{"id":17888,"date":"2024-01-01T09:38:31","date_gmt":"2024-01-01T14:38:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/?p=17888"},"modified":"2026-01-20T16:58:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T21:58:06","slug":"best-and-worst-romantic-song-lyrics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/takenote\/best-and-worst-romantic-song-lyrics\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best (and Worst) Romantic Song Lyrics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-intimacy-imagery-and-pronouns-shape-great-romantic-songwriting\">How Intimacy, Imagery, and Pronouns Shape Great Romantic Songwriting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In my opinion, the best romantic song lyrics come from my teen years, the iconic recording by the Flamingos of \u201cI Only Have Eyes for You,\u201d written by Harry Warren, a romantic song that still holds up today. It begins with a Tin Pan Alley Introductory Verse, then spins out in the traditional Standards form, AABA:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-flamingos-i-only-have-eyes-for-you\">The Flamingos \u2018I Only Have Eyes for You\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Flamingos &quot;I Only Have Eyes for You&quot;\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nrzusdilnKQ?start=20&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\"><strong>Introductory Verse:<\/strong><br>My love must be a kind of blind love<br>I can\u2019t see anyone but you<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\"><strong>A:<\/strong> Are the stars out tonight?<br>I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s cloudy or bright<br>I only have eyes for you, dear<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\"><strong>A:<\/strong> The moon may be high<br>But I can\u2019t see a thing in the sky<br>I only have eyes for you<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\"><strong>B:<\/strong> I don\u2019t know if we\u2019re in a garden<br>Or on a crowded avenue<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\"><strong>A:<\/strong> You are here and so am I<br>Maybe millions of people go by<br>But they all disappear from view<br>And I only have eyes for you<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>So much to love here\u2014no pun intended!\u2014like the use of sense-bound language. Even though<em> I<\/em> sees nothing but <em>you,<\/em> listeners see a bounty of romantic images: stars, clouds, sun, moon and sky, gardens, streets and crowds. And the listeners will supply each of the images from their own sense memories, Kensington Gardens, The Fens in Boston. So the song will be about their world, about them! That\u2019s the power of using sense-bound language. It makes them see their own stuff!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/courses\/lyric-writing-writing-lyrics-to-music?campaign_id=7010Z000001ZkQgQAK&amp;pid=&amp;utm_source=takenote&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bol-gen-takenote-article-link-pattison-romantic-songs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">TAKE &#8220;LYRIC WRITING: WRITING LYRICS TO MUSIC&#8221; WITH PAT PATTISON<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first two verses are three lines long, the odd number of lines, by itself, creating a feeling, a sense of longing. Because the odd number is unbalanced, it forces forward motion, the first verse pushes into the second verse,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\">Are the stars out tonight?<br>I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s cloudy or bright<br>I only have eyes for you, dear<br>The moon may be high<br>But I can\u2019t see a thing in the sky<br>I only have eyes for you<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>The second verse continues the feeling of romantic longing, leaning forward, moving into a two-line bridge with a shorter second line,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\">I don\u2019t know if we\u2019re in a garden<br>Or on a crowded avenue<br><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>The shorter second line again leans forward, the imbalance moving us into the third and final verse. Note that <em>avenue <\/em>doesn\u2019t rhyme, that is, not until the first syllable of the final verse,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\"><em>You<\/em> are here and so am I<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>The last verse is balanced. Finally, an even four lines and\nan <em>aabb<\/em> rhyme scheme making it feel\nresolved, solid, tying a ribbon on the whole intimate experience. Here\u2019s the\nresolution, the final truth:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\">You are here and so am I<br>Maybe millions of people go by<br>But they all disappear from view<br>And I only have eyes for you<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>Dancing close to a slow 12\/8, you\u2019ll see and feel it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/courses\/lyric-writing-tools-and-strategies?campaign_id=7010Z000001ZkQgQAK&amp;pid=&amp;utm_source=takenote&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bol-gen-takenote-article-link-pattison-romantic-songs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">TAKE &#8220;LYRIC WRITING: TOOLS AND STRATEGIES&#8221; WITH PAT PATTISON<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ed-sheeran-perfect\">Ed Sheeran \u2018Perfect\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ed Sheeran - Perfect (Official Music Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2Vv-BfVoq4g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of 12\/8, Ed Sheeran gets my prize for cheesiest romantic song with \u201cPerfect.\u201d Imagine dancing with Ed while he whispers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\">Well I found a woman, stronger than anyone I know<br>She shares my dreams, I hope that someday I\u2019ll share her home<br>I found a love, to carry more than just my secrets<br>To carry love, to carry children of our own<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>Wait, is he talking to me? <em>About<\/em> me? Is he breaking up with me because he found someone else? Hmmm. The song bounces back and forth between using the third-person pronoun <em>she<\/em> and second-person pronoun <em>you,<\/em> a pretty bumpy conversation right from the start:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\">I found a love for me<br>Oh darling, just dive right in and follow my lead<br>Well, I found a girl, beautiful and sweet<br>Oh, I never knew you were the someone waiting for me \u2026<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>It feels odd, in the intimacy of a love song, to be talking <em>to <\/em>me and <em>about <\/em>me at the same time. Because third-person pronouns create a more factual, more objective world, they pull us away from the warmth and closeness so necessary in a love song. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another factor also damages the intimacy of the song: he\ntells <em>you<\/em> stuff that <em>you <\/em>already knows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\">When you said you looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath<br>But you heard it, darling, you look perfect tonight<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>Or,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\">We are still kids, but we\u2019re so in love<br>Fighting against all odds &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>In real and intimate conversation, the point is to reveal,\nnot to recite what we both already know. Then, there\u2019s this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\">Darling, just hold my hand<br>Be my girl, I\u2019ll be your man<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, I know <em>man <\/em>rhymes with <em>hand,<\/em> but really? You\u2019re a girl and I\u2019m a man? I thought we were still both kids \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I doubt I\u2019ll ever get over this line:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse\">Baby, I\u2019m dancing in the dark with you <em>between my arms<\/em><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p>Ouch! It\u2019s such an adventure, trying to picture you <em>between <\/em>my arms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All in all, maybe \u201cPerfect\u201d isn\u2019t the cheesiest love song ever, but it has to be top 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-makes-a-great-romantic-song\">What Makes a Great Romantic Song?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Romantic songs need to feel intimate. The most intimacy you can create lives in Direct Address (I, you) and Present Tense (carried by your verbs). Look again at \u201cI Only Have Eyes for You.\u201d The song continually addresses you in the present moment, even asking questions along the way. And its use of images asks listeners to access their own sense memories, involving them in the song. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-best-romantic-song-lyrics-have-intimacy-and-images\">The best romantic song lyrics have Intimacy and Images.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Happy Valentine\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/online.berklee.edu\/courses\/lyric-writing-writing-from-the-title?campaign_id=7010Z000001ZkQgQAK&amp;pid=&amp;utm_source=takenote&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=bol-gen-takenote-article-link-pattison-romantic-songs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">TAKE &#8220;LYRIC WRITING: WRITING FROM THE TITLE&#8221; WITH PAT PATTISON<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn why the Flamingos \u201cI Only Have Eyes for You\u201d has the best romantic song lyrics of all time, and why Ed Sheeran\u2019s \u201cPerfect\u201d is, well, not perfect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":17942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,9566],"tags":[8641,8714,844,853,7350,8715,1318,7320,8713,1545],"class_list":["post-17888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-songwriting-articles","tag-ed-sheeran","tag-i-only-have-eyes-for-you","tag-love-songs","tag-lyric-writing","tag-pat-pattison","tag-perfect","tag-songwriting","tag-songwriting-advice","tag-the-flamingos","tag-valentines-day"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.8 (Yoast SEO v25.8) - 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