The tradition of earthier love songs survived in Spain, parts of North Africa, and the Middle East, however. (That’s the church basement where they put dead bodies.) Church leaders considered songs of human love “the devil’s handiwork.” They restricted composers to religious chants, prohibiting any words, rhythms, or music that might excite listeners into thinking of anything besides heavenly devotion. During this time, the religion of Christianity took hold there, and love songs were sent to the catacombs. This period lasted from the late 400s into the 1400s. In Europe during the Middle Ages, though, the tradition of lovey-dovey songs came under attack. (Totally and completely and nothing like today’s popular songs. Many, many of the songs of the Ancient Sumers, Hebrews, Greeks, Chinese, Romans and others were very flirty and even suggestive. Kissing a sister? It probably helps to know that “sister” was another way of saying “girlfriend.”) The kissing of your lips is pleasant to me The speaking of your mouth is pleasant to me, The gazing of your eyes is pleasant to me Get a load of some lyrics from the Ancient Sumerian song My Honey-Sweet: My dearest, my dearest, my dearest, my darling, But the lyrics are often, er-steamy? Let’s just say there was a whole lot of smooching and goo-goo eyes going on. Most of these songs-and many songs of other ancient civilizations-sing devotion to their gods or God. The words were pressed into clay tablets that survived to modern times. They come from the ancient kingdom of Sumer, an area found in the country of Iraq today. The oldest surviving love songs date back about 4,000 years. Put some guitar riffs and a hard-driving backbeat to those Ancient Egyptian lyrics and it could be a hit love song today.įrom poets Sappho in Ancient Greece to Ovid in Ancient Rome to Spanish and French troubadours of the Middle Ages to songstress Taylor Swift today, the dizzying wonder of romance has always inspired songwriters to put “I love you” to music. But the more the world changes, the more people stay the same. Who sent me straight to bed He said I'm lonesome and I’m lovesickįalling in love never ceases to feel amazing and new-and maybe a little queasy in the stomach. A long time ago, some Egyptian scribe scratched these lyrics into a clay tablet: I am sick inside.Ībout 3,500 years later, rocker Elvis Presley sang out a similar sentiment: Saw the fortune teller
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