There's a neat post-coital exchange in David Lynch's Wild At Heart. Referring to his rendition of Elvis' Love Me, Lula Fortune asks Sailor Ripley, "How come you didn't sing me Love Me Tender? You told me that was your favourite love song."
"I told you I was only going to sing Love Me Tender to my wife," he replies.
If there are perhaps some songs too intense for general usage, La Ritournelle, taken from the 2004 album Politics by wildly bearded Frenchman, Sébastien Tellier, is undoubtedly one of them. You could call it chillout, although it easily transcends such labelling. A long, austere build up of rolling drums, piano and swelling violins suddenly gives way to a surprisingly funky minute and a pledge of undying love. "Oh nothing's gonna change my love for you…" (Thankfully, these lyrics are where the similarities to a certain Glen Medeiros song begin and end.) Then follows a lingering fade.
Tinged with both joy and sadness, life and eventual separation, La Ritournelle has the power to make grown men weep, or at least go all mushy inside. For my money, it's the finest love composition ever and perfect Balearic sunset track rolled into one.
Download La Ritournelle from iTunes
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