Romantic songs and I go a long way back. When I was growing up, discovering the magic of romance and romantic music, we used to listen to our music on those 78 rpm LP’s and the 45 rpm records, and to get the latest hits, tune in to static filled radio stations broadcasting them. That is how I got my quota of popular songs, so full of romantic sentimentality, like ‘You Don’t Bring Me Flowers Anymore’, sung by the gloriously voiced Barbara Streisand and Neil Diamond, the sultry voice of Karen Carpenter singing ‘I Won’t Last a Day Without You’, and the sensuously splendid voice of Elvis Presley crooning ‘Love Me Tender’.

Even today, when I slip a CD full of romantic songs into my CD player, the music and the lyrics can take me back to a cherished time, making instantaneous connections to places and times full of evocative memories. So here is a compilation of what I think are the top 10 popular romantic songs of all time. Of course, the nature of choosing romantic songs has to be subjective, since each of us will have different choices, depending on our own special times, places, and music.

Hello – Lionel Ritchie: This is such a beautifully romantic song, sweet and moving. Sung so mellifluously by Lionel Ritchie, this song came out in 1984, climbing to the number one spot on the UK Singles Chart and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Although I didn’t care much for the second stanza of the song, however, when I listen to it today, I go all soft and mushy as I listen to the opening stanza:

“I’ve been alone with you inside my mind
And in my dreams I’ve kissed your lips a thousand times
I sometimes see you pass outside my door
Hello, is it me you’re looking for?” Read the rest of this entry »