Musician’s share their favorite love songs from their own bands

Sure, we spend a lot of time waxing poetic about our personal favorite love songs (just check out the special in AP 344 for those), but what about your favorite band’s love songs that they have written? Many were eager to point out that in our sphere of the music world, they tend to be anti-love songs, but this list still has plenty of emo lovey-dovey feels to go around.

Taylor Lumley, Beartooth

Best love song from our discography is “Always Dead,” because fuck you.

Taylor Momsen, the Pretty Reckless

I don't know about “best,” but probably the most intimate love song we have written is the song “You” off of our first record Light Me Up.

Mike Protich, Red Sun Rising

“My Muse” is a song of ours from the perspective of a loved one watching someone struggle with addiction. The line is, “You'll keep going back and I know you will because I know you well, but I will always take you back cause I wish you well”—a different type of love, but love nonetheless.  

James Veck-Gilodi, Deaf Havana

I would have to say the best love song we have is “St Paul's.” Partly because it's pretty much the only love song we have. I'm not the best at writing love songs, so they are few and far between in our back catalogue, but I am proud of this song and I think it covers the main basis for a love song without being terribly cheesy. 

Brian Swindle, Have Mercy

My favorite love song from our discography is “My Oldest Friend.” It's a simple song but has lyrics that still to this day hit me hard.

Donovan Melero, Hail The Sun

I would say “Relax / Divide” is our best love song. Or maybe it's just the first one that comes to mind. I'm satisfied with the dark overtone of the final version. When I love someone so much, I get anxiety over things that haven’t even happened, because I am not sure how I could handle it if they did. That is part of what I try to illustrate in the song, along with realizing that something as simple as a phone call from that very person could end things just the same. 

Tyler William Ross, Being As An Ocean

We don't have any love songs in our discography; it seems like all our songs could only qualify as anti-love or heartbreak songs. Of those I think my new favorite is “OK,” which is about the ending of a relationship, but still a very beautiful track.

Patty Walters, As It Is

The closing song on okay. is the closest come to writing a love song. [“Still Remembering”] was actually written as if we were saying goodbye to our band. We wrote it when our doubts and fears about the album had gotten the best of us, when that idea felt much more like a terrifying inevitability. More generally, it's a song about losing something or someone that meant everything to you. It would make a much better breakup song than a love song, but it's still about love at the end of the day.

Ollie Baxxter, Broadside

I don't believe we have written a song I can proudly say captures my feelings about love. I do feel, however, that with this next record, we will. 

Mikey Carvajal, Islander

“Cold Speak” for sure. The chorus says, “Say what you mean, but always love.” It's about being honest in a gentle way while remembering to listen more than speaking.

Kyle Tamo, Colours

Photo credit: Dustin Smith
I think our song “Alone,” while emotionally dreary, has a very venerably romantic undertone.

Austin Dickinson, As Lions

Photo credit: John McMurtrie
As far as a love song for us goes, probably “White Flags.” It's not exactly a “love song,” but it is a song that's very much about pursuing what you love and not allowing yourself to yield to the challenge. The inspiration came from a picture of Everest that I saw—it had all of these white flags placed along the plateaus, it was a representation all of the people that gave up and turned back. It was a strong image, one that at the time, the beginning of a new band, really resonated with me. I choose to try and reach for my dreams no matter what, so to place a white flag in the ground is simply not an option! Do what you love, always!

Kenneth Downey, Too Close To Touch

In my opinion the most powerful love song on our discography is “Eiley.” It's not a typical love song but it does express, in a way, Keaton’s [Pierce, vocals] love for his sister. It is a testament of how strongly he feels for her and how he would give anything to have her back. Even his own life.

Joe Godino, the Menzingers

I think “Where Your Heartache Exists” is our favorite love song. I’m biased, though, because of how great I look in the video.

Blake Dahlinger, I The Mighty

We have a fair amount of songs about love and heartbreak, but the closest to a love song we have is my favorite song we've ever written. It's called “Slow Dancing Forever,” from our album Connector.

Jake Marquis, Sleep On It

In Sleep On It, I'm not even sure we've written a proper love song. Probably an older song of ours “Everything, All At Once” comes sort of close. We always touch on it, but it's usually in the past tense. Welcome to the broken hearts club. 

Nicolas Lopez, Capsize

I think the closest thing we have to a real love song is “This Song Made Me Think Of You,” and even though the way we relate to it has changed since it was first written, I think if I had to dedicate one Capsize song to a girl at a school dance, it would definitely be that one.

Sherri DuPree-Bemis, Eisley

My current favorite Eisley love song is our new single “You Are Mine.” I wrote the lyrics for my husband and it's one of the most honest love songs I've written. We've been married eight years this coming April, and, even if sometimes we drive each other nuts, we're obsessed with one another and deeply in love.

Sage Nicole, the Regrettes

As for my favorite Regrettes love song, “A Living Human Girl.” It’s not your stereotypical love song. It's about self-love. That's what makes it so special. It's the type of love song we don't get enough of in the surplus of of love songs in the music world. 

Simon Neil, Biffy Clyro

“Rearrange” is an apologetic love song. I'm basically saying sorry to my wife for all the shit she puts up with being married to me. I want her to know that without her I'd be nothing and I would do anything for her, even though I don't always show it.

Alex Gaskarth, All Time Low

I've never written super on-the-nose or stuff like that. Maybe “If These Sheets Were States” is one I really like as just a straight up I miss you/I love you kind of song.

Pete Wentz, Fall Out Boy

[We have] a bunch that are love songs. “Fourth Of July” is one I would go to. There's also one that's a hidden track on Folie À Deux called “Lullabies.” It's not a love song like a he-and-she love song, more of a love song for my first kid. But it's about just the love you can have for somebody. 

Brendon Urie, Panic! At The Disco

I would have said “End Of All Things,” but now I think it’s “Death Of A Bachelor.” It’s that sentiment of, ”I’m not going to be a bachelor anymore. I’m yours.” There’s always been that one sentimental love song on every album—except Fever…[those are] anti-love songs.