For the past two years, I have put video games, board games, and other nerdy pursuits aside on this day to share some of my favourite love songs with you. Why stop now when there’s so many more love songs to cover?

In case you’re interested, here are the songs from years one and two. Let’s add a few more love songs to the In Third Person Valentine’s Day playlist!

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Craig David – “Fill Me In”

“We were just doing things young people in love do/Parents trying to find out what we were up to”

As a Canadian, the UK garage vibes of Craig David caught me by surprise. Quite literally, actually. My TV alarm woke me up to the sounds of Craig David’s “Fill Me In” playing on the TV station Much More Music. I had never heard that particular mix of electronic, pop, and R&B before and I liked it. Weaving in between an acoustic guitar and two-step drums, Craig David sings about young forbidden love. Up until we’re like 18 (or 35 depending on how strict your parents are), it’s all forbidden in our parents’ eyes, amirite?

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Al Green – “Let’s Stay Together”

“Let’s stay together/Loving you whether times are good or bad/Happy or sad”

You already know this one! An absolute classic, Al Green soulful tone carries this beautiful song about being with the one you love no matter what. Even though the song is almost 50 (!) years old at this point, the song’s sincerity and sound still pull heart strings in the same way it always did.

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Olivia Rodrigo – “drivers license”

“You said forever now I drive alone past your street”

Oh, you thought I wasn’t up on the new stuff? While I have zero interest in keeping up with the so-called-love-triangle-that’s-probably-just-a-marketing-ploy-to-promote-the-new-season-of-the-show-they-all-star-in, this power ballad cuts insanely deep. In particular, that line about driving by a former lover’s place is just too real (even if the drama might not be).

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Prince – “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World”

“You’re the reason that God made a girl”

In recent years, I’ve made more of an effort to learn more about Prince’s work. Purple Rain as an album is an absolute musical landmark – even if the movie it was made for was…just okay. But when I think about the subject of love, I gravitate towards his song “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.” Released in 1994, it still shines as a beautiful ballad to the one you love.

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Weezer – “Only In Dreams”

“But when we wake/It’s all been erased/And so it seems/Only in dreams”

The finale of Weezer’s Blue Album is a extended tale of a love that isn’t real. Waking up to realize that all of the lovey-dovey feelings you just felt weren’t real and realizing you’re still the same miserable person you were before you went to sleep absolutely blows and is way too relatable. Even with the song’s lengthy run-time, I almost always listen to it from front-to-back for the full heartache.

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Charli XCX – “Boys”

“I wish I had a better excuse like/I had to trash a hotel lobby/But I was busy thinking bout boys”

“Boys” by Charlie XCX is a simp anthem. Set behind a bouncy beat, she sings about her life coming to a complete standstill because she’s too busy dreaming about boys. I don’t think this song made too much noise at the time of its release, but it’s one of my favourite pop songs of the 2010s and a fitting track for all the simps on Valentine’s Day!

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Whomever you’re simping for, I wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day!

And of course, I can’t go without wishing the one I simp for harder than anyone else a Happy Valentine’s Day as well. Love you more Steff ❤