Though Valentine’s Day often means spending time with that special someone, not everybody finds their person at the same speed. While you can’t hurry love, it doesn’t hurt to look for it. So, while you wait, here are some classic rock songs that encompass different stages of having a crush: the good and the bad.
“A Thing About You” – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Despite sitting at just over three minutes in length, the Heartbreakers pack a blow into this driving relative deep cut.
Petty’s yearning vocals toward the top of his register inject the lyrics with a building emotional tension that is released by Mike Campbell’s ripping guitar solo.
The lyrics themselves are about a pure crush, one that doesn’t “pass with time” but rather grows and becomes incurable as the singer falls deeper in love with the subject.
“I’ve Just Seen a Face” – The Beatles
“I’ve Just Seen a Face” may not be as memorable as other love songs on the album “Help!” such as “Yesterday” and “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away,” but it’s the most positive song on the record by far.
A song about love at first sight, Paul McCartney’s lyrics discuss being drawn back to a person immediately after the first time you meet them and sit perfectly on top of a skiffle-inspired instrumental of layered acoustic guitars.
“Sleeping With the Television On” – Billy Joel
A hidden gem on an album full of iconic singles, “Sleeping With the Television On” tells the story of a person too shy and too scared of the person they’re interested in to make a move.
With bright new wave organ and a punchy performance from drummer Liberty DeVitto, coupled with a sarcastic television sign-off, the music largely covers Joel’s grim outlook on his chances with the subject.
Joel laments that he wished he was less of a thinking man and “more a fool who’s not afraid of rejection.” Instead, Joel’s inability to act and the subject’s refusal to let their guard down may leave them both alone that night and “Sleeping With the Television On.”
“I’ll Wait” – Van Halen
This synth-heavy rocker details singer David Lee Roth’s infatuation with a model featured in a Calvin Klein ad.
The larger feeling of obsessing over a celebrity crush is far more relatable than “Diamond Dave’s” crush, even if Roth could probably get closer than any of us ever will.
Still, Eddie Van Halen provides both a ripping synth and guitar solo. Add Michael Anthony and Van Halen’s soaring backing vocals, and the disappointment of a futile celebrity crush becomes an easier pill to swallow.
“Please Let Me Wonder” – The Beach Boys
“Please Let Me Wonder” features one of Brian Wilson’s most poignant performances, with the somber emotion in his vocals coming through clear as day.
A set of Mike Love’s finest lyrics, they beg a love interest not to reveal their true feelings, as the singer feels relief in being unsure of how the other truly feels. He prefers to sit with the image of their relationship in his head rather than the reality of the situation; a desire for hope that is quickly fading.
Carl Wilson and Glen Campbell’s shimmering 12-string guitars and the typically gorgeous Beach Boys vocal harmonies leave the track as one of their most ethereal works.