Our Favorite Love Song Songbooks

With Valentine’s Day upon us, romance is in the air. It’s the perfect time to celebrate love and passion. Whether you’re wooing a new crush or sweeping your partner off their feet, playing music is one of the most romantic gestures you can make. So why not serenade your special someone with a classic tune from a love song songbook?

Love songs have a rich history, dating back to over one thousand years ago. Romantic themes have appeared in lyrics in all genres of music, from pop to hip hop. These are the songs that touch our hearts and become a soundtrack for life’s most beautiful moments. For many, love songs express feelings that are hard to say in words.

If you play piano, or you’re learning, Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to add some love songs to your repertoire. With a love song songbook, you’ll learn to play the greatest love songs of all time on piano. Playing a love song for your Valentine will create a romantic evening they’ll never forget.

Here are four of our favorite love song songbooks:

#1. River Flows In You And Other Eloquent Songs For Solo Piano

A classic volume published by Hal Leonard, River Flows In You And Other Eloquent Songs for Solo Piano features contemporary favorites arranged for solo piano. These timeless ballads range in complexity and structure, making them perfect for intermediate to advanced level players. Each melodic piece in this soft cover edition is a beautiful love song that’s sure to impress. The songs also make for great practice pieces.

This songbook has 24 hit songs by a variety of songwriters and composers, including:

• Ballade Pour Adeline 
• Bella’s Lullaby 
• Cinema Paradiso 
• Il Postino (The Postman) 
• Jessica’s Theme (Breaking in the Colt) 
• The John Dunbar Theme 
• Kiss the Rain 
• Nadia’s Theme 
• River Flows in You

#2. 100 Of The Most Beautiful Piano Solos Ever

As the name implies, 100 Of The Most Beautiful Piano Solos Ever includes some of the best piano solos ever written. The vast selection of beautiful pieces included in this songbook makes it one of our favorites. Featuring 100 timeless songs from classical music composers to The Beatles, there’s something for everyone. 

This Hal Leonard songbook is a hefty 462 pages, but it’s more than worth the weight! In 100 Of The Most Beautiful Piano Solos Ever, you’ll learn to play some of the most romantic songs ever written, such as:

• Canon in D 
• Clair de Lune 
• Fields of Gold 
• I Dreamed a Dream 
• I Will Always Love You 
• Imagine 
• Memory 
• Moon River 
• Over the Rainbow
• Time After Time
• The Way You Look Tonight 
• We’ve Only Just Begun 
• What a Wonderful World 
• Yesterday

#3. The Most Beautiful Classical Melodies

For the classical music lover, nothing beats this songbook from publisher Cherry Lane. The Most Beautiful Classical Melodies has 46 classical favorites, specifically arranged for an early-intermediate level player. From Bach to Mendelssohn, this collection highlights some of the greatest classical composers in music history. Not only will this songbook help set the mood for a romantic date, it will help you broaden your knowledge of music history!

The Most Beautiful Classical Melodies is a must-have songbook for every pianist. In this volume, you’ll learn to play symphonic compositions arranged for solo piano, like:

• Air on the G String (Bach)
• Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod & Schubert versions)
• Canon in D (Pachelbel)
• Joy of Man’s Desiring (Bach)
• Panis Angelicus (O Lord Most Holy) (Franck)
• Pomp and Circumstance (Elgar)
• Tales from the Vienna Woods (Strauss)
• Wedding March (Mendelssohn)

#4. First 50 Pop Ballads You Should Play on the Piano (Easy Piano Level)

This is our favorite love song songbook for beginners. First 50 Pop Ballads You Should Play on the Piano is an excellent edition for piano students who are ready to begin learning new songs on their own. It also makes a great addition to the music library for intermediate and advanced players, who could master each song quickly.

The 50 pop ballads included in this collection are arranged with simplicity and include some of the top hits from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and more, including:

• (They Long to Be) Close to You 
• Don’t Let the Sun Go down on Me
• Ebony and Ivory 
• Fields of Gold * The Greatest Love of All * Hello
• Killing Me Softly with His Song 
• More Than Words
• The Power of Love 
• Total Eclipse of the Heart 
• Wonderful Tonight 
• You Are So Beautiful 

This Valentine’s Day, Play a Love Song with a Songbook from Music and Arts

Show the people you love how you feel by learning to play a classic love song. Each of these piano songbooks includes dozens of popular songs that are perfect for a romantic date on Valentine’s Day, or any time of year!

For more about songbooks, learning to play piano, or musical instruments in general, visit Music and Arts.