Schema Magazine

There's so much more to Valentine's Day than the red hearts, lame cards, shriveled roses, and boxes of chocolates. For one, it is Singles Awareness Day (S.A.D)—solidarity to those who protect the cause so vigilantly.

Valentine's Day is also the one day in a year when it's socially acceptable to have cheesy love songs on replay, until your melting innards compel you to re-watch The Notebook and the only relief to this love-sick abyss is to write love sonnets. Every one of us, no matter where you're from and which era you were born in, has a cheese-covered playlist full of warm, sappy, nauseating love songs.

It doesn't matter if they're good or bad, because most of the time people just need a musical cuddle and/or something to send to their lovers instead of an even cheesier Valentine's Day card.

So I present you with a playlist of the love-sick songs in honour of the whole cheesy music industry that keeps romanticized love alive. Instead of digging into the overdone and overused songs of the pre-90s that were the epitome of cheesy love songs, I decided to select from the 90s and 2000s. On my cheese platter are sappy classics from North American, Japanese, and Chinese pop music.

Ladies and gentlemen, grab your cheese forks (or tissues) and let the cheese melt your heart! Here in chronological order is Schema's Top 10 Cheesiest Love Songs of the 90s & 2000s.

10. Yutaka Ozaki — "I Love You" (1991)

A title like that would probably tell you what you're going into. But don't be fooled—this is one of those good romantic songs, and I say this because of Ozaki's unforgettable stage presence and unique vocal cords. This song is extremely popular in Japan and it is still frequently covered by the top pop singers to this day.

9. Whitney Houston — "I Will Always Love You" (1992)

I think this is one of the most well-known love songs in the English-speaking world, and perhaps beyond. Rest in peace, Whitney Houston, and thank you for making this epic love ballad go global.

8. Celine Dion — "My Heart Will Go On" (1997)

One sentence is enough to introduce this song—Jack: "You jump, I jump." It's also one of those songs that I can barely handle listening again after the 90s. I tend to get bouts of nausea when l hear it.

7. Savage Garden — "Truly, Madly, Deeply" (1997)

A combination of rhythmic beat, over-the-top love declarations as lyrics, and wispy singing are the key to a successful cheesy love song.

6. K-Ci & Jojo — "All My Life" (1998)

It's probably the most popular background music for any wedding photo montage on YouTube. Wedding vows are conveniently embedded in the lyrics:

I will never find another lover sweeter than you,
Sweeter than you
And I will never find another lover more precious than you
More precious you

All my life
I've prayed for someone like you
And I thank God that I, that I finally found you

5. Kai — "It Might Be You" (1998)

This song by the Filipino-American R&B group Kai is probably the least known song on this list. The lyrics are beyond the cheese-ometer, but it has a warm smoothness to it that makes it a great song. I don't even mind admitting that this is one of my favourites!

4. N'Sync — "This I Promise You" (2000)

How can we talk about the 90s & 2000s without mentioning the boy bands? The best part of this music video is definitely Justin Timberlake's young face at 0:31. Tears in your aaaaaaiiiiyyyes. Justin Bieber's got nothing on this 90s' classic, baby.

3. Utada Hikaru — "First Love" (2000)

I grew up in the time when K-Pop was still restricted to 'Because I'm a Girl' by Kiss and J-Pop was the way to go. You won't need a translation as the title says it all. Japanese-American pop queen Hikki sings about that bittersweet, unforgettable kind of first love. Aww.

2. Nelly — "Dilemma" ft. Kelly Rowland (2002)

10 years ago, this song hit up the billboards with easy beats and velvety-smooth singing, along with Nelly's faux-bandaid.

1. Khalil Fong — "You look Wonderful Tonight" (2009)

Okay, I kind of cheated here. This was originally sung by Eric Clapton in the 70s and is covered here by the Chinese-American R&B singer in his recent album 'Timeless'.

I feel wonderful
Because I see the love light in your eyes
And the wonder of it all
Is that you just don't realize
How much I love you

Overdosed yet?

This list clearly doesn't cover all the cheesy love songs out there. So feel free to leave in the comment box below about how your V-Day playlist looks like. Can you out-cheese me?

What will I be listening to this Valentine's Day? Flight of the Conchords' Beautiful Girl. You're so beautiful, like a... tree. My kind of romance.

Have a cheese-tastic Valentine's Day!

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Ada Lee is a sixth year Human Geography/International Relations student who is interested in people and what makes them tick. She tries to get by in life by getting high on ideas, breathing deeply, and dreaming vividly. Follow 0415ADA at your own risk.