Power Pop Lovers

New Playlist Based On The Sub-Genre's Most Persistent Lyrical Trope

May 18, 2024

Love.

There may not be a universal definition for power pop, but most fans of the heavily-debated rock sub-genre can agree that songs about love (or luv) are a persistent trope. From infatuation to consummation and countless variations on those many-splendored themes, guitar-wielding tunesmiths have long been hooked on heartbreak.

Love songs have been around for centuries, but when it comes to power pop the origins of these impassioned platitudes could be traced back to The Beatles and their 1962 debut single featuring “Love Me Do” and “P.S. I Love You.” They weren’t the first or last rock act to write about love, but it’s definitely a running theme in their catalog.

One of The Beatles earliest compositions was “Love of the Loved” and the band went on to write and release a string of other L-word tunes including “She Loves You,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away,” “It’s Only Love” and “All You Need Is Love,” among others.

Sixty-plus years later, many musicians around the rock and roll globe continue taking lyrical cues from their Fab Forefathers—although personal life experiences are probably the greatest inspiration for any song about love, loss, longing and lust.

I was thinking about my favorite power pop songs with love in the title and before I knew it I’d created a Spotify playlist.

At 40 songs, I’d say this is a pretty solid overview of the genre in the last 50 years. The playlist starts with Phil Seymour’s “If You Don’t Want My Love” and includes other classic tracks from Big Star, Paul Collins Beat, Nikki & The Corvettes, Any Trouble and Elvis Costello, in addition to modern tracks from Kate Clover, Uni Boys, The Speedways, Hurry, and Young Guv—and plenty of others from the decades in between.

Some of the songs on this list came from suggestions in the Power Pop Overdose group on Facebook, but there are easily hundreds (thousands?) of other songs I could have added—which is where you come in.

I’m no purist when it comes to defining power pop, so if you have any favorites with love/luv in the title…drop them in the comments so we can all listen.

If Spotify Is Your Things, Give This Playlist A Like, Save, Share…Whatever

The third volume of our semi-annual music journal features some of today's best music writers and the most talented modern musicians:

Carl Cafarelli on Ramones
Jordan Oakes in Conversation with Paul Collins (The Nerves/The Beat)
Rich Tupica on Big Star's Radio City
Mary E. Donnelly in Conversation with Stina Tweeddale (Honeyblood)
Blue Broderick on The Apples in Stereo
Kevin Alexander on The Yellow Melodies
Dan Epstein on Redd Kross
Jim Ruland on The Last
James Harding on New Zealand Guitar Pop
S.W. Lauden on Weezer