Sadie: My pick is Father John Misty’s (J. Tillman of the Fleet Foxes) “Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins).” This is a pick for anyone else who looks at Valentine’s Day through cynical eyes. Father John Misty approaches the typical love ballad with a subversive and sarcastic sense of humor. There are sweeping mariachi horns, a violin and biting lyrics about the absurdity of modern love. On a side note, I want the album art tattooed on my back.

Melissa: This week I’ve chosen “Scorpionfish” by Beatenberg. I love the imagery Beatenberg creates in their lyrics. It’s a love song that doesn’t pretend to have answers or predictions for the future; it promises no happy endings, just a fun time being with a complex and confusing scorpionfish. It makes me feel happy.

Alternatively:
Melissa: I’m picking “Smoke Break” by Chance the Rapper. It’s not a classic love song, but I think its sentiment is one of the most romantic around. The whole song is about loving your partner and wanting to make them feel appreciated. What more could a person want.

Sadie: MELISSA PICKED A SECOND SONG SO I AM PICKING A SECOND AND THIRD! I can’t think of many things more evocative than the two opening measures of Otis Redding’s “These Arms of Mine”. Alternatively, Sufjan Stevens (2005 never ends!) gently confesses that love underscores romance in “Casimir Pulaski Story.” Stevens and Redding couldn’t be more different in terms of style, but they both humbly get at that heart-wrenching honesty we turn to music for.