The 10 greatest punk love songs (2024)

Many punk purists would argue that themes of love and romance have no place within the genre. After all, punk rock was a reaction against the complacency and substanceless nature of pop music. The movement sought to espouse serious matters concerning social commentary and political activism, not mushy feelings of love and desire. As The Clash frontman Joe Strummer once asserted, “Too many songs have been written about love already, you know? Subject’s covered.”

Nevertheless, numerous punk groups over the years have found the pull of discussing their love life too great to resist. In fact, the UK’s first ever punk single, The Damned’s ‘New Rose’, covered topics of relationships and heartbreak – leading Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock to derisively say, “Pistols first single was ‘Anarchy [in the UK]’ and The Damned’s was about a bird”. As the radicalism of the early punk scene waned, more and more punk groups became imbued with pop sensibilities, so it did not take long for punk rock love songs to become a genre in their own right.

Of course, many of these punk songs take a fairly cynical approach to romanticism, often parodying the substanceless love songs of pop music. Some of the more performative or chauvinistic groups of the genre present ideas of love purely as a sexual outlet, treating romantic partners as being fairly disposable. As punk progressed, love became such a common theme that it began to attract parodies, notably Graham Fellows’ ‘Jilted John’, which took a satirical sideswipe at the growing hypocrisy of the genre.

The sticky floors and sweat-stained walls of New York’s CBGB and London’s Roxy Club are hardly settings for a classic, soft-focus romance. However, there were some punk groups capable of crafting genuinely effective love songs for those listeners not satisfied by the wishy-washy romanticism of chart music. So, without further adieu, let us delve into the down-and-dirty world of punk rock romance, counting down the ten greatest love songs penned by music’s angriest voices.

Punk rock’s 10 greatest love songs:

10. ‘Love Und Romance’ – The Slits

It only feels right to start off this list of punk rock love songs with something of an anti-love track. The Slits were never a band to give in to the poxy conformism of conventional relationships, and on this track, they lament the silliness and superficiality of heteronormative love. It is a track that presents women in relationships as victims, akin to X-Ray Spex’s ‘Obsessed With You’.

‘Love Und Romance’ also raises points about the damage caused by the continued prevalence of patriarchy in modern romance, with lyrics like “I’m so glad that you belong to me / Oh my darling, who wants to be free?”. The closest to romance The Slits ever got was likely their cover of ‘Heard It Through the Grapevine’, but this anti-love track remains one of their finest outright.

9. ‘Love Comes in Spurts’ – Richard Hell & the Voidoids

The title alone should give you some indication about the portrayal of love within this Richard Hell track. Taken from the Voidoids 1977 debut, Blank Generation, the song presents a cynical view of romance – in a similar fashion to the character portrayed by hell in the 1982 film Smithereens.

At first glance, you would be forgiven for assuming that the chorus of the track is a reference to masturbation, but the song is actually not about romance or sexuality at all; it is about something much more common within New York’s punk scene: heroin. Nevertheless, it remains a favourite for rebellious punk couples who have yet to work out ideas of nuance or subtlety.

8. ‘Oh’ – Sleater-Kinney

Few bands in the past few decades have embodied the spirit and ethos of punk rock as much as Washington’s Sleater-Kinney. This beautifully 2000s garage punk track clearly takes a lot of influence from the lovey-dovey pop songs of the 1960s but blends that influence with adrenaline-fuelled punk.

Unlike the previous two entries, the romantic overtones of this song are unavoidable. The line, “Nobody lingers like your hands on my heart”, is perhaps one of the greatest romantic sentiments ever put across within a ‘live fast die young’ rock track, speaking to the tireless originality of the group as a whole.

7. ‘Barbed Wire Love’ – Stiff Little Fingers

Belfast’s Stiff Little Fingers are among the most underrated groups of early punk rock. As opposed to the performative nature of groups like the Sex Pistols or The Damned, Stiff Little Fingers certainly had something to say. Many of their tracks focused on the Troubles in Ireland and sectarian conflict, and this love song was no exception.

Setting a love story among the chaos and conflict of sectarian violence, this song is evidence against the idea that punk songs can’t be both romantic and political. The witty lyricism of Jake Burns is on full display, with ‘Love at first sight’ changed to “It was love at bomb site” and ‘you set my heart alight’ to “you set my arm alight”, referencing Armalite rifles, often used by the IRA.

6. ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ – The Stooges

Without Iggy Pop and The Stooges, punk rock would be almost unrecognisable. The pioneering proto-punks opened up the musical world to raucous buzzsaw guitars and wild on-stage performances. Bridging the gap between the old-school and the new, ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ is arguably their defining track.

Espousing gushy feelings of love and romance would not suit the sweating lunatic that is Iggy Pop, so it is fitting that this love song is much more intense and atavistic. ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ is not about cute dates and candlelit dinners; it is about animal lust, domination and submission. Perhaps it is more of a BDSM song than a love song – you say tomato, I say tomato.

5. ‘Train In Vain (Stand By Your Man)’ – The Clash

Despite Joe Strummer’s claims that there are “too many songs” about love, Clash guitarist Mick Jones repeatedly proved himself to be a talented romantic writer. ‘Train In Vain’ is maybe his greatest songwriting credit with The Clash, dealing with the heartbreak he felt following the breakdown of his on-again-off-again relationship with Slits guitarist Viv Albertine.

The titular line “you didn’t stand by me” is a heartbreaking response to The Slits’ track ‘Typical Girls’, which includes the lyric “typical girls stand by their man” in reference to the Tammy Wynette classic. Although this is not Jones at his most loved-up, love and heartbreak are certainly two sides of the same coin.

4. ‘Baby I Love You’ – Ramones

The Ramones, more so than most New York punk groups, had a deep appreciation for 1960s pop tracks. As a result, there is no shortage of Ramones tracks that could easily be included within this list, from the amphetamine affair of ‘Oh Oh I Love Her So’ to the yearning of ‘I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend’.

With frontman Joey Ramone spearheading the band’s romantic influences, their most notable effort came with their 1980 cover of The Ronettes classic ‘Baby I Love You’. Joey’s punk rock tones lend themselves surprisingly well to Phil Spector’s track, and the public seemed to agree. The cover provided The Ramones with their biggest UK hit, peaking at number eight in the singles charts.

3. ‘You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory’ – Johnny Thunders

Reportedly written years before his time with punk progenitors The New York Dolls, this track sees Thunders at his most vulnerable. Despite its unique quality within the context of the rest of his discography, opting to discuss love and heartbreak rather than heroin and living life in the fast lane, the song is considered by many to be a defining song of his solo career.

Although the track has been theorised to be about heroin addiction – as with virtually every song penned by Thunders – it is thought he wrote it before ever even touching the stuff. It is much more likely that the song is about his relationship with Sable Starr. This revelation provides a pretty problematic context to the track, as Starr was only 16 years old when she went to live with Thunders in New York.

2. ‘Astral Plane’ – The Modern Lovers

Modern Lovers frontman Jonathan Richman was a true original when it came to the punk rock movement. He did not seem to concern himself with image or superficiality; he was simply entrenched in incredible songwriting. Though many of his solo efforts, ‘Let Her Go Into the Darkness’, for instance, focus on his romantic escapades, this Modern Lovers track remains one of the greatest alternative love songs of all time.

It’s been theorised that the song was written about Richman’s wet dreams and his desire to sleep with his then-love interest. Within the song, he plays the part of a desperate lover who is stood up and ignored by his date. Yet, in that signature Richman way, he manages to make it fun.

1. ‘Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve?)’ – Buzzco*cks

Not only is Pete Shelley’s ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ the greatest punk love song, it is among the greatest love songs of the 20th century. Describing a situation in which everybody has found themselves at some point, the track has universal appeal, accentuated by its catchy lyrics and perfect pop-punk structure.

On a much deeper level, ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ is a truly important track. Unlike most love songs, which focus on the singer’s love for ‘him’ or ‘her’, Shelley’s track is not tied to one gender in particular. Representative of the singer’s bisexuality, this further broadens the appeal of the song. Granted, it is a departure from earlier Buzzco*cks love songs like ‘org*sm Addict’ or ‘Time’s Up’, but it still remains a heartfelt love song as well as a dancefloor filler.

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