If you're recovering from a breakup, you'd probably rather listen to a jackhammer at 5 a.m. on a Saturday than press play on a love ballad. But even if you're single as a Pringle, it's hard not to swoon over an upbeat, feel-good song about love. It's like a rom-com for your ears. And if you do happen to be head-over-heels for someone right now, then happy love songs probably make you want to dance down the street like Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 500 Days of Summer, complete with your own imaginary flash mob.
Before anyone hates on upbeat love songs, let me remind you how relatively few there are compared to songs about unrequited love, lost love, and broken love. Sometimes you just want to celebrate the magic of infatuation without all the messiness (and TBH, these bops are better for dancing and lip-syncing into your hairbrush, anyway). Even if you feel totally disillusioned with dating at the moment, fun songs about falling in love can help remind you that the right relationship is out there waiting for you. In a sea of dark, despairing breakup songs, these happy-go-lucky love songs are seriously a breath of fresh air.
"Lover" by Taylor Swift
And there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear / Have I known you 20 seconds or 20 years?
When you find your perfect match, it's sometimes hard to imagine what your life was like before they were a part of it. Taylor Swift's "Lover" is all about how love distorts time and makes the idea of "forever" actually seem possible.
"10,000 Hours" by Dan + Shay ft. Justin Bieber
I'd spend 10,000 hours and 10,000 more / Oh, if that's what it takes to learn that sweet heart of yours
One of the most exciting parts about falling for someone new is constantly discovering new things about them. In his sweet ode to Hailey Baldwin, Justin Bieber's song with Dan + Shay captures the feeling of wanting to know everything about your lover, no matter how long it takes.
"Now That I Found You" by Carly Rae Jepsen
Thought it was impossible / It's just like a miracle / Say nothing's impossible now / Now that I found you
A great relationship can sometimes feel too good to be true, and yet at the same time, finding your person makes everything else seem possible. In "Now That I Found You," Carly Rae Jepsen sings about the indescribable joy of meeting your other half.
"Beyond" by Leon Bridges
I'm scared to death that she might be it / That the love is real, that the shoe might fit / She might just be my everything and beyond
Falling too fast can be scary — but if you think you've found The One, it's sometimes worth the risk. Leon Bridges' "Beyond" is all about trying to restrain yourself from falling fast and hard, until you eventually realize there's no need to hold back.
"No Place" by Backstreet Boys
I've been all around the world, done all there is to do / But you'll always be the home I wanna come home to / You're a wild night with a hell of a view / There ain't no place, ain't no place like you
One of the most obvious signs you're in love: No matter where you go, you wish they were by your side. "No Place" by Backstreet Boys describes the feeling of returning to a person you love so much that they feel like home to you.
"Love You For A Long Time" by Maggie Rogers
And in the morning when I'm waking up / I swear that you're the first thing that I'm thinking of / I feel it in my body / Know it in my mind / Oh I'm gonna love you for a long time
Most relationships have a honeymoon phase where you're totally infatuated with your new partner. But as Maggie Rogers sings in "Love You for a Long Time," you know it's real when you keep on falling more in love with your SO every day.
"Just You And I" by Tom Walker
And I know, I can tell you anything / You won't judge, you're just listening / 'Cause you're the best thing that ever happened to me
The best kind of relationships aren't just built on romance — there should be mutual support, respect, and friendship in there, too. In Tom Walker's "Just You and I," he sings about finding a lover who doesn't just makes you swoon, but sticks by you in hard times and lifts you up.
"Make Me Feel" by Janelle Monáe
You know I love it, so please don't stop it / You got me right here in your jean pocket (right now) / Laying your body on a shag carpet (oh) / You know I love it so please don't stop it
Falling in love can feel like a vibrant jolt of electricity, and Janelle Monáe captures that mood with the sexy, upbeat vibes of "Make Me Feel." If you've ever felt total infatuation with side of feeling completely turned on, this one's for you.
"All My Love" by George Ezra
And all those setting suns / And all those rising moons / From the Eiffel Tower to those deep lagoons / No matter where you go / Baby, I'll be there
When you're totally devoted to someone, it doesn't feel like losing a part of yourself — it feels like joining your life with someone else's. George Ezra says it perfectly when he sings, "All my love is yours, all my time is ours," because it's possible to share yourself without losing your identity.
"The Feels" by Maren Morris
It's chemistry, meant to be / Incomprehensibly tangled up in it / Yeah, boy, you're giving me the feels
Wondering if you've got "the feels"? Well, do you feel "like the tickle of the bubbles in a bottle of cheap champagne"? Then according to Maren Morris, you're feelin' it, baby.
Even if you're feeling way more Bitterella than Cinderella at the moment, you've got to admit that these sweet songs make happily-ever-after endings feel possible. And if you are in love, go ahead and dance down the street — you deserve to celebrate that feeling.
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