Valentine’s Day Music
Futurebirds, Turnpike Troubadours, Leon Bridges, and can't help falling in love...
Everywhere, everything
I wanna love you 'til we're food for the worms to eat
'Til our fingers decompose
Keep my hand in yours
—Noah Kahan
How romantic, Noah. But seriously, what a fresh take on “until death do us part!” Happy Valentine’s Day from the Music Swap. We’re late to the game, so no fluff—here are three songs for your Valentine’s Day mix + a playlist from Adam + a Bonus Track from Juli Gibson (Kody’s wife) on the song “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”
Trippin’ by Futurebirds (Kody)
“I would have hell to pay baby if I didn’t have you.”
My high school friends and those who know me best know that I would have hell to pay if I didn’t have Juli Gibson. And even though I’m still “trippin’ all over myself” she’s riding it out with me, and I’m so grateful. Happy Valentine’s Day to this week’s (and my favorite) Bonus Track guest.
Pay No Rent by Turnpike Troubadours (Adam)
“Time together is time well spent, in my heart you pay not rent.”
Recently saw the Turnpike Troubadours live with a buddy. I wasn’t very familiar with any of their music, especially this song. That night, this song meant a lot, and since then, my wife has been wearing it out. Time together truly is time well spent!
Also, if you need a good Valentine’s Day playlist feel free to use this one!
Coming Home by Leon Bridges (Mat)
Is there a better theme to sing about than love? I don’t think so. And I don’t think you can ask for a better soundtrack for Valentine’s Day than Leon Bridges. Across his career, his music has evolved, but he never gets far from the sort of music you want playing in the background while you cook and enjoy a wonderful meal with your beloved. Celebrate your Valentine’s Day today while Leon croons in the background: “Baby baby baby, I’m coming home, To your tender sweet loving, You’re my one and only woman”
Bonus Track: A Little History and the Power of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Juli Gibson
Love songs…please just give me a playlist of straight banger after banger. I want the big, timeless hits. Unchained Melody, Your Song, Stand By Me, When a Man Loves a Woman, Endless Love…
I love the song we danced to at our wedding (Heavenly Day by Patty Griffin), but I've been saying for years that I wish we would have danced to an Elvis song. “Can’t Help Falling in Love” is irresistible to me. It just makes me gush. Fewer songs are more romantic to me. Listen to this song and try to not imagine people slow dancing on a dark dance floor or in their kitchen after the dishes have been done. The intimacy is palpable.
This song was his final song in more ways than one. He ended his performances in the 60s and 70s with this song, and it was his closing song for his final TV special. Can’t Help Falling in Love was also the last song he ever sang live in 1977.
This special song has endured across generations—even before Elvis made it famous. Its melody actually comes from the French love song Plaisir d'Amour, composed in 1784. Just like Can’t Help Falling in Love, it has been covered many times. Give it a listen today—it gives a whole new meaning to the word timeless.
As much as I love, and I do mean love, the Elvis version, there have been a few covers of Can’t Help Falling in Love over the last ten years or so that add so much dimension. Kina Grannis’ performance from the movie Crazy Rich Asians just kills me. The bride walks down the aisle, made of water, mind you, to this song and once again, it has me rethinking my own wedding song choices.
And because it’s the day of love, I will close by saying that ultimately, I am probably most drawn to this song because the words resonate so deeply. Seventeen-year-old Juli McKenzie simply could not help falling in love with Kody Gibson… “Like a river flows, surely to the sea darling, so it goes, some things are meant to be.”
Happy Valentine’s Day y‘all.
Juli Gibson loves beautiful things and invests in the good of those around her. She prefers her Pandora stations over Spotify. Her artist of 2024 was Noah Kahan and she has listened to the Wicked Soundtrack the most in 2025.
Don’t forget to check out Adam’s Valentine’s Day playlist!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
-TheMusicSwap