The one you've got to check out: When Did You Fall by Chris Rice
This is one song that can't be passed up. Rice's writing abilities have always been solid, but he stepped it up a couple of notches on 2005's Amusing. Taken from that disc, When Did You Fall is a song that I love because it is so inherently...well, me. I would be the guy so completely oblivious to things that I could not see the woman who loves me right in front of my face, even though everyone else around me could have told me it three months ago. And completely missing it until that one moment, that one twinkle in her eye, whatever it may be. Plus, this one contains one of my all-time favorite lines in any song: I can tell by the way that you're looking at me/I better finish this song my lips will be free.
The others: No End In Sight by Katrina Elam, Anything But Mine by Kenny Chesney, Wrapped Up In You by Garth Brooks, True by Ryan Cabrera, Check Yes Or No by George Strait
--Then, of course, there are the songs that say to that special someone, "WITH YOU, EVERYTING IS BETTER." These are some of the best of those songs.
The one you've got to check out: Hands Down by Dashboard Confessional
It's the first date track...or something like that. Whatever you want to call, it's an excellent track. Carrabba has always sang and wrote with a conviction that gets to me. And, in a rare look at the good side of love, he shines, capturing the nervousness that comes with that first date, the extreme feelings of joy and satisfaction with that person, and the general idea that everything really is better when she is around.
Another solid choice: My Girl's Ex-Boyfriend by Relient K
It sounds strange, hearing someone thank their wife or girlfriend's former interest. But Matt Thiessen brings up a pretty solid point, that, were it not for him deciding he wanted something else, the opportunity wouldn't even be there for him to, as he puts it, know his best friend. Basically, without him doing what he did, I wouldn't have her. And, obviously, that's something to be truly grateful for.
The others: Something Sexy About The Rain by Kenny Chesney, Lucky by Hoobastank, My Front Porch Looking In by Lonestar, Good Things Happen by Dierks Bentley
--That one person for you is something truly special. And it's because of that that these next songs say YOU MEAN EVERYTHING TO ME or YOU COMPLETE ME.
The one you've got to check out: Without You by Shaun Groves
Last year, when I did my 25 favorite love songs, I named this one as my favorite ever. And I stand by that thought. I don't think my words can even begin to describe this song to you and why it's so great, so I'm just going to let Groves' writing do the talking...
There's a couple laughing at the table next to mine/The waiter keeps on asking me if I'm alright/And I'd hate to bore him with the truth, so I'll just lie/And pretend I'm fine without you/Outside the city's slowing down, it's half past ten/I'm staring at the door and wishing you'd walk in/But wishing isn't working now, so I'll sleep instead/In a hotel bed without you//And I'd rather be a pauper than a prince/Living without you, without you/And I'd rather be a failure than famous/Living without you, without you//Seven hundred miles away, or just one flight/That's all that stands between my heart and home tonight/And I'd walk every mile to feel your hand in mine/Oh, it's just no life without you//And I'd rather be a pauper than a prince/Living without you, without you/And I'd rather be a failure than famous/Living without, without you//Without you, you know you don't know who I am/Without you, I'm only half a man//And I would rather be a pauper than a prince/Living without you, without you/And I'd rather be a failure than famous/Living without you, without you
Some more solid choices: The World by Brad Paisley, The Time Of My Life by Mark Schultz, Your Man by Josh Turner, She Thinks She Needs Me by Andy Griggs
In a "subgenre" of the love song "genre" like this one, there's a lot of great songs. Were it not for Shaun Groves in this category, it would have been very tough to pick just one to check out. Needless to say, it's still tough to say there's just one or two worth picking up right this second. Paisley's track sounds so cliche' when simply read...To the world, you may be just another girl/But to me, baby, you are the world. The entire track is filled with stuff like that. But Brad makes it work really well make it sound meaningful. Schultz's track is another one of my all-time favorites. It's a track that should hit home with pretty much anyone who is married at any age (And it still hits home for someone like me as well). Turner's track I could have put into a different classification, but I chose You mean everything to me because, well, it's my list and I can do what I want! Seriously though, when a song's main point is I can't believe how much it turns me on/Just to be your man, it gets the ability to be classified in this section. Finally, Griggs' track focuses on something that many seem to miss these days; the fact that, even though women are the ones typically seen as "needing" their husband, he truly needs her too, possibly on an even greater scale. Continue the journey...