Punk rock, a genre that’s known for being explicit, aggressive, and wildly feverish might be the best to capture a feeling as intense and complicated as love. For those who find themselves jilted this Valentine’s Day, several picks on this list are actually anti-love songs, but if you still believe in love and want to celebrate this holiday, there’s also a variety of sentimental tunes to indulge in.
There’s something for everyone in this diverse list of punk rock love songs, proving that love is an experience so powerful and universal, it even inspires the most hardcore punks to write about it.
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1. Subhumans, “Love is…”
This song by the U.K. anarcho-punk band starts off with a slow crescendo as singer Dick Lucas seemingly questions the meaning of love, repeatedly asking “Love?” until the band explodes into loud frenetic chaos. Lucas defines love through guttural, indecipherable screams, shouting “Love is a bastard it tears you apart” and “Love is a bastard it makes you cry” as the band plays a fast-paced symphony of cacophony. If love has you wanting to scream and break things, this is the best anti-love song to get some of that aggressive energy and heartache out of your system.
2. Buzzcocks, “Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve?)”
If you’ve ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn’t have fallen for, the Buzzcocks have the right song for you. This classic banger from the English punk act resonates with the broken-hearted and those in the midst of turbulent relationships that can’t seem to settle into peaceful bliss. The 1978 hit is so popular and universal, it’s even featured in Shrek 2, albeit as a cover by Pete Yorn. “Ever Fallen in Love” is perfect if you’re past the anger in your affair and need a melodious song for your melancholy.
3. Amyl & The Sniffers, “Chewing Gum”
The title may not give away that this song is about love, but when vocalist Amy Taylor opens the tune by assertively singing, “I was trialing through fire but nevermore, I left with burns but I left with nothing more,” it quickly becomes clear that she’s about to take you through some real drama. And the song doesn’t disappoint, because Taylor gets candid about love and its pains, singing lines like, “I was hoping for a good time but there was only bad” before ending with the harsh realization that “I used to be, oh, so tough but for love I’ll be dumb, stuck on you, stuck like glue, stuck like chewing gum.”
4. The Damned, “Love Song”
Not all punks are mad or sad about love, and if you’re feeling particularly smitten, “Love Song” by The Damned is a sweet ode to love. The tune starts off fast and upbeat, giving you a taste of that classic punk ’77 style before singer Dave Vanian starts crooning several analogies: “I’ll be the ticket if you’re my collector, I’ve got the fare if you’re my inspector.” The sweetest part of “Love Song” though is the chorus, which Vanian captures in the simplest way when he sings, “Just for you, here’s a love song, and it makes me glad to say it’s been a lovely day and it’s okay.”
5. The Adicts, “Troubadour”
According to the Oxford English dictionary, a troubadour is “a French medieval lyric poet composing and singing in Provençal in the 11th to 13th centuries, especially on the theme of courtly love.” It makes perfect sense then that “Troubadour” is a truly romantic song with playful folk references like yodeling. The tune is harmonious and melodic, and the Adicts go all in on the traditional theme as the lyrics describe a troubadour who wanders off on adventures—but at the end of the day, as vocalist Keith “Monkey” Warren emphasizes, “I traveled the world and seen all the girls, I’m in love with you.”
6. Neighborhood Brats/The Go-Go’s, “Lust to Love”
There are two great versions of “Lust to Love” — a song about that vexing predicament when you inadvertently fall in love with your casual hookup. The Go-Go’s originally penned “Lust to Love” for their 1981 debut album, Beauty and the Beat, and it’s a moody slow-paced song with an ominous guitar riff driving the tune’s regretful tone. In their contemporary rendition, San Francisco’s Neighborhood Brats gave it a surf/garage punk spin full of raw intense energy, but you simply can’t go wrong with either version.
7. Zounds, “True Love”
Maybe love and heartbreak have escaped you and you’ve never actually been in love—luckily there’s a song for that too. The anarcho-punk band is better known for its political lyrics and social commentary, but in “True Love,” they divert from their usual themes as they wonder what love is all about, singing, “Don’t know if I’ve ever encountered it, it seems to hang so many people up.” The song also takes a dig at the concept of love, speculating that it “Looks just like a drag to me” and “Sometimes it seems just like a joke to me.” Maybe Zounds is on to something in their assessment of love.
8. Descendents, “Marriage”
“Do you know what I think about you, do you know what I feel is true?” sings Milo Aukerman at the beginning of this idyllic song. “Marriage” is perhaps one of the most romantic punk songs in existence—it’s all about wanting to settle down forever with the love of your life by getting hitched. And with such an upbeat vibe, it’s hard to resist joyfully singing along even if you don’t believe in love or marriage. Descendents will certainly have you singing at the top of your lungs, “I wanna be your friend, I wanna be with you, I want you to marry me!”
9. Suicidal Tendencies, “Won’t Fall in Love Today”
There are different interpretations for this song, but if the title and chorus are our lead clues, the tune depicts a less-than-ideal dating situation. “Won’t Fall in Love Today” starts with a lot of sweet promises as vocalist Mike Muir shouts, “Baby don’t you be blue, you know I’ll always be true, you know that I’ll always love you.” But the chorus takes a turn when he reveals that half of the sweet things he says are “un-true” and the “one thing for sure” he can say is that he won’t fall in love today. So, he’s either lying to his lover or he’s lying to himself, either way, it’s yet another iconic punk song that might avert you to the flaws of love.
10. The Distillers, “Drain the Blood”
The Distillers frontwoman Brody Dalle reportedly wrote this song and entire Coral Fang album amid a messy divorce from Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong. “Drain the Blood,” which is the opening song to this phenomenal album, dives right into the pain of the turbulent situation as Dalle croons, “I’m living on shattered faith, the kind that likes to restrict your breath.” In “Drain the Blood,” love is painted as something that betrays you and causes harm, and in Dalle’s case, so toxic that she’s desperate for a way out. If you’re going through a bad breakup and feeling jaded about love, this song and entire album captures the agony through all its intense phases: anger, depression, regret, hate, and, eventually, resilience.
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