Nothing but love is a song!

Beyond being in love

What’s notably intriguing is how many songs, while often classified as love songs, unpack entirely different narratives. Take The Beatles’ Penny Lane — a snapshot of Liverpool life — or The Police’s Every Breath You Take, which is frequently misread as romantic, but is about obsession and surveillance. Similarly, The Weeknd’s Can’t Feel My Face describes the highs and lows of addiction. Bruno Mars’ Marry You, which might seem like a verse about commitment, is more about carefree spontaneity.

Face the music

Why are so many artists moving away from time-privileged romantic hooks? Is music becoming a graver inquiry into the human experience, where love is less about sentiment and more about moments like clutching a crumpled letter, breathing unevenly, and reading through tears?

Indie artist Raaj Soni believes the absence of romance in love songs comes from artists writing about how they imagine love should be, or how they picture it, rather than drawing from their lived experiences. “Love itself is a subjective topic and everyone has their definition of love. That’s where the challenge for artists lies: While some people will connect deeply with an artist’s unusual perspective on love, others might not. This dichotomy pushes artists to pour their heart and soul into their music, giving it even more dominion and realism,” he says.

Disorientation

Our attempts at love — a concept that often seems elusive — can mirror the progression many artists take with their music. The bare, introspective words of Adele in Someone Like You reveal a bottomless sense of unresolved acceptance, embracing the brokenness of love rather than presenting it as a neatly tied-up narrative. Sufjan Stevens’ Fourth of July personifies the entanglement of grief and recovery, conceding that life’s weaknesses are an essential part of our reality, rather than something to be fixed or completed.

“Artists have begun to write about their unpretentious trials rather than idealising how they wish to live or forming fiction. Accuracy is what resonates with their audience. Traditional love songs often follow a predictable formula: A boy and a girl fall in love, exalt their happiness, and dance with a crowd of extras in the background. That era had its time, but as with all things, it must evolve. It’s simply the way of nature,” Raaj adds.

Detail and subtlety

“Due to impulsive contrasts in love and relationships, the intent of expressions has also changed,” says singer-songwriter Akbar Alam, and adds, “Artists open up about heartache, lack of confidence, and relationships with great detail and subtlety. They explore the emotional anguish and the unprocessed sorrow that comes with it. They scour the delicate state of self-worth and the uncertainties that arise during insecurity. Moreover, they illustrate the mixed dynamics between people, encompassing the highs of intense bonds as well as the miscommunications that can occur. They try and provide a baritone and sometimes reflective examination of humanity, self-improvement, and connections.”

Rethinking romance