Healthiest and Unhealthiest relationships in songs?

This was my grandfathers favourite song (b 1893) as it for him was about my (b 1895 grandmother, who did indeed have sea blue eyes) He used to sing it to her.

'I've been cheated by you since I don't know when...'

Red flags first line. In fairness, it's not just Mamma Mia - which is a brilliant song - many male love songs have that 'she's giving me the runaround' lyric. George Michael specialised in this - Freedom, Wake Me Up, Cowboys and Angels, really.

Maggie May by Rod is a lyrically great song... but many of these songs have a subtext because he's a young lad regretfully dumping his older lover and plausibly making it sound like he's the wronged party! So he can, in due course, shag younger talent and presumably write more songs about those interactions.

Walk Away by Matt Monro and lyrics by the still alive Don Black is an example of a fine decent 'no can do, love' song, maybe If I Needed Someone off Beatles' Rubber Soul, too.

The Beatle lyrics I cited earlier was from No Reply which is a belter but... 'If I were you, I realise that I / Love you more than any other guy' which now might elicit the response, Yeah, that's why I'm dumping you, you clingy bastard...

Slow down,
we've got time left to be lazy
All the kids have bloomed from babies into flowers in our eyes.
We've got 50 good years left to spend out in the garden
I don't care to beg your pardon,
We should live until we die.

We were barely 18 when we'd crossed collective hearts.
It was cold, but it got warm when you'd barely crossed my eye.
and then you turned, put out your hand,
and you asked me to dance.
I knew nothing of romance, but it was love at second sight.

I swear when I grow up, I won't just buy you a rose.
I will buy the flower shop, and you will never be lonely.
Even if the sun stops waking up over the fields
I will not leave, I will not leave 'till it's our time.
So just take my hand, you know that I will never leave your side.

It was the winter of '86, and all the fields had frozen over.
So we moved to Arizona to save our only son
and now he's turning to a man, although he thinks just like his mother,
he believes we're all just lovers he sees hope in everyone.

And even though she moved away,
we always get calls from our daughter.
She has eyes just like her father's
they are blue when skies are grey
And just like him, she never stops,
Never takes the day for granted,
works for everything that's handed to her,
Never once complains.

You think that I nearly lost you
When the doctors tried to take you away.
But like the night you took my hand beside the fire
30 years ago to this day
You swore you'd be here 'til we decide that it's our time
Well it's not time, you've never quit in all your life.
So just take my hand, you know that I'll never leave your side.
You're the love of my life, you know that I'll never leave your side.

You come home from work and you kiss me on the eye
You curse the dogs and say that I should never feed them what is ours
and the kids are coming home
I'll set the table
You can make the fire.

Oh, Ewan always struck me as being a right dick. Wrote some good songs and did somw good stuff, but still your classic lefty arse of a bloke. He was at least a better singer than mr Bragg of that parish, though.

Although according to another post upstream, this is indeed what the song is about!

I'm a bit heartened by the alternative interpretation that he was leaving someone (adult girlfriend) with mates while he went out to clear his head , possibly permanently. Preferable to the child abandonment scenario.

Absolutely me too, bloody hell it's like you go your whole life not knowing what an ignorant bloody fool you are it's like the near-final scene in The Music Box with Jessica Lang.
Just thought it was, bloke's gotta get away from the clubbing scene, clear his air for a moment, can leave his gal with his mates (kids) for a while cos they're okay.

Oh right, I didn’t realise - thanks. Sounds very twisted, I may well give it a listen!

Perhaps John Denver missed a trick and 'Leaving on a Jet Plane' should work in a curse directed at the Wright Brothers?!

Aside from one dig at skinny models, Perfect 10 is pretty healthy as well

They've definitely had some dodgy moments, but I think Prettiest Eyes by the Beautiful South is a very sweet song about ageing and still being in love.

Yes sorry I was being sarcastic there. Difficult to communicate in text I know

Is that one nice? I thought he told her he loved her till the end of time so he could get his leg over and afterwards he's praying for the end of time to come.

I can’t stand Sexual Healing. He just goes on and on about his wants, needs and urges.

@NooNakedJacuzziness
Where the wild roses grow was a track on Nick Caves murder ballads album. There were a few other tracks on the album where the murderer is a woman. Henry Lee gets stabbed in the neck by his lover and The Curse of Milhaven tells of a 15 year old girl who murders quite a few towns people, some of which are men.

I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I'll make you so sure about it

God only knows what I'd be without you
If you should ever leave me
Well, life would still go on, believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me?

God only knows what I'd be without you
God only knows what I'd be without you

If you should ever leave me
Though life would still go on, believe me
The world could show nothing to me
So what good would living do me?
God only knows what I'd be without you

Have I just been Rickrolled? Cunning OP very cunning

I think the kids in this context are ' other guys dancing with my girl / that's fine , I think I know them all pretty well'.

But he ' must get out of my mind ' by himself presumably.

California Dreaming is in the baddie side I think. The music is so haunting and beautiful but essentially he is planning to do the dirty on his girlfriend. ' I'd be safe and warm if I was in LA' and ' if I didn't tell her I could leave today '. Albeit he is riddled with guilt and ' stops into a church I passed along the way' even.
But it is such a gorgeous song . Thanks for this thread OP

OK. Mr Robert Palmer singing a lovestruck song

I think it was written by Lowell George of Little Feat.

💯 behind Sylvia's Mother! She has her daughter's back alright!

Apparently it was based on a real phone call.

Again, I think I must have been lyric ignorant for my entire 60 odd years!

I honestly thought "The Kids Are Alright" was a defiant youth anthem, celebrating freedom...as 'kids', ie teenagers.

I blame Roger Daltreys diction on this occasion.

I can't help it, Wishes. All the wholesome romantic stuff just gets a bit boring after a while.

I'm absolutely not saying anything about big butts.

Or Miss Piggy singing Peaches. 😄

I’m coming really late to this thread but I used to love Dr Hook “If not you” - I used to think was romantic but it now gives me the rage…
Who's gonna water my plants?
Who's gonna patch my pants?
And who's gonna give me
The chance to feel brand new?

Who's gonna iron my shirts?
Who's gonna kiss where it hurts?
And who needs a man when
He flirts the way I do?

Who, if not you?
Who, if not you?
That’s the first half but the rest is similar - stay with me, if you weren’t here who would do the chores does not speak to me of romance the way it used to!
And Sylvia’s Mother is another stalker song - Sylvia’s mother says Sylvia’s busy - too busy to come to the phone,Sylvia’s mother says Sylvia’s happy,and why don’t you leave her alone - well, yes! Sylvia doesn’t want you pestering her,dude,and her mother is doing a great job here!

I sympathise, I can't help singing along to the one about

I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up four wheel drive
carved my name into his leather seats
took a Louisville slugger to both headlights
slashed a hole in all four tyres
maybe next time he'll think before he cheats

which really ought to have a verse about getting arrested for criminal damage, but it's a good tune!

The Who, the kids are all right -

I know I've got to get away
Cos I know if I don't, I'll go out of my mind
better leave her behind with the kids
they're all right

Yeah. Ltb. Again.

Reminds me of that MNetter who was musing about her dh who'd left her a text about having gone to find himself in the country for the weekend, and the possibility of texting him back something like 'Oh. Shit. I went to London for the weekend last night to find myself. I wonder what the kids are doing this morning?'