Whether your Valentine’s Day plans include a romantic dinner-for-two or just a cozy night in, music will likely help set the mood. The relationship between music and love is such a powerful part of the human experience, choosing the perfect song to play when you’re with your special someone can help make your Valentine’s Day magical.

The role of music on love and relationships has evolved so much over time, from acting as remedies for heartache in Ancient Greek and Roman times to mixtapes of love songs exchanged between adolescent sweethearts. Now, you are even able to get an original song written by a professional songwriter that brings to life your unique love story for you to treasure together forever.

Knowing how music affects your love story will help make this Valentine’s Day even more special for you and your beloved, especially as you search for the perfect gift that comes from the heart.

The History Of The Love Song

This relation between music and love is not a new phenomenon and has roots all around the world.

In ancient Greece and Rome, music was believed to have healing properties that could cure a variety of illnesses. Ever listen to that sad song you love to hate on repeat after a breakup? Or have you been unable to get a catchy tune out of your head because it reminds you of that special someone? Nothing cures heartache quite like a double dosage of perfect music.

The influence of music persisted into classical literature and love stories that many of us know from our college years. Shakespeare even mentioned the powerful influence of music in determining if a man was fit for love, a useful lesson for you brides-to-be.

“Since naught so stockish, hard, and full of rage, but music for the time doth change his nature, The man that has no music in his soul, is fit for treasons, plots, and stratagems. Let no such man be trusted,” said Lorenzo in Shakespeare’s The Merchant Of Venice.

In all honesty, who hasn’t friend-zoned someone due to their musical tastes (or lack thereof)? For thousands of years, music and love have been intertwined, each mutually developing the other. However, the relationship was largely conjecture for many years, without scientific proof, until more people began asking why music influences our love stories so much.

The Science Behind Cupid’s Serenade

In contemporary society, the search for the scientific evidence connecting music to pleasure and sexual stimulation began in 1853. The Illustrated Magazine of Art published a study on elephants, a species with intellectual and emotional similarities to humans. The study showed that elephants, as expected, were at first astonished and excited upon hearing new music. Shortly after exposure to music, the elephants began to experience pleasure as observed in interactions like increased touching and swaying with one another as if moving to the beat. This study was considered ridiculous for many people within the scientific community, but it sparked an insatiable thirst for stimulating music that holds true today.

In 1954, Oxford published a formal study in the journal Music and Letters about how music directly stimulated the thalamus gland to produce excess endorphins that have the ability to either heighten or dampen one’s mood. Since then hundreds of studies have been conducted that assert very similar findings, from elephants to endorphins and beyond.

The Soundtrack To Your Love Story

Think back to your own series of relationships and explore how music played a role in the romance.

Particular scenes or sensory experiences may come to mind that were especially influential in the development of your love story. Many teenagers express their adolescent love for their sweetheart by gifting a mixtape of sappy (and angsty) love songs.

The idea of a couple choosing “their song” reinforces the idea that music can define a relationship. Whether mid-fight, during love-making, or possibly both, whenever a couple hears “their song,” both of their faces light up with recognition, nostalgia and love. Every couple has their song that brings them together, but an original song written just for you that brings your unique story to life is a sentimental gift like no other.

Over the years many things have changed. Trends have been set, customs altered and traditions have been lost to the sands of time. However, the relationship between music and love has persisted and even grown with new technology. This Valentine’s Day, tap into that amazing power of music and give your special someone the unique gift of an original song.