Valentine’s Day is undoubtedly a polarizing holiday – your coupled friends love it, the singles among us can’t stand it and people in situationships dread it. However you plan to spend this Friday, here are a few songs to get you through it, courtesy of Arts & Life.

Listen along to the Spotify playlist while you read: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1WxRpVfPAv3EeCFsp24Ctn?si=6bfd133f39434eb3

“I Know You Know” by Esperanza Spalding – Madisyn Cunningham

The days – sometimes even months, if you’re like me – leading up to a romance are sometimes even better than the romance itself. The shared looks, sly hand grazes; it feels good to know that your object of desire feels the same way you do, even if neither of you is ready to say it just yet. You rave to your friends, deluding yourself into thinking that you’re reading too much into it, but deep down, you know all you have to do is confess and you’ll get what you want.

“I Know You Know” perfectly captures this giddy feeling. Esperanza Spalding’s vocals glide over a memorable bassline and jazzy backdrop to immerse listeners into the magic of the early stages of a crush. Whether you have a partner that still manages to make you blush, an unrequited crush with whom you hope to escape the friend zone or a weird “more-than-friends” dynamic with a friend that you’re unsure about, Spalding’s track is the perfect listen for this Valentine’s Day.

“Love Somebody” by Maroon 5 – Joanne dePierre

There’s something undeniably bittersweet about wanting someone you can’t quite have – or maybe just not yet. When I first heard this song at 10-years-old, I didn’t think much of it. But now, “Love Somebody” is the kind of song that captures the longing, the hesitation and the hope that maybe, just maybe, things will work out. Adam Levine’s smooth vocals glide over an atmospheric pop beat, giving the song a dreamy yet urgent feel, like reaching out for someone who’s just beyond your grasp.

Whether you’re pining after a crush, stuck in the gray area of a situationship or reminiscing about a love that almost was, this track puts words to the feeling of wanting more. And hey, Valentine’s Day isn’t just about the picture-perfect romances; it’s about all the messy, complicated emotions in between. So if you find yourself caught in that in-between space this year, let “Love Somebody” be your anthem. 

“Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps” by Doris Day – Ellaheh Gohari

The theme song of situationships everywhere, Doris Day’s 1960s banger “Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps” is as catchy as it is relatable to anyone unlucky enough to be stuck in the period between a flirtationship and a relationship this Valentine’s Day. Balancing a coy flirtation with an overwhelming wish to hear those three special words, Day begs her mysterious beau to admit his true feelings or leave her for good. Her rich, colorful vocals, paired with an iconic and expressive beat, paint the perfect tale of desire that goes hand in hand with the inherent uncertainty of love. 

Her plea is perhaps a bit too relatable to our generation’s style of dating, but the addictive confidence that drips from each lyric can inspire you to define your relationship once and for all. And hey, whether you end up dancing the night away with your newfound love or enjoying the single life in style, at least you’ll have moved past the purgatory of perhaps, perhaps, perhaps!

“Lover, Come Back to Me” by The Harvard Krokodiloes – Garrett Khatchaturian

The Stanford of the East has produced some great musical talent from Leonard Bernstein to the always-hilarious Tom Lehrer, but I have a personal soft spot for the Krokodiloes, Harvard’s oldest all-male a cappella group. When I found their rendition of one of my favorite jazz standards, “Lover, Come Back to Me,” I was instantly hooked. No other song can really encapsulate the feeling of looking back on a past love and reflecting on what was. I also recommend Mildred Bailey’s recording if you desire a little more heartache.

The Krokodiloes add a modern spin to this classic that takes the pain of Stanford dating away for exactly three minutes and six seconds, just long enough to remember why we search for love in the first place. The rest of the Kroks’ “Serenade in Green” album has a love song for everyone, from “L-O-V-E,” (Track 9) the Nat King Cole classic, to their own rendition of Duke Ellington’s “Mood Indigo” in “Ellington!”  (Track 5).

“sing about love” by Fousheé — Blyss Cleveland

Love is a little word that represents a big emotion, yet we have no shared definition of what it means. It can be the best or worst feeling in the world, and this is especially true on Valentine’s Day. Fousheé’s “sing about love” is a downtempo 90s R&B track that captures a wide spectrum of emotions with respect to matters of the heart. After an unhurried and ambient intro, an electronic snare drum kicks in at 40 seconds and serves as the steady heartbeat of the song. With lyrics like “It’s been since forever, swore I would never / I’ll probably regret this, but now / Oh, I, I can finally sing about love again,” Fousheé adopts the posture of someone who was once lovelorn, now cautiously optimistic about falling head over heels while stumbling down a new pathway. The long outro contains a message of hope for the lonely hearts among us. The pitched down vocals and promise to always return a missed call adds more complexity to the song’s meaning — maybe the most important relationship to cultivate is the one we have with ourselves, even if romance isn’t going our way. No matter how you interpret “sing about love,” don’t sleep on the live rendition. It’s even better than the studio version.

“You Were Meant For Me” by Gene Kelly — Ananya Navale

And then there are the dream dwellers like me: we grew up on movies and music videos and fairytales and all that mushy stuff that people say is never going to happen. Well, I refuse to believe that, and so does Frank Sinatra. For those hopeless romantics at heart, the rain is a magical sort of weather, reserved for dancing and for those who can appreciate its beauty. The eccentricities and subtleties of life stand out as signs that our wishes may yet come true one day. Falling in love will be the most natural thing in the world, no coffee or small talk necessary — we’ve been waiting for it our whole lives.

“Singin’ in the Rain” is one of the most fabulous romantic stories of Hollywood’s Golden Age, an ideal way to pass time in this glorious weather and the perfect invitation to embrace the world in the present, sans lovers if applicable. Perhaps you might find the person who is meant for you, perhaps not. In the meantime, just grab an umbrella and a positively sunny outlook (ironically) and enjoy all the imperfections of life. Dance your worries away, and qué será será… You might get a little wet, but isn’t that just the most romantic thing ever?

“Kill the Director” by The Wombats — Cate Burtner

Whether I am engrossed in a piece of music, literature or visual art, I’m a sucker for a good premise. The Wombats’s 2007 alternative/indie rock song “Kill the Director” certainly fits that bill. The singer is a sort of “character,” a man in love with a woman, and his romantic life is not going well. He opens with, “I’ve met someone that makes me feel seasick,” and later laments, “Don’t talk to girls, they’ll break your heart.” The catchy verses rock hard, and really make you feel for this guy, but it’s the chorus that ties it all together (and makes the song’s title click):

“If this is a rom-com, kill the director.” 

“Kill the Director” is silly and fun, but I love its self-awareness, too: “So with the angst of a teenage band / Here’s another song about a gender I’ll never understand.” This guy is down bad, out to lunch or both. This memorable tune is perfect for anyone feeling especially tormented this Valentine’s Day. Alas, sometimes the Rom-Com Director Gods are just not in your favor.