5 Most Romantic Valentine’s Day Love Songs of Our Millenium
The Best Post-2000 Love Songs and to Dedicate on Valentine’s Day 2022
Last week we published an article with our selection of the five best and most classic romantic songs to dedicate on this special day to someone we love.
The list contained timeless classics from the second half of the last century, which you can find here.
Oftentimes music is so magical that a song perfectly encapsulates how we feel: the words and mood of a song can allow us to express what we could have never explained in words ourselves.
And we knew that Valentine’s Day could have been an awesome opportunity to have the perfect romantic song to share love with our significant other…
However, we also know that feeling of not finding the really perfect song.
Have you ever listened to a “golden-oldie” knowing it’s a timeless music masterpiece, and yet it just doesn’t feel quite right?
Perhaps because it describes things in an old-fashioned way. Or maybe it feels too “cheesy” and “typical” to send someone a song by Frank Sinatra.
Whatever it is, something doesn’t quit work.
Well, for everyone who has been in the same circumstance, we decided to follow up from our previous article with a new selection of Valentine’s Day love songs: the best Valentine’s Day love songs of our current millenium, along with their best choir interpretations.
Good luck finding your love anthem, and happy Valentine’s Day!
1. The Luckiest (Ben Folds, 2001)
“And in a white sea of eyes
I see one pair that I recognize
And I know that I am
I am, I am the luckiest…”
“The Luckiest”, sung from Ben Folds, was originally written for the 2000 movie Loser (directed by Amy Heckerling) but consequently removed from it along with the scene it was written for. It then made its way that year onto Ben Folds' album “Rockin’ the Suburbs” (2001).
It is a remarkably sweet and delicate song, becoming even more emotional in the choral adaptation of the group VOCES8.
2. A Thousand Years (Christina Perri, 2011)
“I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more…”
This is a love song purposefully written for a love story: for Twilight fan Christina Perri, landing a track on the soundtrack for Breaking Dawn was a dream come true.
In fact, Perri wrote the song based on the emotions that she felt reading the tortuous but tenacious love story between Edward and Bella throughout Stephenie Meyer's book series.
"When I first read the books, like everybody else I fell in love with the love story between Edward and Bella," Perri told Yahoo! Movies.
She then told MTV News how she ran “straight home” after attending an early screening of the movie - during which she was “crying the whole time” - to pen the song.
"I tried not to get hyped out, because it's one of my favorite movies, one of my favorite books, one of my favorite soundtracks, and that could potentially freak out the little songwriter in me.
So I tried to put that aside and take it one step at a time, went to see the movie and cried like a baby, because it's so good, and I felt so lucky to be there. And then went home and wrote a love song to Edward and Bella... and to have it be chosen, I'm unbelievably honored."
This Valentine’s Day we want to bring to you this moving Gospel Choir version of the song.
3. All of Me (John Legend, 2013)
“Cause all of me,
Loves all of you,
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections
Give your all to me
I'll give my all to you..."
In this heartwarming ode to love, John Legend returns to his piano-driven roots.
The song is addressed to the singer's fiancée Chrissy Teigen, who - as John Legend told Digital Spy - cried the first time he sang this song to her.
Legend married Chrissy Teigen on September 14, 2013 in Como, Italy and sung this song to his bride during the nuptials.
Legend explained to Fuse:
"The song is saying things that balance each other out: even when I lose, I'm winning; my head's under water, but I'm breathing fine; I give you all of me, you give me all of you. At the same time as you're giving everything up, you're gaining everything, and that's what the whole song is about. If you're in love and you connect, then even when you're giving things up, you're gaining so much from it."
For this song, we selected the intimate choral interpretation of the Stellenbosch University Choir, arranged by André van der Merwe.
4. Never Be Enough (from The Greatest Showman, 2017)
“All the shine of a thousand spotlights
All the stars we steal from the night sky
Will never be enough
”Never be enough…
This pop ballad was written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and is performed by Rebecca Ferguson as the character Jenny Lind (a Swedish virtuoso singer) in the 2017 movie The Greatest Snowman. However, the belting ballad is actually dubbed by Loren Allred, who made it to the top 20 on season three of The Voice US.
The catchy love song helped the film have the UK's longest-running No. 1 soundtrack in 50 years.
Our favorite choir version of this beautiful and romantic love song is the one by Stellenbosch University Choir, arranged by Tom Anderson.
5. Perfect (Ed Sheeran, 2017)
"Baby, I'm dancing in the dark with you between my arms
Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favourite song
When you said you looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath
But you heard it, darling, you look perfect tonight…"
Another truthfully love-filled romantic song is the waltz-time “Perfect”, written by Ed Sheeran for his old school friend and girlfriend Cherry Seaborn.
Sheeran penned the tune solo with the goal of writing the biggest song of his career.
"I just wanted to beat “Thinking Out Loud” he told Beats 1's Zane Lowe. "I wanted to beat “Thinking Out Loud” because I know that song was gonna define me.”
He was determined to write another timeless love ballad because “when you have one song like that you're that artist but when you have two or three songs like that that's when you start to be like Van Morrison."
Between December 1 and 15, 2017, Sheeran released two new versions of the song for digital download, respectively titled “Perfect Duet” (performed in collaboration with Beyoncé) and “Perfect Symphony” (performed in a duet with the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli).
We have selected for you this choral a cappella cover by the Official Anthem Lights choir:
Do you want to do a Valentine's challenge with this song? Then be sure to check out our Tik Tok and instagram channels!
Join the INTERKULTUR newsletter
Festivals, Choir Competitions, Sing Along Projects: Learn more about special performance opportunities with the free INTERKULTUR newsletter.