"The Love Song" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Jeff Bates. It was released in December 2002 as the lead single from his debut album '' Rainbow Man'', released on RCA Nashville. The song was also Bates' highest-charting single on the

Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

(now

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

) chart, reaching a peak of #8. Bates wrote this song with

Kenny Beard Kenny Beard (February 26, 1959 - October 1, 2017) was an American country music songwriter. He wrote songs for Trace Adkins, Tracy Lawrence, and Aaron Tippin. Biography Kenny Beard was born February 26, 1959, in Ringgold, Louisiana. He moved to ...

and

Casey Beathard Casey Michael Beathard ( ; born December 2, 1965) is an American country music songwriter. The son of former NFL general manager Bobby Beathard, and father to current Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback C. J. Beathard, and country music artist Tuc ...

Content

The song is a mid-tempo ballad accompanied by piano and a string section, with electric guitar solos preceding the second verse and bridge. In it, the male narrator recalls various instances in his life where love was involved. These include being held by his mother as a young child, playing baseball with his father, meeting his girlfriend next door, marrying her and finally, seeing the birth of their child.

Critical reception

Rick Cohoon of Allmusic gave the song a favorable review, comparing Bates' vocal delivery to that of

Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...

. Of the lyrics, he said, that they " ppealedto that almost universal moment when our heart does flip-flops for another and finally to the magic of bringing a child into the world."

Chart positions

"The Love Song" debuted on the

charts dated for the week ending January 4, 2003. It spent thirty weeks on the charts and reached a peak of number 8.

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Love Song Jeff Bates songs 2002 debut singles 2002 songs Songs written by Casey Beathard Song recordings produced by Scott Hendricks RCA Records Nashville singles Songs written by Kenny Beard Songs written by Jeff Bates