Greatest Love Songs Ever: #1 “Love is Here to Stay”
The best love song written by the greatest American composer was his last. George Gershwin died unexpectedly of a brain tumor at the age of thirty-eight. He composed the music for “Love is Here to Stay” shortly before his death in 1937.
What a love song for the ages!
Gershwin hadn’t gotten around to notating the music for the verse by the time of his death. He had played it as a piano solo at various parties he attended, so between his brother, Ira, and other musical friends who had heard him play it, they were able to reconstruct the music. Thank-goodness they did, because it is my all-time favorite love song in my countdown of the 52 Greatest Love Songs Ever.
Ira Gershwin, George’s brother and lyricist, added the timeless text to the song in 1938 to surprisingly little fanfare. “Love is Here to Stay” didn’t really take off and become a standard until the 1951 all-Gershwin musical, “An American in Paris.”
Transcendent love
Ira’s lyrics transcend the usual scope of a love song, as they refer to his love for his brother, George. Read them through that prism:
“In time the Rockies may crumble,
Gibraltur may tumble,
They’re only made of clay,
But, our love is here to stay.”
Poetic words like these describes the timelessness of love, whether a lover, a child, a parent, or a sibling.
As I’ve lamented in earlier postings in this series of the 52 Greatest Love Songs Ever, the verses that set up so many of these great songs are often excluded in recordings. Ira’s lyrics on “Love is Here to Stay” are a perfect example:
“The more I read the papers,
The less I comprehend,
the world and all its capers,
And how it all will end.
Nothing seems to be lasting,
But that isn’t our affair;
We’ve got something permanent,
I mean in the way we care.”
The message is, if anything, even more relevant in 2026 than in 1938 (and should always be included in any performance). We certainly have no shortage of capers, with non-stop cable tv, social media, and A.I. adding fuel to the fire.
Ira invokes the technology of his age:
“The radio, and the telephone, and the movies that we know,
May all be passing fancies and in time may go.”
Indeed, they are all passing fancies in the scheme of life.
Love is what matters. Love gives our life meaning. Love is here to stay. Here is a song that proclaims it with such grace:
“It’s very clear,
Our love is here to stay.
Not for a year,
but ever and a day.”
So many great artists have sung “Our Love is Here to Stay.” I particularly like the Tony Bennett/Diana Krall duet at the top of the page. A couple of others are worth hearing:
Gene Kelly sings “Love is Here to Stay”
This wonderful movie revived “Love is Here to Stay.” Although Kelly’s vocal chops are just okay, he makes up for it with his dancing!
Michael Feinstein sings “Love is Here to Stay”
Michael Feinstein has unique insight to the Gershwins. When he was in his early twenties, Ira Gershwin hired him to catalog a treasure trove of Gershwin brother music. He’s gone on to become a highly regarded performer, advocate, and historian of Gershwin music.
The Gershwin brothers are my favorite songwriters. George produced an amazing body of work in such a short lifetime. “Love Is Here to Stay” sums up his legacy with such beauty, that eighty-eighty years later, we can safely say “it’s here to stay.”
I hope you’ve enjoyed this series. Pulse Life Advocates asks you to join us in ending abortion. Love is the antidote to abortion. So spread a little love today by sharing this series with your friends. And if you’re able, please donate to our pro-life outreach. Thank-you for reading.
