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I'll Take Romance: Love And The American Songbook

A sculpture of Cupid by 19th century artist Bertel Thorvaldsen.
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A sculpture of Cupid by 19th century artist Bertel Thorvaldsen.

Love songs have been around since humans were able to express themselves in words and music. The oldest known written love song dates back to the Sumerian civilization, circa 2000 BC.

We can’t help ourselves. Love is indeed the strongest and also the most complicated human emotion, and we’ve been trying to define it and understand it for millennia. Unrequited love, lost love, secret love, obsessive love, first love, true love, love of all kinds.

On this Valentine’s Day episode, we’ll explore the more celebratory side of love – the joy, the rapture – mostly, just the good stuff that comes with it.

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