What makes a great love song? Eight famous Aussies share their favourite tracks

Eight prominent Australians reminisce about their favourite love songs and tell us why these tracks tug at their heartstrings.

Georgie Tunny, television presenter

It has to be Invisible String by Taylor Swift. It’s one of the prettiest songs I’ve ever heard, and the lyrics and narrative structure are beautiful. It’s a tale of finding the love of your life and nostalgically looking back on it that also really leans into my relationship with my fiancé, Robert Mills. The song captures all the paths that we’ve taken in life that led to us being together.

When Robert proposed to me, four years ago, he had planned do so at the top of Mount Kosciuszko. There were too many people there, so he chickened out. It wasn’t a vibe! Then he was going to propose to me on the chairlift on the way down but I fell off and it ruined the romantic ride Robert was trying to create. Finally, in the car driving away from the mountain, he pulled over on the side of the road and asked me to marry him. I said yes. We had a random Spotify playlist in the car and this song came on as he was asking me. I love Taylor Swift and now Robert does too.

Anthony Callea, musician

I love a good R&B ballad so it’s got to be Jeffrey Osborne’s On the Wings of Love. I love the metaphor about flying and how it expresses a deep connection and affection between two ordinary people who are lifted higher. I also have a soft spot for great old-school R&B singers.

I only discovered this song last year and have been obsessed with Jeffrey Osborne ever since. I’ve already made plans to sing On the Wings of Love and hope to do a beautiful, stripped-back, acoustic version. The song captures the love between me and my husband, Tim Campbell, and our love of travel – we’re always flying somewhere. It sums up the feeling of what love should be.

Ada Nicodemou, actor

I love the 1999 song Amazed by Lonestar. It’s an oldie but so good and I play it often. It instantly makes me smile and I love the way the lyrics conjure up romantic images. The other song I love is Butterflies by MAX & Ali Gatie, which gives me butterflies every time I listen to it. And every time I see an actual butterfly, I think of that song.

Both James [Stewart, her partner] and I love listening to music at home and these songs are just so romantic. We also love to laugh – our relationship is literally based on fun and laughter – and we tell each other about 50,000 times a day that we love each other! Both these songs have been used on our social media posts and really sum up our love and happiness. I love that there’s a special day to celebrate being together.

Bianca Spender, fashion designer and businesswoman

I’ve always been a romantic, always wanted to be a mum and start a family. There was a point in 2005 when I wondered who I wanted to share my life with and who would be the father of my kids. I met my partner, Sam, that year, and in the early weeks of our relationship I was completely head over heels. We were deeply, instantly connected. This verse from Frank Sinatra’s Our Love Is Here to Stay captures it for me: “In time, the Rockies may crumble/Gibraltar may tumble/They’re only made of clay/But our love is here to stay.”

I’d never had a music epiphany in my life until Sam. This is the song that did it. And while it is the strangest, most non-Bianca song to choose, I did grow up listening to Frank Sinatra at home. Now, I feel a wonderful wash of endorphins and love when this song plays. I find it evocative, and I love how joyously Sinatra sings it. It’s definitely how my heart feels. And it’s definitely what I always hoped for but never knew if it would happen.

Nadia Bartel, fashion designer and entrepreneur

I love Songbird by Fleetwood Mac. I always feel such a huge surge of emotion when I hear it and I love all the versions of the song – the acoustic version is also very moving. It’s a favourite love song because the words are so heartfelt, especially the way Christine McVie sings the words “and I love you, I love you, I love you, like never before” – it really means a lot to me. I love a lot of music from the ’70s.

This song reminds me of my boys and raising my sons, and is relevant to the love I share with my partner, Peter [Dugmore]. Whenever I hear this song, I also think of close family members who have passed. While it’s a love song, it’s also sad in its own way and that’s what makes it so special and memorable for me. I get emotional and a bit teary when I hear it. It has that sort of effect on me.

Mark Philippoussis, former tennis player

I’ve always loved ’80s music and When I See You Smile by Bad English reminds me that no matter how bad a day gets, the right person can make everything OK again. There’s a line that goes, “I can do anything when I see you smile” that sums up exactly why I love it; it’s a tribute to the kind of love that makes you feel invincible. It captures that rare bond where someone’s happiness becomes your own strength, and just knowing they are in your corner makes the rest of the world feel small.

This song holds a permanent place on my playlist – a gentle anthem for the hurdles I’ve overcome. For me, it’s a tribute to my kids and my wife. I often think back to certain days that were very challenging, when I’d come home feeling completely deflated. The moment I saw their faces, all that negativity simply dissolved. I can’t remember the first time I heard the song, but it definitely carries the nostalgic soul of the ’80s I grew up with. And it’s a constant reminder that my wife and kids are my sanctuary.

Magdalena Roze, cookbook author and television presenter

Your Song by Elton John is one of my favourite love songs. I adore the beautiful melody and there’s something really humbling about the lyrics, too. He sings about the possibility of making grand gestures, like buying a house, but in the end he gives his love via a song. I think the greatest act of love is something personal like that. When somebody can offer their own creativity, whether it’s writing a song or poem or thoughtful letter, or cooking a meal, that’s the greatest act of love. There is nothing more beautiful than somebody writing or dedicating a song to you.

The song also reminds me of my husband [chef Darren Robertson] and our children. I listened to Elton John as a kid and now we listen to Elton and the Beatles with our kids. We love that nostalgia. My husband is British and we are drawn to other great artists from the UK, including Rod Stewart and Oasis. The Brits have a big influence on my music taste.

Todd Sampson, television presenter and filmmaker

One of the best love songs ever written has to be Nick Cave’s Into My Arms, an amazing song used in both weddings and funerals. I heard it when it first came out, but forgot about it until I was filming in the remote Amazon with a tribe of cannibals six years ago. The heat was so bad during the day that everyone stayed in their huts. I was in my tent and to block the sound of the bugs I put on my headset, hit shuffle, and this song came up. I listened to it on repeat about 30 times. Nick writes from the heart and that’s what I love about this song.

He wrote this song after he got out of therapy, and it’s about the desire to protect someone and at the same time the fear of losing them. The line “I don’t believe in an interventionist God” is probably one of his best. Then he goes on to say “I don’t believe in the existence of angels, but looking at you, I wonder if that’s true.” I mean, he’s gone completely existential. The song is all about restraint, the music is stripped back. You’ve got him at the piano, and it has a church-choir feel to it. It’s incredible.

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