Top Six Most Romantic Broadway Love Songs
1. “The Next Ten Minutes” from The Last Five Years.
This one is so special because it’s the only time in the show when Jamie and Cathy are actually together onstage. Jamie starts off by asking for a simple ten minutes with Cathy and expands it into a request for her to share her life with him. My favorite part is Cathy’s response. She starts off by listing her shortcomings, but says, “I don’t know how anybody survives in this life without someone like you.” She commits to him with, “I want to be your wife, I want to bear your child. I want to die knowing I lived a long, full life in your arms. That I can do forever.” It’s a beautiful way to articulate your love for someone. I cry almost every time I hear that lyric.
2. “All I Ask of You” from The Phantom of the Opera.
Part of the reason why I love Christine and Raoul’s relationship so much is because they were childhood best friends who were separated and fall in love once reunited. How romantic to fall in love with your former best friend. All they ask of each other is love. “Say you’ll share with me one love, one lifetime.” Gorgeous lyrics set to a soaring melody that can bring tears to your eyes by itself.
3. “A Little Fall of Rain” from Les Miserables.
It’s perhaps one of the most heart-wrenching songs ever written. This song is so moving because it is Eponine’s last declaration of love for Marius. She is telling him that she loves him and expecting nothing in return besides his company in her last few minutes. “And you will keep me safe. And you will keep me close. I’ll sleep in your embrace at last.” Just looking at the lyrics to write this article made me reach for the Kleenex. Eponine lived her life for him, and sacrificed everything until the end. She even led him to Cosette at one point because she knew that his happiness depended on it. To love someone so much that you are willing to sacrifice your own happiness for theirs is an incredible thing.
4. “If I Loved You” from Carousel.
A bona fide classic. I bet if you looked at any other list of best love songs of all time, this would be at the top. It’s so beautiful because Billy and Julie are just too afraid to admit outright their love for each other. Just as the song says, when you’re in love, words don’t come in an easy way.
5. “One Hand, One Heart” from West Side Story.
My aunt recently sang this at my cousin’s wedding, and even she could barely make it through without crying. The lyrics are so poignant. “Make of our lives one life.” Tony and Maria are permanently joined in that one moment. Few things are more romantic than being so in love that you and your significant other vow to make your hearts one. It’s a simple, but powerful song.
6. “Till There Was You” from The Music Man.
One of my good friends was disappointed that this one didn’t make it on the list of songs that make me cry, but it earned its place on this list! I really do think people get in a rush with life and don’t stop to see the beauty. But when you fall in love, the world is just more beautiful. You see the beauty in everything, from the birds winging to the bells ringing. You just need someone to open your eyes and your heart.
