups. This is
much deeper, more real than that.
This is being so blown away by
someone thinking enough of you
to not only be with you, but to be
with you. That’s why you’re being
given the greatest slow jam in the
history of slow jams. Use wisely.

6: The Cracks
III. Telegraph Ave. (“Oakland”
by Lloyd): Childish
Gambino
“I’m nervous, truth be told/I
never saw me growin’ old/In
Oakland”
Sometimes, a good thing can
seem too good. So you start
tripping yourself up with where
this whole relationship is going,
are you ready for commitment–
y’know, things that you should
probably discuss with your significant
other before you spiral down
a freak-out hole. But if you’re
gonna go down that rabbit hole,
Alice, at least Childish can give
you some mellow Cali vibes for
the fall.

7: First Fight
Waste of Time: Snow Tha
Product
Insecurities always, always,
always lead to fighting. Because
insecurities lead to stupidity, like
being paranoid about who your
partner’s talking to, or avoiding
them. (Helpful hint: neither of
those are viable solutions.) Snow
Tha Product is not a woman to
suffer fools nor their foolishness–
and if your partner is anything
like her, they are probably going
to call you out before walking
away.

8: Fork in the Road
Surrender: Natalie Taylor
“My love, where are you?”
Natalie Taylor takes all the
heartbroken hopelessness from
the aftermath of the fight and puts
it in this simple, sincere plea.
There’s no fanfare, no big sweeping
orchestration or catchy beat.
It’s sparse– only a guitar, some
snaps keeping the beat, and her
whispering vocals. It’s clear that
there’s a choice to be made about
where this relationship is going.

9: Option 1 – The Break Up
Ex-Factor: Lauryn Hill
“It could all be so simple/But
you’d rather make it hard…See I
know what we’ve got to do/You let
go/And I’ll let go too”
Sometimes, there’s just no other
option– but that doesn’t mean it’s
easy. The incomparable Ms. Hill
perfectly captures just how hard
it is to leave somebody you’ve
loved, especially after the two
of you have continually tried
to make it work. The lyrics, the
vocals, the beat, the ending guitar
solo, are sonically stoic sadness:
you know this is for the best, you
just wish that wasn’t true.

10: Option 2 – The Make Up
Stronger than You: Estelle
“Go ahead and try and hit me
if you’re able!/Can’t you see that
our relationship is stable?”
Sometimes, though, you figure
it all out! You reunite and commit
to overcome any obstacles that
come your way, especially the
haters. British pop singer Estelle
is Garnet, a fusion gem character
from Steven Universe– and while
I can’t break that down for you
here (or my love for that wonderful,
thoughtful cartoon), just know
that being a fusion is the most
important relationship any of the
characters can have. This song is
a triumphant celebration of that
relationship. May it be one for
yours, too!

*BONUS TRACK: God Only
Knows – Beach Boys*
This Beach Boys standard has
been voted the #1 love song of
all time in a myriad of polls. It’s
been used at countless weddings
and anniversary parties. And it
may have the most brutally honest
opening line about romantic
relationships of all time: “I may
not always love you.” Brian
Wilson’s classic is a reminder that
no matter how a relationship ends,
the people we date impact who
we are, who we become, and the
paths our lives take. For that, they
become a part of us that we take
with us, whether they’re with us
for the ride or not. That’s the trick
with love: being in love can end,
but love itself doesn’t. And that
makes love as annoying as it is
beautiful.

Mixes are so much sweeter than
candy hearts. Find this playlist on
Spotify by searching for “AM#4:
Love Story”.