"An Old Fashioned Love Song" or "Everyone cries when Beth dies"

I've been in the real Army for under four years and I've admittedly grown a rougher exterior. I'm less forgiving and I'm more exact. One of the Non-commissioned Officers I used to work with had this cadence he would call that went, "I'm mentally tough and I'm physically fit! If you ain't Charlie you ain't SH*T!" I always felt like this was what I was striving for as a Soldier. Being mentally tough and physically fit will get you through some of the toughest times in the Army.

At the end of the day though, I'm an emotional sap. As much as I like to pretend that I'm some tough Army dude, the truth is that I still tear up every time Beth is about to die in Little Women. Anyone who doesn't is probably a liar or a psychopath.

The same goes for cliche love songs. I can't get enough of them. I know they're completely formulaic, I know they're written by factories full of monkeys, I know that there's no longer any such thing as an original love song -- it doesn't matter to me. I drink 'em up. They're my emotional kryptonite.

So, here are three love songs that are currently stuck in my brain. I'm going to go ahead and be a coward and say they're not necessarily my favorite or "best," only that they make me feel like a fitful, angsty, teenager when I listen to them:




This is Vanessa Williams signature song which debuted in 1992. I was 10 years-old then and I remember my sisters listening to it all the time. Supposedly, the song wasn't written for Vanessa Williams originally, but it eventually landed with her. I really can't imagine anyone else singing it.




I was only four-years-old when this song was featured at the end of Pretty in Pink. I remember my brother, Huy, was head-over-heels for this one girl when he was 16. He put this on a mixtape he made for her. And, it was one of my go-to songs for when I was rejected by someone I had a crush on. Although, I suppose "reject" is a bit strong considering I never really garnered the courage to tell anyone I liked them.




I have this joke with Jessica (it's really only funny to me) that she's going to leave. I look at her with a serious face and with a morose tone I say, "Are you going to divorce me?" This infuriates her. It makes me chuckle. Since I've been in Africa and away from Jess, I honestly feel like I've been holding my breath.

These kinds of songs are what redeems pop music. They are unashamedly cliche, but somehow they express the intangible parts of being human better than anything else. When I was in high school, I remember listening to these dumb songs, thinking about my crush-of-the-week, and feeling uncontrollable angst. It was fantastic.

In many ways, listening to stupid love songs causes a cathartic release for me where I can go out and be well again. Some people lift weights, others over-eat, I listen to Coldplay's "Yellow."

Oh, yeah, and Three Dog Night.