They’re playing our song – cheesy lyrics can make or break true love

Music is incredibly evocative. Hearing a particular song can transport you back in time. It can stimulate all of your senses. Sometimes, a piece of music can be so powerful that it comes to represent the best (or worst) times in our lives. This is particularly true of love songs. Whether they remind you of a "butterflies in your stomach, being around someone who makes you feel all tickly inside" kind of love, or a "your heart just got ripped out and you’ll never stop aching" kind of break-up, most of us associate memories of our significant relationships with certain pieces of music.

You may be participating in a ceremony to mark your commitment to your partner, or simply rekindling passionate memories. Inarguably hearing a live band or a jukebox playing “your song,” can be an incredibly moving experience.

The key is to pick a really good song to be “your song.”

This is an area in which many couples make mistakes - mistakes that can lead to miscues, heated arguments and in severe cases, bitter separations.

Here are a few tips about choosing an appropriate song to represent your love relationship:

1. Make sure that you and your partner both know the song and agree on it’s special meaning. One of the most common mistakes that people make when choosing a song is to have one partner choose it without informing the other person. Later, driving in the car when the song comes on the radio, you turn sentimental and say, “Awww… they’re playing our song,” and your partner says, “That song? I hate that song.” Another romantic moment dead and gone.

2. Make sure you know the lyrics. There are few things more pathetic than looking deep into your lover's eyes and provocatively mouthing, “we can be as two and set fire to the sun,” to an LL Cool J song only to learn later that the lyrics are actually, “so you can bug-a-loo and set fire to your buns.”

3. Make sure the song can withstand the test of time. In 1997, hearing Celine Dion belt out “My Heart Will Go On” sent chills up your spine. Now it makes you want to kill yourself. As a general rule, if a song is played on the radio more than 30 times in an hour for three months straight, it’s not a good choice. And if it’s sung by an artist or band members who are under the age of 18, steer clear. It’s unlikely that New Kids on the Block, Aaron Carter or the little drummer boy from Hanson will really have a handle on the emotions you feel towards your partner fifteen years into the relationship.

4. Avoid songs with creepy or disturbing implications. Nothing kills the mood faster than songs about murder,

“I knew I’d miss her/So I had to keep her/She's buried right in my back yard” Used to Love Her by Guns N' Roses

songs about sex with minors,

"She's only seventeen/Daddy says she's too young, but she's old enough for me” Seventeen by the then 28-year-old lead singer of Winger

songs about stalking,

“Every game you play/Every night you stay/I'll be watching you”Every Breath You Take by The Police

or sexually explicit songs that leave nothing up to the imagination.

"Swingin' in there/Cause she wanted me to feed her/So I mixed up the batter/And she licked the beater" Cherry Pie by Warrant

5. Avoid songs that feature someone’s name if that’s not your name or the name of your partner. It makes no sense for Dwayne and Chris to be snuggling up to a song about Melanie, Sarah or Jennifer.

You can check out some of the more popular love songs here. But don't leave this decision up to sappy Internet geeks or cliche-loving strangers. Few things can be as personal as this. So give it some thought... take your time and then be sure to tell all of us so we can make fun of you.... What’s “your song?”

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Posted by Jenn on May 11, 2006 12:37 PM
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