Since teenagers feel their first love experiences so intensely, there’s no shortage of captivating songs about and about teenagers. It doesn’t matter what style you prefer, whether you enjoy listening or dancing, you’ll find love songs that speak to your heart.
A Teenager in Love by Dion and the Belmonts
The ecstatic highs and devastating lows of young love are captured in this timeless tune that hails from the 1950s, the decade of poodle skirts and bobby socks. One of the greatest songwriters in rock and roll history, Doc Pomus, wrote the song for Dion and the Belmonts.
Song History
A Teenager in Love reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959, and it stayed on the charts for fifteen weeks. Various artists have covered the song, including Sha Na Na, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Donny Osmond, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Style and Mood
With its melodic vocal crooning, tight backing harmonies, and simple instrumentation, A Teenager in Love is a classic 1950s doo wop song. In the late 1950s, doo wop peaked in popularity and had its roots in rhythm and blues. A Teenager in Love explores the joys and sorrows of young love, asking why there must also be pain in light of happiness. Ultimately, the song’s message is that you must be vulnerable to loss in order to love.
Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley
The list of teenage love songs would not be complete without Elvis Presley’s song, who was the number one heartthrob of millions of young girls during the 1950s and 1960s. In Can’t Help Falling In Love, Presley captures countless young hearts with his tender, warbling style.
Song History
Elvis Presley was the first artist to record Can’t Help Falling in Love, released in 1961 as a single and featured on the soundtrack to Blue Hawaii, a 1962 film. Billboard ranked the song number two for fourteen weeks, and it stayed there for fourteen weeks. After UB40 covered the song, it was featured on the soundtrack of the film Sliver, bringing the song to a whole new generation of teens. In 1993, UB40’s version topped the Billboard Hot 100.
Style and Mood
The melody of Can’t Help Falling in Love is based on a French tune from the 18th century. As Elvis sings in the song, he urges his beloved to take his hand and his “whole life” as well, since their love is one of those things that is “meant to be.” The entire mood is of a romantic serenade by moonlight.
Wouldn’t It Be Nice by the Beach Boys
Though the Beach Boys began creating their harmonious, progressive pop songs in the early 1960s, they are just as compelling today. The classic song Wouldn’t It Be Nice, about teens in love but too young to get married, continues to captivate young and old alike.
Song History
The Beach Boys released Wouldn’t It Be Nice as the second single from their 1966 album Pet Sounds. On the Billboard Hot 100, the song reached number eight. According to Pitchfork, the song ranks seventh on its list of the 200 greatest 1960s songs.
Style and Mood
A classic pop song, Wouldn’t It Be Nice combines layered vocal harmonies, symphonic instrumentation, and heart-wrenching lyrics to send the message of two young people who are in love but must wait until they are older to marry and live together. While teenagers savor the happy times they currently enjoy, they wish they didn’t “have to wait so long” for the world they truly belong to.
Summer Nights by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
An ode to summertime teenage love, Summer Nights is one of the best-known songs from Grease. Throughout the song, the young couple relate what happened to them over the summer, and how they continue to have feelings for one another, especially now that they are at the same high school.
Song History
A single from the soundtrack for the film Grease, Summer Nights peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. The song was a smash hit in Britain, spending nine weeks at the top of the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart.
Style and Mood
Summer Nights features a 1950s groove that makes you want to sing along as it tells the story of a love affair that two teenagers, Danny and Sandy, have over the summer with their friends. The friends urge them to tell them more, especially about those steamy summer nights, throughout the song. Their hearts set on each other, Danny and Sandy are only too happy to oblige.
Teenage Love by Slick Rick
Young people in a relationship make the quintessential plea to each other: “Don’t hurt me.” First love is sublime, but when problems arise, the young couple must find a way to make things right.
Song History
Slick Rick’s debut album, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, featured the single Teenage Love. Billboard’s R & B and Hip Hop charts ranked the album number one. In the Hot Rap Singles chart, Teenage Love reached number eight and in the Hot Black Singles chart, it reached number sixteen.
Style and Mood
The instrumentation of Teenage Love is restrained, with a smooth hip hop groove, providing an appropriate backdrop for the gentle pleading in the lyrics: “Don’t hurt me again.” As he wants his beloved to know, while he believes their love is real, they need to work hard to keep things together, even though they have had their share of ups and downs.
She’s in Love With the Boy by Trisha Yearwood
A bouncy country song about teen romance and parental disapproval launched Trisha Yearwood’s successful career as a country singer. Her debut country single became the first number one for a woman.
Song History
She’s In Love With the Boy was released in 1991 as the lead single from Trisha Yearwood’s self-titled debut album. On the country charts, the song reached number one. According to Taste of Country, She’s In Love With the Boy is the best Trisha Yearwood song.
Style and Mood
Yearwood recorded She’s In Love With the Boy because she liked the story of a girl whose father could not accept her boyfriend as good enough. Its down home chorus will make you sing along with its verses, and its verses will make you giggle. In this song, Katie and Tommy share a sense of small town life and emphasize their love for one another. Katie remains determined to marry Tommy even though her father doesn’t like him.
As Long as You Love Me by the Backstreet Boys
One of the Backstreet Boys’ greatest hits, As Long as You Love Me, is a classic teen pop classic. Over 130 million albums have been sold by the Backstreet Boys since 1993, making them the world’s best-selling boy band.
Song History
Backstreet Boys’ 1997 self-titled debut album featured the song As Long as You Love Me, which was never released commercially. However, it became a smash hit. MTV played the video heavily, and the song itself appeared on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for 56 weeks.
Style and Mood
This hip hop-inspired love song features smooth, captivating melodies and an addictive rhythm. They sing lyrics that illustrate the enduring and unconditional love teenage boys have for their girlfriends with tightly woven harmonies. Her past doesn’t matter. He will always be hers as long as she loves him.
Anyone Else but You by the Moldy Peaches
Anyone Else but You is a heartfelt love song by the Moldy Peaches, an indie folk band. It’s sung as a couple’s duet, devoted to “keeping it real,” that will tug at your heartstrings and may even make you laugh.
Song History
The Moldy Peaches released Anyone Else But You on their debut album in 2001. A soundtrack for the movie Juno catapulted the song to fame. The characters even sing the song in a scene. Billboard 200 ranked Juno’s soundtrack number one. The single Anyone Else but You was released again in 2008 due to popular demand.
Style and Mood
With gentle strumming on an acoustic guitar, Anyone Else But You is about as simple as it gets. The easy-going music perfectly complements the youthful, matter-of-fact lyrics, which capture the fresh, unique experience of first love, which the couple sings to each other in youthful, matter-of-fact voices.
You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift started out in country music, but You Belong With Me was her second country-to-pop crossover hit. Two versions of the song were released. The first version was geared toward Swift’s country fans and featured acoustic instruments, including a banjo. Her second version focused on rocking electric guitars and was intended for her pop fans.
Song History
In 2009, You Belong With Me peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. MTV’s award for Best Female Video went to You Belong With Me.
Style and Mood
The infectious beat, lilting melody, and frank, down-to-earth feel of You Belong With Me combine elements of country and pop. There is a directness, earnestness, and sincerity to the lyrics. Unrequited love is the subject of the song. It is the crush of a teenage girl to be dating a popular cheerleader’s boyfriend. It is she who can truly love him the way he deserves to be loved and who truly understands him, according to the young girl.
Teenage Dream by Katy Perry
Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream, a song about young love with a catchy tune and a dance-inducing beat, is ranked number four on Rolling Stone’s 50 best songs of 2010. The song is ranked number two on Billboard’s list of the 20 best songs of the decade so far.
Song History
Teenage Dream was Katy Perry’s second single from her album of the same name. As a Hot Shot Debut, the song debuted at number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100. Within two weeks, it shot to the top of the charts.
Style and Mood
A buoyant 80s feel accompanies Teenage Dream. The song’s verses are sung in a soft, breathy voice by Katy Perry, explaining how she feels safe enough to open her heart to her high school love interest, even if she misspells joke punchlines and doesn’t wear makeup. To capture the intense, incomparable feeling of young love, Perry delivers strong, syncopated vocals with a driving beat in the song’s chorus.
What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction
One Direction, a boy band from the United Kingdom, shot to fame with the song What Makes You Beautiful. Up All Night was their debut album and the song was their first single. On the British show X-Factor, One Direction first appeared.
Song History
A worldwide sensation, What Makes You Beautiful was released in 2011. Upon its release, the song reached number one on the U. K. singles chart. It peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. Nearly 4.9 million copies of What Makes You Beautiful have been sold in the U.S.
Style and Mood
There is a pulsating beat to What Makes You Beautiful, which makes you want to dance. A fun and frothy 50s rock vibe is evident in the opening guitar riff and the soulful vocal harmonies. A teenage girl would be melted by the lyrics, which are written from the perspective of a young man who wants to let his sweetheart know how beautiful she is.
Love You Like a Love Song by Selena Gomez & the Scene
Teenage girls are likely to put Love You Like a Love Song on repeat while thinking about their crush because of the tune’s perky beat and gushing lyrics. Whenever you hear this song, it plays itself over and over in your head.
Song History
On Selena Gomez’ third album When the Sun Goes Down, Love You Like a Love Song is the first track. The song reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 as the second single from the album. Selena Gomez was just starting a romantic relationship with Justin Bieber when the song was released.
Style and Mood
With a pulsing 1980s-style beat and a disco vibe, Love You Like a Love Song is an electronic pop song. In her vocals, Selena Gomez describes her passion for her new love interest in an almost ethereal tone. Selena sings about how she wants to put the love she shares with her boyfriend on eternal repeat just like a favorite love song, with lyrics that are relatable to any teenage girl in love.
Die in Your Arms by Justin Bieber
In an MTV News review, Die in Your Arms was compared favorably to the sweet, soda pop sound of the Jackson 5. According to Rolling Stone, the song ranked 45 on its list of the 50 best songs of 2012.
Song History
Die in Your Arms debuted at number three on iTunes shortly after its release in 2012. In its first week, it had 185,000 downloads and reached number four on the Hot Digital Songs Chart. Upon reaching number seventeen on the Billboard Hot 100, the song was dubbed a Hot Shot Debut.
Style and Mood
During Die in Your Arms, Justin Bieber earnestly croons to his beloved in a voice that will remind you of a youthful Michael Jackson. The song’s mellow hip hop beat is complemented by a melodic piano accompaniment and snapping fingers. In lyrical terms, the song speaks of Justin Bieber’s complete immersion in his love for his sweetheart, and how he dies in her arms every time she touches him, and if she ever calls him a fool, it’s because he “loves too hard.”
Heart Attack by Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato’s impressive vocal range makes her a true match for Heart Attack, a song about how frightening it is for her to fall in love and let down her defenses. Clearly, though, she’s pretty much there, which makes her both exhilarated and nervous.
Song History
Demi Lovato released Heart Attack as the lead single from her fourth album in 2013. A week after its release, sales of the single topped 215,000 copies, landing it at number four on the Billboard Digital Songs chart. During its twenty-week stay on the Billboard Hot 100, Heart Attack reached number ten.
Style and Mood
In Heart Attack, the strong, pulsing beat is the centerpiece, which reminds one of a pounding heart. This EDM (electronic dance music) song is fun to dance to, and Demi Lovato’s vocals bring the lyrics to life. In her song about her new love interest, she draws out the word “glow” as though she means it. When young lovers are faced with intense emotions and fear of being hurt, the song explores the anxiety they feel.
Sledgehammer by Fifth Harmony
The song Sledgehammer, by Fifth Harmony, features compelling harmonies, a driving beat, and a refrain that will have you singing along. Teen Choice Awards nominated the song for Choice Love Song because it struck such a chord with young audiences.
Song History
Sledgehammer was Fifth Harmony’s second single from their debut album Reflection, which they debuted on X Factor. Fifth Harmony hit the top forty with the song, peaking at number 40. The single was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in June 2015.
Style and Mood
With its phenomenally catchy refrain, Sledgehammer hooks listeners with Fifth Harmony’s flawless vocal blending. With its irresistible EDM beat, the song conjures images of a sledgehammer beating in your chest. The lyrics capture the rosy feeling of first attraction, when a young couple is feeling a pull to each other they can’t and won’t ignore.
I Really Like You by Carly Rae Jepsen
This upbeat chorus will embed itself in your head, then play itself over and over again. Among Billboard’s ten best videos of 2015, the video for the song features Tom Hanks and Justin Bieber.
Song History
The song was released in 2015 as a single from Carly Rae Jepsen’s album Emotion after the singer performed it on Good Morning America. It reached number fourteen on the Canadian chart and number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was a hit in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. It reached number three on the UK chart as well.
Style and Mood
While Carly Rae Jepson sings “It’s not love,” she makes clear that “not yet” is the subtext, since according to her lyrics, that’s where things are going. During I Really Like You, she’s in that delicious in-between stage, when a new romance is blossoming into true love. A flirty synthpop beat drives Carly Rae Jepsen’s message of love to her love interest. She sings “really” so often that the listener knows she’s about to make a declaration of love any minute.
One Call Away by Charlie Puth
Throughout One Call Away, Charlie Puth promises his girlfriend that he will always be there for her. The video is as heartwarming as the song. In addition to Charlie Puth playing the piano, snippets of his everyday life are shown that illustrate his love for his beloved. Song of the Week recognition was given to the song by USA Today.
Song History
Charlie Puth released One Call Away in 2015 as the second single from his debut album Nine Track Mind. In the Billboard Hot 100, the song reached number twelve and spent 26 weeks on the chart. ARIA charted the song at number three in Australia.
Style and Mood
The piano ballad One Call Away displays Charlie Puth’s considerable skill at the keyboard with its gospel feel. In a tone that combines gentleness and strength, he sings to the girl he loves that whenever she needs him, he’s there to “save the day” and that Superman has “nothing on him.” His goal is to make sure she knows he loves her and wants to be a constant, best friend for her.
Treat You Better by Shawn Mendes
A teenage girl who’s been through a difficult relationship will love Shawn Mendes’ Treat You Better. Due to the fact that she “deserves a gentleman,” he pledges to treat his love interest well, unlike her previous boyfriend.
Song History
When Shawn Mendes was 17 years old, he released Treat You Better, the lead single from his second album, Illuminate. Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number six and spent 39 weeks. Adult Contemporary charted at number one as well.
Style and Mood
In a sweet-spirited pop song, Shawn Mendes’ heartfelt lyrics plead with the girl he loves to reconsider a current romance with a boy who abuses and mistreats her, set to a light musical production of Treat You Better. Mendes promises his beloved they won’t have to cry anymore when he asks her to take his hand.
September Song by JP Cooper
The poignant message of September Song by JP Cooper is that no one forgets their first love. Bob Marley’s label, Island Records, also signed British artist JP Cooper. The soulful music Cooper creates is known for its romantic undertones.
Song History
The lead single from JP Cooper’s first full-length album, We Were Raised Under Gray Skies, was September Song. In the UK, the song peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart and at number four on the Scottish Singles Chart. In Sweden, September Song reached number sixteen.
Style and Mood
JP Cooper sang with a gospel choir during his youth, and its influence can be heard in September Song, a neo-soul piano ballad tinged with reggae. Its retro feel is complemented by the hand claps – it tells the story of Cooper’s fifteenth summer spent with his first love. It has been many years since he last heard his first love’s mix tape, but he still thinks about it and listens to it regularly.
Don’t Let Me Down by the Chainsmokers featuring Daya
Love can make you feel vulnerable, especially when you’re going through tough times and fearing that your beloved might not always be there for you. Daya’s vocals are featured in the song, which was written and recorded by the Chainsmokers, an EDM group. Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording was won by the Chainsmokers and Daya collectively.
Song History
As of 2016, Don’t Let Me Down was the eighth most popular single of 2016. The song was ranked as one of Rolling Stone’s 30 best songs of 2016. During its 52-week chart run, Don’t Let Me Down reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
Style and Mood
Don’t Let Me Down has an airy feel balanced by its solid dance floor beat, backed by Daya’s rich and skillful vocals. Daya implores the object of her heart’s desire to remain by her side when she needs him most. Despite her fears that he might abandon her in times of difficulty, she hopes it is only a matter of her imagination.
How Would You Feel (Paean) by Ed Sheeran
Two singles were released by Ed Sheeran to build momentum for the release of his third album, Divide. They were Shape of You and Castle on the Hill. After that, he released another song for his fans, How Would You Feel. His promotional track is an ode, or paean, to his girlfriend in which he celebrates their love and their high school memories.
Song History
A promo track for How Would You Feel was released in 2017, but it was not released as a single. In an interview with Ryan Seacrest, Ed Sheeran said he had forgotten about the song, but when he asked his girlfriend which of his songs she liked most, she chose How Would You Feel. The song was recorded for Sheeran’s album and released on his birthday.
Style and Mood
How Would You Feel is an uplifting romantic ballad with lilting melody and piano-based accompaniment. Cherry Seaborn, Ed Sheeran’s high school sweetheart, gives a glimpse into their blossoming romance. The lyrics feature images of stealing kisses, hanging out in a parked car, and sitting on a friend’s roof while the sun replaces the moon.
Music to Fall in Love By
Teenagers often think that good music is like a soundtrack to their lives. Love songs are particularly special because they accompany your thoughts and experiences with the person you love. These songs will hold a special meaning if you have grown up and are looking back on your teenage years. There is no end to the good songs that endure and stand the test of time, no matter where you are in life.