"Always the Love Songs" is a song written by

David Lee Murphy David Lee Murphy (born January 7, 1959) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is best known for his #1 country hits " Dust on the Bottle" and " Everything's Gonna Be Alright", as well as the hit songs " Party Crowd", " Out with ...

and

George Ducas Voivode George Ducas (Greek: ''Γεώργιος Δούκας'', Romanian: ''Gheorghe Duca'') (c. 1620 – 31 March 1685) was three times prince of Moldavia (September 1665 – May 1666, November 1668 – 20 August 1672, November 1678 – Januar ...

, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

group

Eli Young Band Eli Young Band is an American country music band composed of members who met while students at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas: Mike Eli (lead vocals, guitar), James Young (guitar), Jon Jones (bass guitar), and Chris Thompson (dru ...

. It was released in September 2008 as the second single from the album ''

Jet Black & Jealous ''Jet Black & Jealous'' is the second studio album by American country music group Eli Young Band. It was released on September 16, 2008 by Universal South. The album's first single, "When It Rains", peaked at #34 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country ...

''. This song is also the band's second chart entry on '' Billboard'' Hot Country Songs, as well as their first top 20 hit.

Content

"Always the Love Songs" is a mid-tempo song with

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

accompaniment. In it, the male narrator recalls a point earlier in his life, when he and his friends would gather around a bonfire, pass around a guitar, and sing songs. He states that it was "always the love songs" that he recalled the most from these sing-alongs.

Critical reception

''Country Standard Time'' critic Brian Steinberg cited "Always the Love Songs" as a standout track on the album, saying that it showed a sense of interplay among the band members that was comparable to

The Wallflowers The Wallflowers is an American rock solo project of American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jakob Dylan. The Wallflowers were originally a roots rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1989 by Dylan and guitarist Tobi Miller. The band ...

. Andrew Leahey, reviewing the album for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, also compared the song's sound to that of The Wallflowers, saying that its intro was borrowed from "

6th Avenue Heartache "6th Avenue Heartache" is a song by the American rock band The Wallflowers. It was released in April 1996 as the lead single from their second album ''Bringing Down the Horse''. The song became their first hit, peaking at No. 8 on the US Modern R ...

Music video

The music video for "Always the Love Songs" is of a live performance, and is directed by the band.

Chart performance

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2008 singles Eli Young Band songs Songs written by David Lee Murphy Songs written by George Ducas (singer) Show Dog-Universal Music singles 2008 songs