The Best Love Songs of 2019 to Cry to Then Post a Thirst Trap Afterwards
What? I don't make the rules.
Maggie Rogers' Heard It in a Past Life is a dream, Ariana Grande dropped a second album less than six months after Sweetener, and Maren Morris' GIRL is a breath of fresh country air. These women are passionate, soft, and fierce—much like their new love songs, below, that you and I both know we have no shame playing on repeat. Enjoy crying to the best love songs of 2019.
"Lose You to Love Me" - Selena Gomez
After releasing a bop like "I Can't Get Enough" earlier this year, nobody expected Gomez to drop such a raw balled like "Lose You to Love Me" presumably about her ex Justin Bieber. Most of us become better people after an emotional heartbreak, but only one of us creates a hit single about it.
"Just Might" - Summer Walker ft. PARTYNEXTDOOR
When Summer Walker said, "Love is a losing game / I just might be a hoe" ...I felt that. The PARTYNEXTDOOR collab is a bonus.
"I Really Wish I Hated You" - Blink182
Blink182 released Nine in September with Tom DeLonge replacement Matt Skiba, yet the band's music still manages to feels like its original content. I guess that's what happens when you have Mark Hoppus' irreplaceable vocals on angry love songs like "I Really Wish I Hated You." Fair warning: You'll want to throw something after listening to this one.
"Us vs. The World" - Fabolous ft. Chris Brown and Teyana Taylor
"Us vs. The World" is a top song off of Fabolous' new album, Summertime Shootout 3: Coldest Summer Ever. The main vocals come from Chris Brown and Teyana Taylor who sound off with Insta-worthy captions like, "You started with a canvas / And we turned it to some art."
"Miles High" - James Blake ft. Travis Scott Metro Boomin
James Blake, Travis Scott, and Metro Boomin—the trio nobody asked for, but everybody needed. Play "Miles High" while you're showering and doing all of the reflecting.
"Love Again" - Daniel Caesar Brandy
To be fair, any song Daniel Caesar produces is essentially a top love song, but once you add Brandy's vocals into the mix it's game over. The sultry "Love Again" comes off of Caesar's second studio album, Case Study 01, released this summer.
"Talk" - Khalid
CAN. WE. JUST. TALK? Khalid is out here asking the important questions in his hit radio single off of Free Spirit that will continue to bump all the way into 2020. Consider it a sign to send that text to your ex.
"Carry Me Away" - John Mayer
Waiting for that rebellious crush to arrive can be a doozy, and John Mayer sums up the impatience perfectly in "Carry Me Away." He created the song during his summer tour, likely inspired by the beautiful art surrounding him—minus a lover beside him pouring some of their tequila in his coffee cup.
"Venice Bitch" - Lana Del Rey
"Oh God, miss you on my lips / It's me, your little Venice bitch." Lana Del Rey's Norman Fucking Rockwell! is a 14-track love letter, but there's something about "Venice Bitch" that feels special—like you're playing tug-of-war, unsure which direction you should take the relationship.
"Shameless" - Camila Cabello
Camila Cabello is in love, baby! She's about to release her second album, Romance, that centers on her love affair with a special someone (cough, cough Shawn Mendes). "Shameless" was one of the first singles she teased from the album, reclaiming her power and feeling all of the feels.
"Slide Away" - Miley Cyrus
There's no doubt Miley Cyrus' "Slide Away," which she decided to perform last-minute at the 2019 VMAs, is about her ex Liam Hemsworth. Except this one's about falling out of love and going their separate ways. (Move on, we're not 17 / I'm not who I used to be / You say that everything changed / You're right, we're grown now.) You're either going to love or hate it. There's no in-between.
"Someone You Loved" - Lewis Capaldi
I said it before and I'll say it again: Lewis Capaldi is going to reach Sam Smith-level stardom. "Someone You Loved" has been playing on every radio station for weeks now, partially due to the heartbreaking lyrics...but also because Capaldi's voice is the perfect lullaby for the nights you end up crying yourself to sleep.
"Lover" - Taylor Swift
Even if you're not a Taylor Swift fan, you'll appreciate "Lover." It's one of the first songs Swift has produced in recent years that feels like The Old Taylor Swift (she died a slow death in the years following Red). Keith Urban is a major fan of this one and even covered it at one of his concerts.
"Sanctuary" - Joji
Twenty-seven-year-old Japanese singer Joji, also known as George Miller, Filthy Frank, and Pink Guy (I'm not making this up), released "Sanctuary" this summer as a gift for every person crushing...hard.
"Higher Love" - Whitney Houston Kygo
Kygo remixed Whitney Houston's cover of Steve Winwood's 1986 hit, "Higher Love." It's most definitely a go-to for anyone feeling that high of being in love with a new person. Also, it's Whitney Houston. How can you not love it?
"Ocean" - Lady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum's new single Ocean brings everything you've loved about Lady Antebellum since the trio released "Need You Now" nearly a decade ago: Hillary Scott's charming voice, a duet with Charles Kelley, and a simple yearning to love and be loved. The 13-track album of the same title was released on November 15th.
"Motivation" - Normani
Normani is my motivation to get to my next dance class (please watch the music above for proof). Ariana Grande was one of the writers on "Motivation," which is just one of the many reasons why it bumps. The track will be included on the former Fifth Harmony member's debut album set for release in 2020
"The Feels" - Maren Morris
Surprise: Not all love songs have to be depressing, angsty, or moody. Maren Morris proves this in "The Feels," which deserves to be played during you and your S.O.'s honeymoon phase. Just try not to play it around your single friends too much.
"If I Can't Have You" - Shawn Mendes
If you feel like Shawn Mendes is literally everywhere, you're absolutely right, thanks to his newest single, "If I Can't Have You," and his relationship with Camila Cabello. "If I Can't Have You" will bring you right back to your high school days without being mad about it, and if that's not the definition of a perfect love song I don't know what is.
"Are We Still Friends?" - Tyler, the Creator
Tyler, the Creator is out here asking the important questions: Are we still friends? Can we be friends? Are we still friends? The answer is yes, Tyler, if you play this on your IGOR tour, which kicked off on Labor Day weekend.
"Bags" - Clairo
Twenty-year-old Claire Cottrill, known as Clairo, released her "Pretty Girl" single on YouTube in 2017, garnered 35 million views, and has pretty much been unstoppable since. "Bags," from her recently released album Immunity (out August 2), isn't the lovey-dovey love song we're used to playing on repeat during the hot summer days. Instead, she's letting you know she's tired of playing games.
"Do You Remember" - Chance the Rapper ft. Death Cab for Cutie
While Chance and Death Cab for Cutie's "Do You Remember" from Chance's debut album, The Big Day, may not be directed towards a specific person, it is a love song to our youth. And, let's be honest, nostalgia can be the most heartbreakingly beautiful love story of all. "Do you remember / How when you were younger / The summers all lasted forever? / Days disappeared / Into months, into years / Hold that feeling forever."
"Cuz I Love You" - Lizzo
Unless you've been living under a rock (or successfully retreated to a remote island to escape our current administration), you know that Lizzo has finally received the recognition she deserves with the release of her third studio album, Cuz I Love You. The single, of the same title, is just about as real as it can get when it comes to falling in love unintentionally and feeling all of the feels for the very first time. "Never been in love before / What the fuck are fucking feelings yo? / Once upon a time, I was a ho / I don't even wanna ho no mo'."
"Say It" - Maggie Rogers
Just as Maggie Rogers can't seem to pull away from her lover in "Say It," I can't seem to stop listening to her album, Heard It in a Past Life. Right when you think you'll be listening to a slow, intense three-and-a-half-minute song, suddenly you're hit with an upbeat chorus, as if Rogers is making an audible metaphor for her unpredictable feelings.
"7 Rings" - Ariana Grande
Look closely in Ariana's "Thank U, Next" music video, and you'll notice the car in the Legally Blonde scene had the words "7 Rings" on the license plate. Grande so brilliantly alluded to her single from her album, Thank U, Next, which is essentially a love song dedicated to herself. "My wrist, stop watchin' / My neck is flossin' / Make big deposits / My gloss is poppin.'"
"Dancing with a Stranger" - Sam Smith Normani
Hello, Sam Smith and Normani collab I didn't know I needed. The resident Good Brit™ and ex Fifth Harmony member teamed up for "Dancing with a Stranger" to create some upbeat love in the club. (Seriously, it's about meeting that stranger in the bar you may or may not end up having a thing for.)
"If My Heart Had a Heart" - Cassadee Pope
Cassadee Pope—the former lead singer of that band Hey Monday from your teens who also happens to be the first female winner of The Voice—is here to tug at your heartstrings with her song, "If My Heart Had a Heart." It's one out of three great singles (she also dropped "Take You Home" and "One More Red Light") from the country artist's album, Stages, released on February 1.
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