Twelve Love Struck Songs

It's that time of year again. The air is filled with love -- mostly snow and coldness, but love too. Valentine's Day is right around the corner, which means if you're feeling the love, whether single or in a relationship or "it's complicated," it's the perfect time of year to listen to those sappy love songs without feeling particularly judged.

So I've got a treat for you. Pop punk might be best known for angsty songs regarding growing up and also breakups, but the genre holds some of the best love songs I've ever heard. So in the spirit of Valentine's Day, here's, what is in my opinion, twelve of the best love songs in the pop punk and alternative genres.

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"Lucky People" | Waterparks

"I'll be your optimistic black hole / Full of love I can't control / Let's keep each other safe from the world"

Lead singer Awsten Knight described this song as "the most happy Jason Mraz-ass song you've ever heard" and that pretty much sums it up. With an aesthetic music video to match, this song is pretty bare instrumentally as well as production-wise. It's an acoustic ballad for the ages. Don't even get me started on those post-chorus harmonies. Knight really bore his sole on this one and in turn, created a beautiful love song -- like the one's he used to laugh at on his own.

"Lover of Mine" | 5 Seconds of Summer

"When I take a look at my life and all of my crimes / You're the only thing that I think I got right"

Lead singer Luke Hemmings wrote this song for and with his girlfriend. To be totally transparent, it's not the only song off their album CALM to be considered a love song, and the first song that might come to mind when I say that would probably be "Best Years." And yeah, okay that's a good love song too, but "Lover of Mine" hits more notes for me. To be completely honest, I can't even specifically tell you why. Perhaps it's the soft piano that opens the track, giving way to guitar chords and honest lyrics. Maybe it's the harmonies. Or the piano coming back in at the end. Or maybe it's because it's a love song that recognizes mistakes -- it's not a blind love kind of song. It's real and it's understanding.

"mother tongue" | Bring Me the Horizon

"So don't say you love me, fala, "amo" / Just let your heart speak up, and I'll know"

This is a song written about the kind of love that transcends the barrier of language. When lead singer Oli Sykes met his now-wife, she barely spoken English and he didn't speak Portuguese. This song is inspired by their connection and how they worked to make it work. Lyrically, it's a beautiful testament to the power of love. Instrumentally, it's different from other Bring Me the Horizon songs prior to their 2019 album amo. It relies heavier on programming than the usual electric guitars. But it matches the lyrics and their meanings perfectly, creating an almost anthemic-like song.

"Stay Gold" | PVRIS

"Hope you're here for life, if you're not, then there's no hate, but / But I pray to God every night, make sure that fate don't / Throw you to the fire, leave my side, and break the chains off"

"Stay Gold" is a track about preserving innocence of a relationship, no matter how long or short it may be. It's recognizing that what you have is something special, and even if it doesn't work out, there's no hate. That even if this relationship isn't forever, it doesn't deserve the same treatment that all the others got. This isn't the most typical love song of the batch, but it's got a strong beat and melody that makes you want to get up and dance. It's catchy and it's sincere. It may not be the most full of love out of these songs, but I'd be damned if it didn't get included. It's probably the most realist POV kind of love song here.

"If I'm Lucky" | State Champs

"You know that I'm looking for more than a pretty smile / And if I'm lucky you can stay for a while"

Call me cynical, but I don't always feel like I exactly believe in love. Or at least, I'm not sure I believe it exists for me. But the music video for this song makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It makes me believe that it exists. Lead singer Derek DiScanio wrote this song when he was 15 and it was the first song he ever wrote. It's written from the perspective of someone who doesn't feel like they deserve their partner and as the song progresses, they change their attitude, It's no longer "I'm just trying to find my place in this world / And I know it’s not so right to feel this way about a girl" to "I'm so glad I've found my place in this world / And it's so right to feel this way about a girl." It flips from being uncertain to optimistic and hopeful. It's a beautiful acoustic ballad. With a simple but endearing music video to match.

"You Had Me @ Hello" | A Day to Remember

"I've never seen a smile that can light the room like yours / It's simply radiant, I see it more with every day that goes by"

I can't even put into words how disappointed I am that I didn't know this A Day to Remember song existed until recently. It's a warm and fuzzy song. Originally released on their 2005 album And Their Name Was Treason (stylized as "You Had Me At Hello") and later on the rerelease entitled Old Record in 2008 (stylized as "You Had Me @ Hello"), it's about someone falling in love again when they never thought they would again. It's a simple song, different from the sound usually associated with A Day to Remember. It's emotionally charged and instead of portraying that through heavy guitars and drum beats that pound through the speakers, its emotion comes across through the simple acoustic guitar chords and the harmonies. Its lyrical content and vocals matches perfectly with the instrumentals. It's very, very early A Day to Remember, but it's very beautifully written.

"Goodnight Moon" | Go Radio

"It's hard to miss the way her eyes light up the room and steal the air"

It was nearly impossible to choose a lyric to highlight for this one. Go Radio's "Goodnight Moon" is a lyrically impeccable love song with the instrumentals to match. The song is now turning eleven years old, but when they started releasing music again in 2019, new music also came with a new recording of this classic. Truly, honestly, it's just a wholesome song -- I mean it references the children's book Goodnight Moon, so it technically has to be wholesome. It's a classic love ballad in every sense of the genre: the piano that breaks into this big orchestral sound at the bridge, and honest lyrics about real emotions with raw vocals to accompany. If this song doesn't make you feel things, you're either not in love, have never been in love, don't believe in love or you don't have a heart. Just saying.

"Fall For You" | Secondhand Serenade

"Because a girl like you is impossible to find"

What kind of person would I be if I only gave you basic love ballads? This song is from 2008, which feels like a lifetime ago. I'm not entirely sure how I found this song, but I'm pretty sure it was a song preloaded on my MP3 -- that, or one of my siblings put it on my MP3 without my knowledge. Either way, it has stuck with me, many, many years later. But it's a heartwarming song whose soft piano and simple melodies stay with you. It's a rollercoaster, depicting the ups and downs of the relationship. It depicts the fighting and the struggles the couple have had and how it's wearing on them, but they get through it together. It's not easy, as no relationship really is, and it takes effort.

"The End of All Things" | Panic! At the Disco

"In these coming years / Many things will change / But the way I feel / Will remain the same"

BAM! Another love ballad. I really don't have much to say about this one, I think it can do the talking for itself. If you somehow don't know this beautifully powerful ballad, "The End of All Things" is devoted to Brendon Urie's wife, and supposedly, it was written in lieu of wedding vows. It's somber sounding, and it's a very simple song: simple melodies, three piano chords, bare vocals with haunting harmonies. It's honest and confessional and it's a very, very beautiful love song.

"The Edge of Tonight" | All Time Low

"You keep me safe, keep me sane, keep me honest"

Originally written as a ballad, this song is something different all on its own. Its pounding drums is met with a beautiful but kind of haunting guitar riff. Lead singer Alex Gaskarth wrote this about those moments on tour when you're miles away from home and the only thing getting you through it is knowing there's someone you're going home to at the end of it all who really cares about you. It's a powerful song that is something bigger than just a simple ballad. And I'd be lying if I said "Chasing tomorrow with fire in my eyes" wasn't one of my favorite lyrics of all time.

"Pavement" | SayWeCanFly

"Honestly, I'm kinda hoping / You might be the Bonnie to my Clyde"

This song is about enjoying the moments with your partner. It's about making the most of the time you've got together, whether that's forever or not. It's about that feeling where you want to know everything about another person, about wanting to build them up, about wanting to share experiences with them. It's a lyrically beautiful song perfectly accompanied by a piano, a soft guitar rift, and drums.

"Two Punks In Love" | bülow

"Even though the years go by / Seasons change and flowers die / We're still rocking side by side / I'm still yours and you're still mine"

This was the first song by bülow I had ever heard, and it's now one of my favorite love songs. It's very distinct from the rest of her music. It's a very simple song, relying mainly on an acoustic guitar and her vocals, with beautiful strings and harmonies to back it. The song recounts hardship, depression and the years of friendship with her partner. Honestly, I don't know what else to say about it. It's written honestly, holding nothing back, and it's done so beautifully.