Classic Love Songs

What makes a truly classic love song? Hard to say, really, except that you know the very instant you hear one: something in the way your heart starts to perform an involuntary aerobatic routine, your once-heavy limbs take on the properties of helium, and your head feels like it been wrapped in a turban of pure silken bliss. All of these tracks have gone off the end of the love potency scale, none more so than the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody," the split atom of amorous chemistry, Angry Anderson's "Suddenly," immortalised by Scott and Charlene on Neighbours, and "How Deep Is Your Love," the Bee Gees' gorgeous disco-era swooner. Sonny & Cher, Tim & Faith, you & yours . . . get loved up some more, in Next Steps.

Love and harmony are often spoken of in the same breath, but to capture that elusive combo in one tune: now, that's a mark of genius. No artists did it better, perhaps, than the Everly Brothers on "All I Have to Do Is Dream," the sublime 1958 hit with vocals that intertwine like creeping vines, backed by the sweet shimmer of Chet Atkins' guitar. Sonny & Cher captured that feeling of love-struck ecstasy on "I Got You Babe" — him all gruff and Neanderthal, her silken-haired and doe-eyed — while Tim McGraw and Faith Hill transformed marital bliss into country legend on "It's Your Love." And no solo artist ever belted out a confession of love with any greater power and conviction than Whitney Houston on "I Will Always Love You." Marlene Dietrich, Frank Sinatra, Alicia Keys . . . the common thread is classic love, in Deep Cuts.

No matter the style, the age of the artist or the era, a classic love song hits the mark with the unerring accuracy of Cupid's arrow — and we've stacked up a quiver full right here, whether it's the husky voiced Marlene Dietrich, attracting men like moths to her flame on "Falling in Love Again (I Can't Help It)," or Alicia Keys putting heart, soul and something extra into "No One." The great Frank Sinatra turns back the clock for every man of a certain age on "You Make Me Feel So Young," with his jaunty talk of bells to be rung and flings to be flung, while Whitesnake's David Coverdale elicits a resounding "yes" to his smooth-rockin' question, "Is This Love."

Sometimes, nothing works better than "I love you" — no frills, no bells, no whistles, just a simple statement of devotion. But, c'mon, if you really want to supercharge your pledge d'amour, you're going to want to recruit those stellar artists who have given the world classic love songs. And guess what . . . they're all here, packing so much love you'll be swooning all the way from Al Green to Willie Nelson. Now's your chance to get down on one knee as Elvis Presley cranks up "Can't Help Falling in Love" to the devotional max, supplement your gifts of flowers and chocolates with Nat "King" Cole's digitally remastered "Unforgettable," and offer your loved one something truly titanic with Céline Dion's "My Heart Will Go On."