I’m not going to lie guys, I’m totally in love these days. I have been for over a year, but my mind and my heart are in constant celebration every time I get to be around the person that I’m so heavily infatuated with. I’ve been listening to a lot of love songs lately, finding them randomly on Spotify or YouTube, and really envisioning the artist singing being involved in as deeply satisfied relationship that I’m in. Of course I’ve been spinning some Beatles’ tracks, early-R&B and the occasional guilty pleasure R. Kelly jam, but for some reason, it’s the 70s pop ballads that get me the most. There’s an essence, no, a generational-trick, that piano-troubadours possessed so powerfully in the decade, in what seems to be more so than any that followed. Songs like “Tiny Dancer” or “White Lace and Promises” emit so much beauty, and truly portray the music of love better than most love songs of any era.

The piano-laden ones are for some reason just a smidge more cogent than the rest. There’s one piano ballad from a brilliant folk singer/songwriter from the late 60s to early 70s named David Ackles that truly melts more heart more than any other. The song is called “Love’s Enough,” and it was one of just a few singles Ackles put out during his brief artist-career with Elektra Records. It was released following the critical success of his third album, the Bernie Taupin-produced American Gothic. The song is just three minutes, but in that short amount of time, the lines of each song tug at your heartstrings so victoriously that it’s chilling.

One of my favorite lines is “And you wonder, will it last forever/and you try to keep tomorrow locked away/’cause tomorrow is forever/and love’s enough for anyone today.” It’s such a beautiful thought, and it’s one that anyone who’s ever been in love has thought about. He sings so elegantly, but it’s a subtle croon. He has the voice you want in a 70s piano-ballad son – it has a pop-appeal, but it’s so smooth and full of vibrato, that it enriches the song that much more. The piano-riffs have a cinematic vibe to it, and the rest of the instruments provide a wonderful supporting cast that make for a magnificent display of a relatable, heartfelt and thought-provoking love song. It’s weird thinking about how much effect a song can have on somebody’s life, but when you have as interesting of love songs as “Love’s Enough,” it seems less strange. People are incredibly moved by even subtle emotions, and sometimes it just takes a little overlooked gem of a pop song to possess your body into falling in love as thoroughly as a song is encouraging.

I typically am someone that loves negativity, but once in awhile, a pretty, smart and romantic song like this will put my jadedness on sabbatical and temporarily relieve my mind and body of the tiny little void that needed to be filled by a romanticization of romance. David Ackles is a brilliant songwriter, but unfortunately after four albums, he stopped releasing stuff. Elvis Costello, a personal hero of mine, is already several steps ahead of me in begging the question as to why David Ackles is so overlooked. He mentioned in an episode of his awesome music show Spectacle: Elvis Costello With….: Regardless of his fame or lack thereof, David Ackles is a truly terrific American songwriter and “Love’s Enough” is an incredibly moving song. Love is easy to get bitten by, but very rarely does the bite seem like it could last for ever. Underrated songs like “Love’s Enough” give you some extra juice in hoping for a long-run of love.