
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I’ve made a Valentine’s playlist. I’m sure everyone has more or less soundtracked the day, and these are by no means the only songs that pop into my head. But they’re among the most consistent offenders on Feb. 14ths over the years. Some you may have heard these songs, some you may not have. If you haven’t heard them, I encourage you to follow the links I’ve provided, or to track them down yourself.

For better and for worse, mimicry is one of pop music’s great inevitabilities. Every band has at least one reference point – the successful ones go further than their influences in some respect or other. That said, the problem with this sort of aping isn’t mimicry itself, but the fact that people rip off the same bands. So it’s refreshing when a band takes cues from someone who isn’t necessarily a household name.
Take Vermont’s Happy Birthday, for instance.