Greatest Love Songs Ever: Honorable mentions
By Tom Quiner, Board President, Pulse Life Advocates
I will announce the number one love song ever next Saturday, February 14th, Valentine’s Day, at Chuck’s Restaurant in their backroom. Des Moines’ favorite chanteuse, Gina Gedler, will sing selections from my list of the 52 Greatest Love Songs Ever. She’ll be backed by Nate Sparks on keyboards.
We might even have a few guest performers!
Would you like to come? Seating is very limited. The room holds about 50 to 60 people max. We have a few spots left. RSVP and let me know so we can do a headcount. Attendees can order off the menu and sit back with a glass wine to enjoy some of the greatest songs ever. We’ll pass the tip jar for our musicians.
There’s a loose schedule: Drinks at 6:30 … music begins at 7. People can order off the menu whenever they want, and we’ll be out of there by 9. But come and go as your schedule permits.
If you can’t make it, my final blogpost in this series will run February 15th. And I’ll put together a Spotify playlist of all 52 songs the week after that.
The goal of this project is simply to spread a little love. Love is the antidote to abortion. Beautiful love songs put us in touch with our humanity and help us think of others more than ourselves.
However, 52 love songs just isn’t enough. I have so many other songs that I love that didn’t make the cut, but they’re worth mentioning.
So here are wonderful songs worthy of honorable mention, in no particular order:
Ray Charles sings “They Can’t Take That Away From Me”
by George & Ira Gershwin
Tony Bennett sings “He Loves, She Loves”
by George & Ira Gershwin
Johnny Hartman sings “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning”
by David Mann & Bob Hilliard
Jordan Donica sings “On the Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady by Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Loewe
Nat King Cole sings”Embraceable You”
by George & Ira Gershwin
Liza Minelli sings “The Man I Love”
by George & Ira Gershwin
Diana Krall sings “Just the Way You Are”
by Billy Joel
Ironically, Joel wasn’t a fan of this song and didn’t want it included on The Stranger 1977 album. He thought it was too cheesy. Nonetheless, it went on to become one of his top five hit songs and won the Grammy Award for song of the year. I like Diana Krall’s version best.
Marisa Monte and Nouvelle Cusine sing “Bess, You Is My Woman Now,” from the opera, “Porgy and Bess”
by George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward & Ira Gershwin
“Porgy and Bess” bombed when it premiered in 1935. But a decade after George Gershwin’s untimely death, it gained a new following and is now considered the greatest American opera ever written.
“Golden Lady” by Stevie Wonder
“Can You Feel the Love Tonight”
by Elton John & Tim Rice
“My Cherie Amour” by Stevie Wonder
I’ll be back next week for the final installment of this series, the 52 Greatest Love Songs Ever, with my personal #1 favorite love song.
Shoot me an RSVP (tom@bmi-info.com) if you’d like to come to Chuck’s Restaurant in Des Moines’ Highland Park neighborhood next week to hear selections from this list, including the #1 greatest love song ever!
If you can’t make it, my final blogpost goes up on February 15th.
Remember, love is the antidote to abortion. Spread the love by listening to more of these love songs!
