It’s 2021 and we all just want to be spoilt. 
Luckily, it’s almost the day where spouses, partners and friends-with-benefits-who-secretly-want-more all hold their breath and hope to receive a token of LOVE. This token has to not only say  “I love you”, but also “I know you”. (Subtext: If it’s not the price of two months of rent, clearly you don’t care.)
We kid! 
There’s also the thoughtful types who show love through words and homemade gifts (you also count! Sorta…)

To the thoughtful types – perhaps you’re finding yourself in a predicament, wondering what to write on a card to your beloved. You want to paint a picture of passionate love with words but you’re just not that poetically-orientated…
The Tonemamas got your back! What better way to quote from the people who’ve spent years trying to perfect the expression of love? Calling all songwriters please!
And even better – we’ve skipped all the big songs that you already know (our hearts just don’t go on anymore, Celine Dion) and gone straight to the local, unheard and smaller artists.
Now you get to be thoughtful AND original! #bestpartner prize goes to you, the person reading this.
Let’s get started:

For the lover you haven’t spoken to in a while

1. Dream, “Clairmont the Second”

You haven’t spoken in a while and you wonder: do they still think of you? (Of course, they do- you’re unforgettable). This easy-going contemporary R&B track gives all the deep feels…who doesn’t want to hear that someone from their past has “got some love for you here always”? We want to hear it #callingpasttonemamalovers

For the long-term lovers

2. Nanuk, “Family Song”

Ah, good old relationship weight. 
When the initial honeymoon phase starts simmering and you start spending Friday nights watching Netflix and eating Ben & Jerry’s together. You might not overdo it with the PDA as much as there’s nothing to prove anymore. That might scare some folks, but British artist Nanuk captures the beauty of this level of comfort. PDA or no PDA, hot bod or dad bod…you are loved until death do you part.

For those whose love is transparent

3. Lianne La Havas, “They Could Be Wrong”

Maya Angelou gave us golden wisdom when she asked mothers around the world, “Do your eyes light up when they walk into the room?”. The same can be said for a romantic partner – when they walk in the room, what do you do? Sigh and immediately put your headphones in? (No judgement, sometimes they can irritate the heck out of us). But for those who do feel seen every time, show some appreciation with Lianne La Havas’s gorgeous indie ballad appreciating the simple gestures.

For those whose love is political

4. Fab the Duo, “Our Love is Resistance”

Sometimes love defies. 
Sometimes your romantic partnership, by virtue of existing, is a form of resistance against the haters. This rousing anthem of love by Fab the Duo is triumphant, victorious and mesmerizing. The amalgamation of rock-guitars, soulful humming, theatrical articulation and tenacious lyrics in this track are put together in a beautiful anthem for the LGTBQ movement.  It repeats a message that is sounding louder and louder and getting impossible for the haters to ignore: love will win.

For those who’ve gone through sh*t together

5. serpentwithfeet, “Whisper”

If your relationship has lived through the pandemic, your love has truly stood the test of (quaran)time. These lyrics are for the lover who has seen all of you – the surface as well as all the murky darkness beneath, or as serpentwithfeet so beautifully sums it up: “The best parts of you lie at the bottom of you”.

For the friend whose been settling for less than they deserve

6. Kamilah, “Love You Need”

We all have that one friend who is dating a piece of poop and we’re out here tearing the hair off our heads with frustration. 
They deserve better! But how to say it gently? 
Kamilah beautifully paints a picture of “the love you need” (and hint it’s not love where they ask you to come over at 2AM and then ten minutes later say “ciao” without calling you a cab).

For the poetic lovers in a honeymoon phase

7. Anise, “Toulouse”

…Because those who’ve fallen in love are no longer concerned with superficial #couplegoals and instead are basking the glory of honest, vulnerable and all-encompassing love. 
“The fallen ain’t got nothin’ to lose”.

And on that note, you ain’t got nothing to lose either! 
May these lyrics inspire words of love within your heart, but remember: the best words you can give your beloved are the words that you really mean.

Happy loving!

The Tonemamas x