Oh, you know the songs I am talking about – the ones that are really, really sentimental and foolish, but you often secretly listen to them anyhow because they are just so dang catchy. Let’s take a look at what I think are some of the sappiest ballads of all time:
“Lost in Your Eyes” by Debbie Gibson
She may be Deborah Gibson now, but nothing can ever separate her from this cheesy ballad that contained lyrics such as “I get weak in a glance, isn’t this what’s called romance?” and “Ooh, when I first knew, was when I first looked at you.” Oh yes, and before you start hating on me, I had planned for this to be my wedding song one day and when I hear it today, it still makes me a bit emotional.
“Weekend in New England” by Barry Manilow
Who can resist when Barry sings “When will our eyes meet, When can I touch you, When will this strong yearning end?” Yes, you probably want to barf when you hear it, but you know if a man were really saying these words to you – well, that would be different!
“Somewhere Out There” by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram
It has all the components needed for a truly cheesy song – separated lovers, check – moonlight, check – love and dreams, check. And, if you know that this is the theme to the movie An American Tail, then you know the story about the little mouse who’s lost and looking for his family…sigh.
“Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” by Bryan Adams
Again, like Barry’s “Weekend in New England,” this song would be completely unsappy if sang directly to you. However, after breakups, we become calloused and this song just resonates sap. Oh, by the way, if you think the song is sappy, check out Don Juan DeMarco, an equally sappy movie (which just happens to be extremely romantic and one of my favorites!).
Any ballad by a heavy metal band
I love “Every Rose has its Thorn” by Poison, but honestly, doesn’t just the mere fact that they are a metal hair band from the 80s make almost any ballad they sing cheesy? This also includes “Sweet Child of Mine” by Guns N’ Roses, “Still Loving You” by the Scorpions, and “Home Sweet Home” by Motley Crue.
So there you have it, just a sampling of my sappiest ballads list. Of course, I couldn’t list them all, so let me know what your favorites are!