Valentine's Day, Vol. 2

This coming Sunday brings upon us one of the Top 3 Candy Holidays of the year - Valentine's Day. I know this time of year that there's a sect of people who start grumbling about having a day "dedicated to love," and why can't we celebrate love every day of the year? Duh, we can, it's just fun to buy/be given pink, red, and white candy and flowers and things like that. My husband and I always keep Valentine's Day really low key since his birthday is in the same week, but we always make sure to at least do dinner and just enjoy each other's company. So for this "Hallmark holiday," let's see what our second playlist for Valentine's Day has in store.

Cinderella by Daughtry (written by C. Daughtry, T. Gad)

Featured on Daughtry's 2013 album Baptized, this song is just cute and fun and a little more on the realistically romantic side. Told from the perspective of a husband convincing his busy wife to go out with him for a night of fun, this track is a definite bop. I find it really relatable personally - sometimes you just need reminding from your partner that it's ok to cut loose and have fun sometimes, and that no matter where you are in life they still love you.

Dressed in rags, you’re scooping litter from the cats/I thought we had someone for that, but by the looks of things, you fired the maid again/Yeah I confess, I know the floor won’t clean itself/And you’re worried half to death about the things that just won’t matter in the end/Take off those shoes, looks like you could really use a glass slipper/Yeah, I know it’s been a pisser, so one strong zipper might suffice/Come on girl, I’m begging please, get off your knees, I got the keys/And I’ll pick you up at midnight in my suped up pumpkin ride/‘Cause you’re my Cinderella, we’re two birds of a feather/I’ll even sing to you a cappella, you’re so hella good looking tonight/My Cinderella, whenever you need some shelter/We can stand under my umbrella together, need no fortune teller to see it’s forever with you/Oh, I know it’s forever with you

So This Is Love by Ilene Woods & Mike Douglas (written by A. Hoffman, J. Livingston, M. David)

The love song duet from Disney's 1950 Cinderella is so sweet and romantic that I can't help but love it. Cinderella and Prince Charming have just met at the ball and experienced love at first sight (LAFS? Should we make that a thing?), and Cindy's inner monologue starts singing about how she'd always heard about love but was in no way prepared for what it would actually feel like. Whether you've experienced/believe in LAFS or if it took you and your current partner a little longer to figure out, I don't think anyone really forgets how it feels the minute you realize you're in love with someone.

So this is love, mmm, so this is love/So this is what makes life divine/I’m all aglow, mmm, and now I know/The key to all heaven is mine/My heart has wings, mmm, and I can fly/I’ll touch every star in the sky/So this is the miracle that I’ve been dreaming of/Mmm, mmm, so this is love

When You Say You Love Me by Josh Groban (written by M. Hammond, R. Scoffield)

Featured on his 2003 album Closer, this song is not only a beautiful love song but a shining example of just how good Groban's vocals really are - I mean damn. He narrates the experience of being told he's loved by his partner, and the amount of emotion and power he puts into the vocals is no joke. Naturally this experience varies for everyone, but whether your love language is words of affirmation or not, it's always nice to be told you're loved by someone you love back.

Like the sound of silence calling, I hear your voice and suddenly I’m falling/Lost in a dream/Like the echoes of our souls are meeting, you say those words, my heart stops beating/I wonder what it means/What could it be that comes over me/At times I can’t move, at times I can hardly breathe/When you say you love me/The world goes still, so still inside and/When you say you love me/For a moment, there’s no one else alive

My Chick Bad by Ludacris ft. Nicki Minaj (written by C. Bridges, D. Davidson, O. Maraj, S. Lindley)

I know what you're thinking - yes, we took a bit of a hard left turn in terms of theme from the first three songs but I promise there's a reason. Featured on Ludacris's 2010 album Battle of the Sexes, this song was actually what my husband and I did our garter toss to at our wedding. My husband has always been a big Ludacris fan, and this was one of the songs we would sing obnoxiously to in the car when we would go on dates because we both liked it so much, so when we had the idea to have this play at our reception we immediately jumped on it. Yes it's goofy, yes it's over the top, but that's kind of how our relationship has always been too so for that, I will always have a good time listening to this song.

I’m saying my chick bad, my chick hood, my chick do stuff that your chick wish she could/My chick bad, badder than yours, my chick do stuff that I can’t even put in words/Her swagger don’t stop, her body won’t quit, so fool, pipe down, you ain’t talking ‘bout shit/My chick bad, tell me if you seen her, she always bring the racket like Venus and Serena/All white top, all white belt, all white jeans, body looking like milk/No time for games, she’s full grown, my chick bad, tell your chick to go home/My chick bad, my chick hood, my chick do stuff that your chick wish she could/My chick bad, my chick hood, my chick do stuff that your chick wish she could/My chick bad, badder, badder than yours, my chick bad, badder, badder than yours/My chick bad, badder, badder than yours, my chick bad, badder, badder than yours

Shade by Maren Morris (written by M. Morris, N. Hemby, S. Johnson, T. Johnson)

I know I talked about her just a few months ago on a Diva Spotlight, but I just really love Maren Morris and her blending of country and R&B sounds. Featured on Morris' 2019 album GIRL, these lyrics showcase finding the perfect person to be complementary to you and yet be your perfect match. The song has a great groove to it and again is super relatable to people who have found their "perfect matches."

I stand out like neon on the darkest night/Everything looks clearer looking in your eyes/It could be the fall, it could be the spring, baby, you look good with everything/I’ve tried other designs, and boy you fit just right/Baby, baby, you’re my color/Custom made/Think I finally discovered/You’re my perfect shade

Come Back...Be Here by Taylor Swift (written by D. Wilson, T. Swift)

If you know my blog by now, you probably know I'm going to attempt to fit in Taylor Swift anywhere that I possibly can. Featured as a bonus track on her near perfect 2012 album Red, I remember having speculations when I heard his song for the first time that it was about her relationship with Harry Styles but that's never been confirmed. She sings about the very early stages of a relationship that she's honestly afraid to put too much of herself into in case it doesn't go anywhere, and as the song progresses she's having to come to terms with the fact that her feelings for this person are in fact real. It's beautiful and a little sad but weirdly a little hopeful at the same time.

You said it in a simple way, 4am, the second day/How strange that I don’t know you at all/We stumbled through the long goodbye, one last kiss, then catch your flight/Right when I was just about to fall/I told myself don’t get attached, but in my mind I play it back/Spinning faster than the plane that took you/And this is when the feeling sinks in, I don’t wanna miss you like this/Come back, be here, come back, be here/I guess you’re in New York today, I don’t wanna need you this way/Come back, be here, come back, be here

Rewrite the Stars by Zac Efron & Zendaya (written by B. Pasek, J. Paul)

This is without a doubt the most romantic song on the entire soundtrack for 2017's The Greatest Showman - everything about the entire scene is just so beautifully done it makes my eyes go all annoyingly misty. Zac & Zendaya's voices blend together really well, and they both acted out the characters' emotions so well throughout the whole song that it was hard to bring yourself back to reality and remember that neither Phillip nor Anne are real people who got to live happily ever after. It's moving, it's captivating, and it's a love song, so here it is.

You think it’s easy, you think I don’t want to run to you/But there are mountains and there are doors that we can’t walk through/I know you’re wondering why, because we’re able to be just you and me within these walls/But when we go outside, you’re gonna wake up and see that it was hopeless after all/No one can rewrite the stars, how can you say you’ll be mine/Everything keeps us apart, and I’m not the one you were meant to find/It’s not up to you, it’s not up to me when everyone tells us what we can be/How can we rewrite the stars, say that the world can be ours tonight

Whether you're going out for a socially distanced dinner or staying inside this year, I hope you have an excellent Valentine's Day with whoever you choose to celebrate it with. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!