Noots Letter: Love You Like A Love Song
Noots Letter: Love You Like A Love Song
February '22
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The great news is that I’ve finally overcome my middle school Valentine’s Day trauma(s?), because I really appreciated February this year! Perhaps it was because of the few spring-like days that made us remember how the breeze feels on our ashen legs and a offered preview into this summer’s theme: making out. Or maybe it was the fact that many of my friends hard-launched their partners in excessively gushy ways! And then also sent me texts asking “How are you doing today? :/” on Valentine’s Day, to which I say, I’m great, just have no one to send my every waking thought and meme reference to, which is actually why I started this Substack, so if you’re reading this we are basically dating, thanks.
Whenever I find myself thinking that love is dumb and marriage is a scam, I then remember weddings are literally just parties where you force all of your best friends to listen to a playlist that you alone have curated. Trust me, I have tried this at… so many parties. Then I also remember how much I wept at that one scene in Crazy Rich Asians where Kina Grannis sings “Can’t Help Falling In Love”……… I… okay. I get it.. I guess… couldn’t be me but happy 4 u……
I’d like to birth a conspiracy theory right here right now that whenever the divorce rate begins rising, the wedding industry (Big Wedding) commissions the music industry (Big Music) to write a massive hit song about marriage. Some examples include “Marry You” by Bruno Mars and “Marry Me” by Train. There’s simply no way these artists could have birthed such sterile songs without a bribe from either The Knot, Hallmark, or the GOP.
Now, when couples reach the dance floor, the most popular First Dance song list is topped by none other than Big Wedding’s number one pawn, Ed Sheeran. This dude is absolutely SMASHING weddings with “Thinking Out Loud” and “Perfect”. According to this list, Sheeran is joined by John Legend’s "All of Me", Adele’s "Make You Feel My Love", and an alarming amount of Jason Mraz and Michael Bublé (who is getting married and participating in this survey??). Basically anything by Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and Etta James is also a guaranteed tearjerker, as it should be.
I can’t wait to hear what Gen Z will be walking down the aisle to—a violin instrumental of “Kiss Me More”, à la Bridgerton? A stripped down version of “Levitating” by Dua Lipa, as popularized by human-personification-of-cursive-singing, Peter McPoland?? A white man with an acoustic guitar covering “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”??? I am refusing to look this up right now, but/because I know it absolutely exists.
In researching some of the greatest love songs of all time, I found that many hits come from film soundtracks: The Bodyguard & Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You”, Titanic & Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”, Ghost & Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody”. And we shan’t forget the most emotional of art forms and the cringiest thing I’ve dedicated my entire life to: Musical Theatre. Those heaux can write a love song so good that it will leave you writhing on the floor because your little pea brain cannot process how someone else’s human brain composed the most beautiful sound in the world. “No One Else” from Great Comet? “Say It Somehow” from Light in the Piazza? “One Second and a Million Miles” from Bridges of Madison County? (I’m working on this next month, come see for yourself!)
As Mr. Rogers—and subsequently Sylvan Esso—said, There are many ways to say I Love You. And mine, as you all know, is sharing playlists. Check them out below to continue keeping the flame alive <3
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Love You Like A Love Song - Some alternative tracks to add to your romantic rotation if you’re feeling mushy! But in a totally chill/cool way.
weird part of the night - This is for the return of the post-game after a night out and for the disco ball tiles in your Amazon shopping cart.
best worst person - You know a movie is good (or bad?) when you have talk about it in therapy. These are my favorite tracks from the film that I can’t stop breaking down to. Here’s the full playlist if you want to sink further into the depths of despair.
22:22 - It was 22:22 on 2/22/22 this month and I about lost my mind! (Special thanks to Emily for suggesting “twoty-two” as a title for this playlist, it’s a phrase I now cannot stop saying!)
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Mitski, Laurel Hell: You can all give up now, there simply will not be any competition at the end of the year for my favorite album. If you’re into lyrics about existential dread, late capitalism, and unrequited love laid over ‘80s synths, you’ve come to the right place. Watch Mitski break down all of her absolutely unskippable tracks in this video.
Bakar, Nobody’s Home: Bakar has had a number of breakout singles recently, so I’m thrilled for his first full-length debut album in 4 years. We love indie/R&B/rock/rap genre-bending, and we love a noticeable North London accent. One! To! Watch!
Shamir, Heterosexuality: Shamir is the true Renaissance Man—according to his Twitter bio, he is a “musician, actor, comedian, singer, rapper, producer, chef, writer, filmmaker, skinny fat ass. DEMON”. Outstanding. Far from his breakout pop hit “On the Regular” in 2014, this latest album muses on queerness and race over gritty guitars. Read more about his inspirations and various involvements here.
Special Mentions/Good Reads:
Beach House, Once Twice Melody: Pitchfork Interview
Khruangbin & Leon Bridges, Texas Moon: Billboard Feature
Hurray for the Riff Raff, LIFE ON EARTH: NPR Interview
Lavender Country, Blackberry Rose: ABC News Article
Sasami, Squeeze: New York Times Piece and an iconic text from my mom—
