Whether you’re single or in a relationship, there is no avoiding the most ‘romantic’ day of the year (even if you want to!). Reminders that Valentine’s day is upon us are everywhere you look and for those of us who have a loved one, we may decide to celebrate Valentine’s day in the traditional way with cards and flowers, chocolates and champagne or perhaps a trip to a favourite location for a romantic break away. However, for some of us, the thought of sitting in a restaurant, forced to be google-eyed and soppy for a day we may feel is commercialising love and relationships, might just not be our thing.

Whatever your views on February 14^th, there is one thing that can’t help but touch our emotions and pull on the heart strings no matter what time of year. For centuries, music has been used to profess and speak of matters of the heart through generations of genres and styles. A highly controversial and startling explanation of the genesis of love songs can be read in Denis De Rougemont’s thesis ‘Love in the Western World’, where he explains that the ‘love’ song was developed from the early courtly songs of the troubadours and that these songs represented their rejection of the historical Christian notion of love.

Wherever the love song originated, we’d like to ‘keep it light’ and turn your thoughts to the sounds that evoke love, romance and to celebrate Valentine’s day and the ever-evolving art of music for love. We have found 5 number 1 hits, still played and remembered for turning up that inner-flame and getting in the mood for ‘amour’ as well as sourcing some interesting facts about how they reached number 1.

5 – Baby Love – The Supremes
When Baby Love reached the top of the charts in 1964, The Supremes became the first Motown act to have 2 number 1’s, with their previous single “Where Did Our Love Go?” also achieving pole position.

4 – Part-time Lover – Stevie Wonder
This 1985 hit was penned by Wonder and to his own admission, was heavily inspired by two of The Supremes Motown hits ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’ and ‘My World Is Empty Without You’. This was his 9^th number 1 and the first single to top 5 different billboard charts.

3 – This Guy’s in Love with You – Herb Alpert
In 1968, Herb Alpert sang this Burt Bacharach / Hal David number to his wife on a beach in Malibu in a CBS TV special. The very next day, the network was hounded with calls from viewers, requesting to purchase the ditty. A day after, A&M released it as a single and it became the label’s first number 1.

2 – Greatest Love of All – Whitney Houston
In 1986, this Michael Masser and Linda Creed composition for the film ‘The Greatest’, a Muhammad Ali biopic, was released as a B-Side for Whitney’s first Arista single. Months later, radio airplay propelled it out as the fifth single from Houston’s debut album.

1 – Endless Love – Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
This 1981 classic was originally composed by Lionel for producers Jon Peters and Franco Zeffirelli for the film “Love Story”. Originally requested without lyrics, later Zeffirelli changed his mind and asked not only for lyrics but for a female voice to be added, “someone like Diana Ross”!

This is just a tiny selection of the hundreds, if not thousands of love songs, heralded over the years to evoke both happy memories of love as well as the agony of heart break. You’ll have your own thoughts on what Valentine’s day means to you and whether you’ll be celebrating it with a smile or through gritted teeth. One thing is for sure, there is no denying that there is an iconic love song out there for all of us and we’ll be asking you what YOUR favourite love song is on our Facebook @blueauraspeakers, so keep an eye out for the post, we’d love to hear from you.
In the meantime, if you are considering spending Valentine’s day evening in, listening to some smooth tunes to get you in the romantic state of mind, why not consider a look at our extensive range of high-tech, valve amplification, wirelessly connective sound systems? With the ability to play music through our systems using your iPhone or device, CD, TV or Vinyl, there has never been so much choice when it comes to sourcing and listening to the very best music, whether current or old-school.

For more information on our valve tech products, visit our products page at http://www.blueaura.co.uk/products and who knows, if you’re panicking about what to buy your loved one for Valentine’s, there may be one or two gift ideas in there, if you hurry!