Violins aren’t as rare in pop as you might expect. They’re often used to amplify a track’s emotive sentiments, adding a profound, cinematic twist whilst opening the door for artists to make their mark in music history through a timeless-sounding hit.
Our list of stand-out love songs on the violin covers it all, whether you’re falling in love or losing hope in finding happiness altogether.
Love Songs On The Violin
1. Clean Bandit ft. Jess Glynne – Rather Be
Clean Bandit’s UK #1 hit, Rather Be, is quickly becoming a time capsule of its musical era, retaining its popular image as a nostalgia-inducing hit of the early 2010s.
Rather Be still sounds as fresh as its 2013 release; its energy just as intoxicating whilst featuring a quirky blend of absolute artistry and radio-pop gold.
In their signature style, Clean Bandit plant their perky violin riff within a house-inspired electronic soundscape, putting an ever-interesting twist on the common expectations of a club hit.
This upbeat love song describes unconditional admiration for the person you’re with, and a love that grows with each new adventure you take together;
“We’re a thousand miles from comfort, we have travelled land and sea, but as long as you are with me, there’s no place I’d rather be.”
2. Oasis – Stand By Me
Oasis’ 1997 single, Stand By Me, comes padded with string sections bestowing a plush, harmonic layer to their brit-pop track.
From the first verse, the string sections build from an anchoring cello line to a fully-fledged symphonic arrangement offering a majestic landscape for the lyrical concept to flourish upon.
This rock track’s addition of violin adds a natural brightness to its already captivating sound, whilst adorning it with the ambience of an instant classic.
Like many Oasis songs, Stand By Me struggles to place a distinct message within its wandering lyrics, however the lines loosely come together to illustrate the sweet need of keeping your partner close through good times and bad;
“Times are hard when things have got no meaning, I’ve found a key upon the floor, maybe you and I will not believe in, the things we find behind the door … Don’t you know the cold and wind and rain don’t know, they only seem to come and go away … Stand by me, nobody knows the way it’s gonna be.”
3. Demi Lovato – Give Your Heart A Break
Demi Lovato’s 2012 single, Give Your Heart A Break, is grounded in a bright violin riff studded with a nostalgic 00s pop vibe
While this up-tempo track is overwhelmingly electronic, its violin additions refresh its contemporary dance vibe with each reverberation of the main riff, and with every lush harmonic layer woven within the chorus.
This clear-skied pop track is about being the perfect partner for your crush, promising to save them from the trouble threatening to shatter their heart,
“Don’t wanna break your heart, wanna give your heart a break, I know you’re scared it’s wrong, like you might make a mistake, there’s just one life to live, and there’s no time to wait, so let me give your heart a break.”
4. Sinead O’Connor – Nothing Compares 2 U
Sinead O’Connor’s iconic love song, Nothing Compares 2 U, is as breathtaking today as on its release nearly 40 years ago.
Reaching #1 in nearly every European country, this soulful pop ballad unfolds against a violin soundscape, invigorated by a drum beat and touches of piano highlighting its soft harmony.
This track is blanketed in the fallout of heartbreak, illustrating the perpetual feeling of empty insignificance overshadowing the months that follow a breakup;
“Since you been gone, I can do whatever I want, I can see whomever I choose, I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant, but nothing, I said nothing can take away these blues, ’cause nothing compares, nothing compares to you.”
5. The Veronicas – Untouched
This hidden indie rock gem by The Veronicas was a late 2000’s anthem that somehow flickered into obscurity. Untouched is rooted in its vibrant, atmospheric violin hook, sounding with a shamelessly catchy and mesmerising youthful aura.
Weaving their string section between rich, pop-rock distortions and gripping electronicism, The Veronicas’ lyrics are styled like a theme tune for any single, early-20s party girl who can’t seem to settle with the right person.
Untouched is about delving into your irrepressible, lustful impulses to counteract the deep-set feeling of loneliness, running spellbound to the person you just cant get your mind off;
“I just can’t resist you, it’s not enough to say that I miss you, I feel so untouched right now, need you so much somehow, I can’t forget you, been going crazy from the moment I met you.”
6. Dexys Midnight Runners – Come On Eileen
Dexy’s Midnight Runner’s classic hit, Come On Eileen, derives threads of its inspiration from Irish folk music; a genre synonymous with violin accompaniment.
Opening on a brief fiddle melody before lending its violin to the track’s captivating main hook, this landmark love song exhibits the instrument at the forefront of its retro pop-rock arrangement, whilst imparting a dance-worthy, folksy shade to the track’s vibrant palette of sound.
Come On Eileen borders upon musical mastery, harbouring an array of key changes and tempo changes, each as flawless and subtly compelling as the last.
Dexy’s Midnight Runners anchor their 1982 love song in its chorus lyrics, the narrator attempting to entice the girl who enchants him; “Come on Eileen, oh, I swear (what he means), at this moment you mean everything, you in that dress, my thoughts I confess verge on dirty, oh, come on Eileen.”
7. Goo Goo Dolls – Iris
Goo Goo Dolls emotionally charged classic, Iris, is devoted to bloodletting the despairing feeling of heartache; pouring out profound sentiments in a tear-drenched love note to someone you can’t have.
This 1998 rock ballad is centred in its acoustic guitar track, warmly underlined with a cello bass melody. As the song evolves and swells in energy, violins can be found blended seamlessly into the soundscape.
The string section’s most prominent part appears in the bridge instrumental, where violins resound with cutting rhythm like a stammered, love-shaken heartbeat, layering in harmony before giving way to a lush guitar solo.
Iris is a crushing love song about feeling hopelessly invisible to the person you admire; “And I don’t want the world to see me, ’cause I don’t think that they’d understand, when everything’s made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am.”