By Scott Madson
Monster ballads and sappy lyrics remind romantics it''s that time of year again -- Valentine''s Day: the only acceptable excuse to listen to that sickly-sweet tune, and think of that special someone.
Music has a way to motivate people, said Michael Hicks, professor of music.
It also has a long relationship with love. Hicks said ancient people believed music had certain effects on the body. Music could bring courage, relaxation and energy. In the Bible, David cured King Saul when he fell into bad moods by playing music. Civilizations thousands of years old understood that music had the ability to change a persons mood or thinking.
According to Hicks, Boethius, a philosopher of the Middle Ages, said, 'Music is so much a part of our nature that we could not do without it even if we tried it.'
Professor of music Barry Bounous said music has amazing power. It appeals directly to the emotions.
'Music has a way of melting things and getting through things that the brain otherwise wouldn''t let you,' Bounous said.
The effects of music are far reaching,
Hicks said.
'There isn''t anyone who isn''t drawn or affected by music of some kind or another,' he said. Music is often associated with love and frequently helps people get to know each other at a deeper level.
' provides a commonality,' Bounous said. 'It provides a connection.'
Jeff Garney, a graduate student from Mesa, Ariz., said he sees a clear relationship between music, himself and love.
'I think that music can bring out the feelings and make feelings stronger,' Garney said.
Hicks said the music itself has effects on people. Sometimes the effects are received through association. Some couples have special songs that are not even love songs. They associate a song they heard at a special moment in their lives to love and romance.
'We associate different sounds with different experiences,' Hicks said.
He said lounge music from the 1940s, with its low saxophone sounds, was associated with slow dancing. People who listened to the music started correlating it with romantic slow dancing, even though they weren''t actually dancing.
Bounous said music opens the door to emotions and allows people to trust each other.
'In general, music softens hearts and so I think wherever you go, whatever you do there needs to be some music,' he said. 'Music should be there to sweeten the moment, to loosen the feelings, but not so much that it blocks you off from getting to know what the person is like.'
Bounous and Garney both have used music to sway the hearts of the opposite sex with success.
'I think when you write a song it has to be something that really touches you very personally,' Garney said. 'And love does that.'
Aria Vance, a sophomore from Thousand Oaks, Calif., majoring in music, said, 'I''ve never been serenaded, though I always thought that would be the sweetest thing.'
Vance is writing an original song to sing for her boyfriend on Valentine''s Day.
'Writing a song or singing a song whether it''s your own piece of work or not, expresses your feelings in a whole different way,' Vance said.
Great love, Hicks said, is inexpressible, and music is that way too; they are both deeply mysterious and yet deeply felt.
Top Ten Love Songs of All-Time
1.Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers
2.Have a Little Faith in Me by John Hiatt
3.Canon in D by Pachabel
4.At Last by Etta James
5.Open Arms by Journey
6.She''s Got A Way by Billy Joel
7.Don''t Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith
8.Let''s Get It On by Marvin Gaye
9.Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton
10.Unforgettable by Nat King Cole