CHIRP: The Chicago Independent Radio Project

Dustin Drase writes

Overly Obsessive Love Songs

In case you couldn’t tell….we love lists! Give us a topic and we’ll discuss it for days. Recently one of our volunteers sent out a call for some suggestions of “overly obsessive love songs,” you know, the kind where you feel exceptionally dirty just listening to them. Of course I immediately thought of the Lionel Richie music video for “Hello” (see below). With the help of fellow CHIRPer Adrian who compiled all of the CHIRP staff responses, I bring you our creeptastic collection of unromantic favorites.

Animotion – “Obsession”
Babes in Toyland – “He’s My Thing”
Bobby Vinton – “Please Love Me Forever”
Brand New – “Jude Law and a Semester Abroad”
Britney Spears – “Toxic”
Dave Matthews Band – “Crash Into Me”
Death Cab for Cutie – “I Will Possess Your Heart,”
Dresden Dolls – possibly the entire first record
Elliott Smith – “Everything Reminds Me of Her”
Elliott Smith – “Somebody That I Used to Know”
Elliott Smith – “Waltz #2”
Elvis Costello – “I Want You”
Elvis Costello – “So Like Candy”
Elvis Costello – “You Belong to Me”
Fountains of Wayne – “Denise”
Gladys Knight and the Pips – “Midnight Train to Georgia”
Hall & Oates – “Family Man”
Hall & Oates – “Private Eyes”
Heavenly – “Cool Guitar Boy”
House of Love – “I Don’t Know Why I Love You”
Husker Du – “I’ll Never Forget You”
Jace Everett – “Bad Things”
Jay Reatard – “I See You Standing There”
Jeff Buckley – “Lilac Wine”
Joe Henry – “Monkey”
John Mayer – “Neon”
Johnny Cash – “Big River”
Johnny Cash – “Long Black Veil”
Lionel Richie “Hello”

Little Peggy March – “I Will Follow Him”
Maroon 5 – “Harder to Breathe”
Mika – “Grace Kelly”
Morrissey – “The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get”
Neko Case – “If You Knew”
Nine Inch Nails – “Closer”
Off With Their Heads – “Horse Pills And The Apartment Lobby”
PJ Harvey – “Rid of Me”
Rockwell – “Somebody’s Watching Me”
Roy Orbison – “Falling”
Roy Orbison – “In Dreams”
Rufus Wainwright – “Foolish Love”
Shannon Wright – “Floorpile”
Shellac – “Prayer To God”
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles – “You Really Got a Hold on Me”
Spoon – “Ghost of You Lingers”
Spoon – “I Turn My Camera On”
Steve Winwood – “Valerie”
Stevie Wonder – “You’ve Got it Bad Girl”
The Beatles – “Girl”
The Buzzcocks – “Ever Fallen In Love”
The Buzzcocks – “Fiction Romance”
The Buzzcocks – “You Say You Don’t Love Me”
The Cars – “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight”
The Decemberists – “Bagman’s Gambit”
The Exploding Hearts – “Sleeping Aids and Razor Blades”
The Four Tops – “Bernadette”
The Killers – “Mr. Brightside”
The Modern Lovers – “Astral Plane”
The Monkees – “I Can’t Get Her Off My Mind”
The National – “Brainy”

The Police – “Every Breath You Take”
The Seeds – “Can’t Seem To Make You Mine”
The Smiths – “I Want the One I Can’t Have”
The Smiths – “I Won’t Share You”
The Temptations/Al Green – “I Can’t Get Next to You”
The Violent Femmes – “Prove My Love”
The Violent Femmes – “Sweet Misery Blues”
The Wedding Present – “Bewitched”
Thin Lizzy – “Dancing in the Moonlight”
Tom Petty – “Woman in Love”
Van Halen – “I’ll Wait”
Weezer – “Butterfly”
Weezer – “Devotion”
Weezer – “Getchoo”
Weezer – “No Other One”
Weezer – “Only in Dreams”
Weezer – “Sweater Song”

Adrian also suggested a bunch of Daniel Johnston songs for the list (most a result of his lifelong obsession with Laura, probably due to his mental disorder).

Daniel Johnston – “Can’t Get Over You”
Daniel Johnston – “Crazy Love”
Daniel Johnston – “Everlasting Love”
Daniel Johnston – “Grievances”
Daniel Johnston – “I Live for Love”
Daniel Johnston – “I Remember Painfully”
Daniel Johnston – “I Will”
Daniel Johnston – “Impossible Love”
Daniel Johnston – “Laurie”
Daniel Johnston – “Man Obsessed”
Daniel Johnston – “She Called Pest Control”
Daniel Johnston – “Some Things Last a Long Time
Daniel Johnston – “Sweet Heart”
Daniel Johnston – “Wedding Ring Bell Blues”
Daniel Johnston – “When I Met You”
Daniel Johnston – “You’re Not Laura”