But I would give him anything he asked/
If my first love could be my last.

Kiki Dee’s Amoureuse is a beautiful love song—translated from the French song of the same name—written and performed by Veronique Sanson. Sanson’s version may be superior, but Dee’s translated lyrics really hit home for those of us who are not French speakers.

Kiki Dee is most well-known for being the co-singer on one of Elton John’s worst songs, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”. It was a huge hit, so someone liked it. Amoureuse is Dee’s best song. In English-speaking countries Sanson is probably most well known for being married to Stephan Stills. Her work is quite good and connects even if you don’t typically listen to foreign music.

Amoureuse (translation: “lover“) tells the story of a woman who is looking back on her first love with regret. The relationship is long over, but she yearns for things to have turned out differently. She remembers lying in her lover’s bed and thinking “this is everything I ever dreamed it could be”; yet the relationship ended. She would do anything to change that, but it isn’t in the cards.

Why did the relationship end? We don’t get the full story, though we get the feeling the narrator took the relationship for granted. She thought, “If my first love is this great, imagine how great the next one will be.” But what if that greater love never comes? You are left with regret, heartache, loneliness and nights spent reminiscing.

The production and overall sound of Dee’s Amoureuse is very Carpenters-esque. Karen Carpenter was a superstar at the time this was released, so I can imagine all the record execs trying to find and create “the Next Karen Carpenter”. This is about as close as it comes-a pure voice that sings about heartbreak in a slightly too-cheery tune…with an overproduced soundtrack (except for the fact that she’s not a drummer…just go with it). Sanson’s version seems to capture the regretful tone more faithfully.

Amoureuse Lyrics

Strands of light upon a bedroom floor,
Change the night through an open door,
I’m awake but this not my home,
For the first time I’m not alone.

Reaching out, I touch another skin.
Breathing out as he is breathing in.
Deep inside I feel my soul aflame,
Can my life ever be the same?

I should have told him,
I’d do anything if I could hold him
For just another day, for just another day.
His love is something I will not forget.
When I am far away, when I am far away,
I feel the rainfall of another planet,
Another planet.

Close together in the afterglow,
I remember how his loving flow.
Turned the key into another world,
Made a woman of a simple girl.

Daylight comes as we both know it must.
Soon my fantasies will turn to dust.
But I would give him anything he asked,
If my first love could be my last.

I should have told him,
I’d do anything if I could hold him
For just another day, for just another day.
His love is something I will not regret.
When I am far away, when I am far away.
I feel the rainfall of another planet.
When I am far away, when I am far away,
I feel the rainfall of another planet, another planet.

written by Veronique Sanson

I still see your face in the white cars, front yards/
Can’t drive past the places we used to go to

Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License” hits on a lot of teenage tropes yet manages to deliver a genuine performance and a memorable song. She talks about several teenage rites of passage, but this song is primarily about getting over your first love. This is an early pick for a “greatest song of all time”–the boldest on this list. Will it stand the test of time? We’ll see.

The bridge contains a lot of the depth: she visits the places where she and her ex used to go together, and the memories haunt the space. She thinks she sees and hears him when he’s clearly not there; she’s still in love.

Notice that the song contains nothing negative or derogatory about her ex—even though he broke her heart. (Perhaps that is a different stage of grief that we’ll get to hear about in a different song).

There are a couple notable things about this song-that make it different than others on this list. For one, it is the first song she released and wrote (I believe). She doesn’t even have an album yet. And she was so young when she wrote it. For a similar story of artists having early success check out Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights, Simon and Garfunkel’s Sound of Silence and anything by Ritchie Valens.

While the universal theme of teenage angst goes far, the song is memorable because of the beautiful melody and Rodrigo’s passionate delivery. Our ability to believe the words and emotions that an artist expresses is one of the most important aspects of making a great song.

I am bullish on Rodrigo; I look forward to hearing her future work. I think she has the potential to grow into her voice and that will go a long way. I also see her moving away from playing the piano live. She’s an adequate piano player but has great stage performance. Stevie Nicks writes on the piano but doesn’t play live. I think that’s the way to go.

Driver’s License Lyrics

I got my driver’s license last week,
Just like we always talked about.
‘Cause you were so excited for me,
To finally drive up to your house.
But today I drove through the suburbs,
Crying ’cause you weren’t around.

And you’re probably with that blonde girl,
Who always made me doubt.
She’s so much older than me,
She’s everything I’m insecure about.
Yeah, today I drove through the suburbs,
‘Cause how could I ever love someone else?

And I know we weren’t perfect but I’ve never felt this way for no one.
And I just can’t imagine how you could be so okay now that I’m gone.
Guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me.
‘Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street.

And all my friends are tired
Of hearing how much I miss you, but
I kinda feel sorry for them,
‘Cause they’ll never know you the way that I do. yeah
Today I drove through the suburbs,
And pictured I was driving home to you.

And I know we weren’t perfect,
But I’ve never felt this way for no one. oh
And I just can’t imagine how you could be so okay, now that I’m gone.
I guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me.
‘Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street.

Red lights, stop signs,
I still see your face in the white cars, front yards,
Can’t drive past the places we used to go to.
‘Cause I still fuckin’ love you, babe (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh).
Sidewalks we crossed,
I still hear your voice in the traffic, we’re laughing
Over all the noise.
God, I’m so blue, know we’re through,
But I still fuckin’ love you, babe (ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh).

I know we weren’t perfect but I’ve never felt this way for no one.
And I just can’t imagine how you could be so okay, now that I’m gone.
‘Cause you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me.
‘Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street.
Yeah, you said forever, now I drive alone past your street.

Songwriters: Daniel Nigro / Olivia Rodrigo

Now I have nothing left/
Only heartache and regret.

I like the concept of Kat Edmonson’s “You Can’t Break My Heart”. Edmonson sings a song to her lover telling them that she really isn’t heartbroken.  By the sound of her voice we know that’s not true. She’ll admit to heartache and regret, and that her world is falling apart, but “broken” is one step too far for her.

That seems to be an important distinction in her mind. Her heart might be left with a little scar, but it will not break.  We understand that there is a distinction between heartache and a full-on broken heart: the former is temporary and less severe.  But the tone of the song and the tone of her voice lead us to believe she is just putting on a brave face.

The sound of the song is really unique. The first thing we notice is Edmonson’s voice. The best way to describe it is “vintage”. The song sounds like a French woman pulled from the 1940s singing a contemporary song with a Latino vibe…in English. But I like it. I think the Latino vibe comes from the nylon string acoustic guitar in a minor key (I assume)…along with the muted trumpets. It is an interesting combination. I also like the subtle use of the timpani. I wouldn’t mind more timpani in my rock and pop music.

You Can’t Break My Heart Lyrics

What good does true love do?
Why’d I fall in love with you?
You can break a promise but
You can’t break my heart
If I can’t change your mind
You go your way and I’ll go mine
You can tear my world apart but
You can’t break my heart
Who do you think you are
Walkin’ out on me now
You might leave a little scar
Now I have nothing left
Only heartache and regret
Can break promise but
You can’t break my heart
Who do you think you are
Walkin’ out on me now
You might leave a little scar

But you can’t break my heart
You don’t know where to start
You can break a promise but
You can’t break my heart

Songwriters: Zuniga Alfredo Joaquin