Are you romantic, or nah? Do you prefer to make a big splash on holidays, or do you like regular, year-round small kindnesses? Do you do public displays of affection, or save it for in your home? Are you verbal with your “I love you’s”, or do your actions speak louder than words?
Me, I’m more pragmatic than romantic, I go for frequent small kindnesses, I do not want PDAs, and yeah, I like to hear the words. How about you?
Keep on whispering in my ear
Tell me all the things that I wanna hear
‘Cause it’s true (that’s what I like)
That’s what I like about you (that’s what I like)
As always, thank you for your support of DeadSplinter and DUAN.
John Paul Young – Love Is In The Air
I LOVE this song. I posted it recently, the concluding dance scene from “Strictly Ballroom.” I had no idea who sang it. I don’t know why but I always assumed it was an older crooner who briefly transitioned to disco in the 1970s. This would explain its appearance in “Strictly Ballroom”—apparently John Paul Young is a Scottish Australian, so OZ can claim both him and “Strictly Ballroom” (the movie) as their own.
I don’t trust grand romantic gestures. I’m okay with minor PDA – brief hand-holding, little hugs. Tell me, not constantly but regularly. I’m insecure and need reassurance.
Bonnie “Prince” Billy – Love Comes To Me
I’m a hopeful romantic, I hope that I can share a romantic moment with my wife, sometimes it happens…more times not. She is NOT romantic but will try on special occasions once in a while. I used to plan extravagant date nights or trips but after being married for almost 20 years, it is a waste of effort. Doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying, just now it’s more when she doesn’t expect it.
Sally Bowles was not a romantic:
Disagree.
My first thought as well. IMHO, it’s the best Sally Bowles number in the show.
Tony Bennett also knocks this one out of the park.
Speaking of the 1970s, all movies seem to have had a “Love Theme” attached to them. Here’s the “Love Theme from the Poseidon Adventure.” Another favorite of mine. This is the sing-along version.
I didn’t know until my late twenties that asexuality was a thing that existed and that it’s a spectrum that people can be on. I referred to myself as miswired when it came to sexuality for over a decade, wondering what was wrong with me.
The crazy teenage hormones? Never a thing. Thought I was maybe a lesbian at first because I wasn’t boy crazy like my friends (except since I went to an all-girl high school and wasn’t attracted to anyone there either realized that I probably wasn’t a lesbian). Then thought maybe I was being called to be a nun (don’t laugh! Catholic high school taught by nuns!) because I was like well the chastity part would be super easy for me…
So I don’t really know if I’m romantic or not. I’ve never been in a sexual relationship that I actually wanted to be in for the sex, if that makes sense? So normally I would go a few years and then be like welp it’s been a while let’s try dating again only to be yet again like why am I wasting time on this? I’d rather hang out with friends or be home with a book, leading to a fairly quick break up. Like I don’t rule out that I could meet someone and have a romantic relationship, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely as I chase down 40.
Ironically, my favorite genre is romance books though. So who knows. I am a woman of mystery.
You can have your romance, go on a perfect date But for me, there just ain’t enough hours in the day And I, don’t mean to rain on your happiness But I’m alone, with no loneliness Never been in love And it’s all good
Will Jay – Never Been In Love
Ahh hell that’s the sort of thing that 20 something me would have sobbed her eyes out (in relief) the first time I saw it. And then watched obsessively on repeat.
The human experience is so varied. I’m glad you’re happy with who you are. 😊
I feel like I lucked out in that I never wanted kids, either.
I think if I had wanted a family of my own, I probably would have ended up making some man very unhappy in marriage due to very different levels of sexual interest.
@brightersideoflife And made yourself unhappy too. Life is so much easier if we just accept everyone differences. There is no one way to be. Happy Valentine’s Day, friend.
@BrighterSideOfLife, Today there is as much social pressure to be sexualized as there was pressure to remain pure in the Regency romance novels I read. FWIW I like you just the way you are. 💖
Luckily the older I get, the less it matters. Like when I was in my mid 20s, everyone and their brother was like “you got a boyfriend? when you having kids???” and thankfully that petered out by the time I was hitting 30.
Shit if I started dating someone now, my close friends and family would probably be worried I had a brain tumor affecting my behavior.
Here’s Barry White giving the full Barry White treatment to Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are.” Poor Barry White, he was only 58 when he died.
This is one of my favorite love songs of all time:
The first Valentine’s present I ever got that wasn’t a little paper valentine was the Chic album that had Le Freak on it – this song was on it too and I always listen to it every Vday.
I still have the actual album I was given.
I Want Your Love – Chic
@Lymond that’s a great tradition!
I am very romantic. My wife says it’s my single redeeming quality. It comes naturally to me due to my heritage.
@Luigi-Vuoto
I almost posted this but it crossed my mind that you might. I was close.
Here is a sweet song, Brolin, All I Think About Is You:
I don’t think I’m the romantic. I’m never been about the big grand gesture, but the small things like washing the dishes, taking out the garbage or fixing stuff (and not being hounded to do it) or putting some serious thought into birthday gifts and holidays.
For some reason, I’m on a Neil Young kick today.
The post title immediately brought this to mind:
Neil Young, “Are You Passionate?”
Wonderful cover: Saint Etienne, “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”
And why not?
The Cardigans, “Lovefool (Acoustic)”
My approach has changed over the years. I used to be the person who did the big gestures. There was this lady who I was trying (and failing) to woo and she had once mentioned her favorite flower. I knew the flower was out of season in the Northern hemisphere so I spent a crazy amount of money to get a dozen of them shipped from Australia. They had to get shipped twice because the first bunch died in transit.
I kept it up for the first several years of my current marriage, but over time I realized that it was more important to go with the smaller, day-to-day, showings of affection. I still come out with a big thing once in a while, but my focus is now more on the immediate.
When it comes to the PDAs and the verbal “I love yous”, I’ve always been geared that way and that hasn’t changed. Sometimes, if we’re shopping together and a particular song comes on, I’ll start dancing with Mrs. Butcher in the store.
Frank Sinatra – A Fine Romance
@Butcherbakertoiletrymaker that is lovely.
No one here at MemeWeaver Labs is very romantic. Like others have said, let’s get the chores done together so we can relax and hang out together.
Guster – Dear Valentine
I waver back & forth between totally cynical about V-day, and still cautiously optimistic, I guess… there have allllways been other days in February which were of much more personal importance.
One of them, tomorrow, and the other a week from today…
Because I allllways loved the “free day off” you got as a kid, because of President’s Day, and it was even better, the years when I got my birthday off, because the holiday fell late😉
So, because this one was a seminal V-Day song, throughout my childhood and high school years–and honestly, made it SO much easier to be an “unattached” person on this holiday, I’m sharing it😉😁
(If these go in order, it should be the J. Giles band one😉)
As for the theme question?
As an introvert, the big/over the top “gestures” thing was something I liked to think i might appreciate, but I know if I were honest, it would make me wildly uncomfortable…
I’m a mushball in a way, but even the thought of trying to date–for the last few years has sounded so completely exhausting…
Between the two jobs and school, I barely get quality time to myself, or to spend with Lil, and I can’t imagine anyone else would want to be constantly left hanging out by themselves, while I sent the occasional text–and homework doesn’t make for a great “date night” (not that I wasn’t 100% stingy with my rare free time, before, either!😉)…
I like the idea of being on a team with someone/being a partner to someone… but the effort of going through the eleventy-bajillion dates & rejections one has to slog through, in order to *get* there, simply sounds exhausting…
And did I mention that whole *no time* thing?🙃
But because I’ve loved one of these, since I was gifted New Jersey the Christmas after it came out, and I’ve loved the other, since its album was released,
The Jovis for that😉;
Early happy birthday, @Emmerdoesnotrepresenrme!
Damn it, @Emmerdoesnotrepresentme, sigh, early happy birthday 🎂
Thanks, Ellie!😉💖
Happy Birthday! 🎂
Fuck the hallmark holiday.
And, oh fuck, I’m going to be the weirdo with issues again. Love, I don’t trust it, I grew up in a family that used it as a weapon to manipulate, from big issues down to the smallest most trivial. The minute I hear those words I cop an attitude. I especially hate when someone says it and you are supposed to parrot it back like a fucking…parrot. But don’t feel bad, I had a dog named Jack that looked at me with so much love in his eyes that people noticed it, that is the standard that humans have failed to live up to.