1. Love Will Tear Us Apart – Joy Division
2. Elevator Love Letter – Stars
3. Tunnel of Love – Dire Straits
4. Will You Love Me Tomorrow – The Shirelles
5. All You Need is Love – The Beatles
I think the first three are definitive. I can’t see being persuaded to exclude any of them from the list. I’m willing to listen to arguments for some other songs in the 4th and 5th slots. The Magnetic Fields have some strong contenders from 69 Love Songs. “The One I Love” is among the definitive R.E.M. songs. There are about five songs from The Supremes that deserve serious consideration. And “We Found Love” is my favorite pop song in a very long time – can make a strong case for including it. And then you have your value picks: “Let’s Call It Love” by Sleater-Kinney or “Love Me I’m a Liberal” by Phil Ochs.