“Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.” William Shakespeare’s Romeo seems to have romance all puzzled out. His method goes something like this: find someone beautiful and, if they don’t love you back, find someone else who is even more beautiful, and surprise-serenade them when they least expect it.
Perhaps my opinion of Romeo is harsh, but the depth of his love for Juliet seems no deeper than a tide pool in an ocean, a Middlebury dining-hall shallow bowl amidst the ACTUAL bowls (you know which I’m referring to). As obvious as it may seem, love is not found in that hottie at KDR or Atwater (well, if you’re lucky, it could be love). Love is found in understanding others, exploring the world and accessing the inner parts of ourselves that we wish to grow. Love is that friend that would leave Super Lab to come comfort you, love is that reading you did on Greek religion that really interested you, or that General Tso’s chicken you ate at Proc last night. Love is taking five minutes out of your day to call your grandfather or to meditate. It’s nebulous, it’s beautiful, it’s ambiguous — and it’s everywhere all the time.
People, especially artists, seem absolutely infatuated — I may even go so far as to say, “in love” — with the idea of love. Shuffle play your Spotify playlist and you’ll likely hear one of three things: a love song, a sad song about losing love or an angry song about a broken heart. While this isn’t always the case, we can’t deny tortured artists have had their fair share of love stories, and they channel this emotion into their music.
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I bring to you the artistic representation of love in all its forms — platonic, romantic and self-love — through music and film. Whether or not you had a Valentine, it’s not too late to appreciate love’s omnipresence in our lives here on campus.
Love films worth watching:
· Palm Springs
· Kate and Leopold
· 500 Days of Summer
· How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
· Leap Year
· Pride and Prejudice
· Romeo and Juliet (1968)
· Notting Hill
· The Wedding Planner
· Say Anything
· Eat, Pray, Love
· When Harry Met Sally
· 13 Going on 30
· Never Been Kissed
· Music and Lyrics
· Moonstruck
Love songs worth listening to:
· Friday I’m in Love: The Cure
· Daylight: Taylor Swift
· Better Man: Leon Bridges
· Called to Tell You: Theo Katzman
· Japanese Denim: Daniel Caesar
· Daisy Jane: America
· All of Me: John Legend
· Better Late Than Never: Ariel Posen
· Love You for a Long Time: Maggie Rogers
· Make You Feel My Love: Adele
· Can’t Smile Without You: Barry Manilow
· Biggest Part of Me: Ambrosia
· Martha My Dear: The Beatles
· I Will: The Beatles
· In My Life: The Beatles
· Georgia: Vance Joy
· Let’s Stay Together: Al Green
· Make It With You: Bread
· There’s Little Left: Bruno Major
· Nothing’s Missing: By the Coast
· Just What I Needed: The Cars
· Softly: Clairo
· Kiss on My List: Hall and Oates
· Hallelujah: HAIM
· Angel: FINNEAS
· I Only Have Eyes for You: Sinatra and Count Basie
· Never Fade: Jack Johnson
· I’ll Come Too: James Blake
· Something in the Way She Moves: James Taylor
· Hypotheticals: Lake Street Dive
· You Are: Lionel Richie
· Dead Sea: The Lumineers
· Forever in Blue Jeans: Neil Diamond
· Take A Chance With Me: NIKI
· Anyway: Noah Kahan
· Do Friends Fall in Love?: Rachael and Vilray
· You Send Me: Sam Cooke
· Loved by You: Samm Henshaw
· Only Growing: Stephen Day
· You Are the Sunshine of My Life: Stevie Wonder
· Beige: Yoke Lore
As you embark on your exploration of love, I encourage you to use the journey to reflect on the reasons behind the choices you make in your everyday life. What motivates you to study what you study? What about your friendships makes you smile? Why do you love your partner? A Ray Bradbury quote comes to mind: “Love is the only reason to do anything.” Romeo may have loved Juliet (I personally believe he just thought she was hot), but love is more than the star-crossed lovers trope: It is a motivator, a connector and a reflection of who we are.
