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Whether it’s “Johanna” from “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” or “No One Else” from “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812,” love songs are quintessential numbers from the theatrical canon. With its emphasis on melodrama, musical theater as a form is particularly suited to love songs — the inherent suspension of disbelief allowed in a theatrical setting allows for greater expression of interiority. Thus, musical theater houses some of the most iconic and moving love songs of all time. This Valentine’s Day, enjoy some of the tunes listed below!
1. “If I Loved You” from “Carousel”
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II’s work brims with phenomenal love songs — but “If I Loved You” may be their most charming and moving number. “If I Loved You” spans a coy talk between millworker Julie Jordan and carousel barker Billy Bigelow as their connection blossoms. The song starts off as playful and flirtatious, but the heart of the song begins when the pair can’t help but describe how they would act if they really did love each other, all the while denying that they do. A swelling string section as well as a soaring vocal line perfectly compliment their descriptions of lovesickness. Jessie Mueller and Joshua Henry’s stellar vocal performances enhance an already wonderful number that will leave you swooning.
2. “Till There Was You” from “The Music Man”
Artists from “The Beatles” to Marvin Gaye have tipped their hats to “The Music Man” with covers of “Till There Was You.” That being said, a song only reaches that kind of beloved status for a reason. The song centers around the relationship of Marian, an Iowan librarian, and Harold Hill, a con man posing as a music professor. When Marian admits that Harold’s love allowed her to see the wonders of the world, she does so with lyrics that have now become iconic. Marian’s angelic voice flies through elegant lines such as, “There were bells on the hill / But I never heard them ringing / No, I never heard them at all / Till there was you.” In a lovely orchestral touch, brass instruments only join the lush violins when Harold begins to sing.
3. “Maria” from “West Side Story”
“West Side Story” captures Tony’s tidal wave of romantic infatuation with “Maria.” Amidst brewing racial tension between the two rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, Tony’s adoration for Maria sings with the magic of first love. The song begins haunting, with unseen voices echoing Maria’s name, before swelling and expanding as Tony cannot help but burst into song. Every time Tony repeats ‘Maria’ — a whopping 29 times throughout this ballad — the name grows in meaning. All that said, the most touching element of the song remains Tony’s sheer amazement and reverence as he says Maria’s name, again and again and again.
4. “Changing My Major” from “Fun Home”
“Fun Home” the musical is based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic,” which covers Bechdel’s progression into adulthood with specific focus on her sexuality and her relationship with her secretly queer father, Bruce Bechdel. True to its source material, “Fun Home” the musical balances humor and sorrow with deftness. Bechdel sings “Changing My Major” in the afterglow of her first sexual experience with Joan. This heartwarming song captures the youthful buoyancy and awkwardness with witty comparisons of sex to college. Despite the humor of the lyrics, the song is still heartbreaking as Bechdel admits that she thought her queerness would prevent her from ever experiencing such bliss. Watching her shed her insecurities over the course of “Changing My Major” makes you fall in love with Alison as she professes her love for Joan.
5. “I'll Cover You” from “Rent”
While many love songs in theater are grand and declaratory, “I’ll Cover You” decidedly is not. While Tom and Angel admit their strong affections to each other in “I’ll Cover You,” the tune is smooth and upbeat, while the lyrics are gentle and intimate. Jonathan Larson’s depiction of bohemian artists during the AIDS crisis captures the larger-than-life adventures of those living on the fringes of society. The refreshing optimism of the music reflects the beliefs that not only Tom and Angel, but the show as a whole hold: That love exists in the mundane, and mutual kindness can replace material goods. Tom and Angel give each other all that they have — devotion and generosity — and it is more than enough.
6. “Out of Your Head” from “A Bronx Tale”
“Out of Your Head” uses the peppy sound of 1960s doo-wop to create an extremely catchy duet. Ne’er-do-well Calogero and self-possessed Jane trade verses about admiring each other from afar, lamenting the fact that their different circumstances would never allow them to be together. Composer Alan Menken — no stranger to the doo-wop sound after his work on the acclaimed “Little Shop of Horrors” — fires on all cylinders to create a soundtrack perfect for bothdancing or pining after a stranger. When the song slows down and twists its chorus “Girls like her don’t happen to guys like me” into a defeat, it manages to tug at your heartstrings. Calogero’s quiet desperation in these final moments feels both sorrowful yet hopeful.
7. “All I’ve Ever Known” from “Hadestown”
“Hadestown” has beaten the odds to become a contemporary favorite. A Greek myth transformed to take place in a Great Depression-era factory town seems an unlikely candidate for a smash-hit musical — and yet it took home a mighty eight Tony Awards in 2019. Anaïs Mitchell’s fabulous blues and folk score imbues the story with authenticity while setting and story evoke fantasy. “All I’ve Ever Known” serves as a kind of reverse “Till There Was You,” as Eurydice admits to Orpheus that knowing him makes her preceding life pale in comparison. The gentle and soothing instrumental plucking compliments the newfound gentleness Orpheus brings to Eurydice’s life.
8. “Answer Me” from “The Band’s Visit”
Few musicals have the confidence to give a ravishing finale number to an unnamed bit character, but “The Band’s Visit” does so with ease. When Dina and Tewfiq, the main characters of the show, first meet “Telephone Guy,” a man who waits by the town’s only payphone hoping that his girlfriend will call him, he seems to be nothing more than a humorous bit of set dressing. Yet when the final song begins, it is “Telephone Guy” who sings of his longing. Eventually the entire town joins in, expressing their yearning in one climactic moment. Longing for human companionship brings this disparate community together, and as a treat, the phone finally rings for “Telephone Guy.”
