In honor of Jordan Love and the Packers' playoff run, a playlist of a few favorite 'love' songs

We held off as long as we could, but some things are just too fun to resist.

With Jordan Love leading the Green Bay Packers into the postseason in his first year as the starting quarterback, Saturday's NFC divisional round playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers seems like the perfect excuse to break out a playlist of songs with “Love” in the title.

Not just a laundry list or random “Silly Love Songs” — although the horns on that one do put a certain Wings spring in a person’s game-day step — but tunes in which the title, lyrics or the groove, in one loose way or another, seem to fit the excitement surrounding No. 10 as the Packers quarterback of the future.

That means Debbie Downer tracks like “Love Stinks” (The J. Geils Band), “Love Hurts” (Nazareth), “Love Bites” (Def Leppard), “Love Sux” (Avril Lavigne), “Love on the Rocks” (Neil Diamond) and “Stupid Love” (Lady Gaga) are all off limits. So is Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name.”

If you can’t play something nice about someone, don’t play anything at all.

Selecting songs is not as easy as just making a grab for the most obvious choices. Some of them don’t necessarily work. “I Will Always Love You” is one of the greatest of all time, but doesn’t really fit here. Adele’s buttery vocals aside, “Make You Feel My Love” is probably best avoided, as is Elton John’s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” although the latter does have some potential for prime-time games.

“Love in an Elevator” by Aerosmith initially sounds promising, if only for the straightforward statement of its title and the accompanying visual of maybe bumping into Love in an elevator in the Lambeau Atrium, but it stalls from there.

The ones that seem to lend themselves best are those songs in which you can easily swap out the “love” in the title with “Love” and it still works. Think “love” as a noun, not “love” as a verb. Toss a few around. It’s fun.

Here’s a few picks, in no particular order, to get you started and in the mood for Love.

'Love Shack' by the B-52s

When you’ve got a Chrysler as big as a whale and “everybody’s movin’, everybody’s groovin’” and singing along to the campy, irresistible chorus, it’s an instant party. Can’t you almost hear it at Lambeau Field, the whole place shimmying together? Maybe if Love is the Packers' next franchise quarterback, Lambeau will become known as the Love Shack — or maybe that's pushing it.

'All You Need Is Love' by The Beatles

It’s the best literal interpretation, which explains why you see it on T-shirts and fan signs. For all the analyzing, handwringing and second-guessing about draft picks, there it was all along, summed up neatly in five simple words. Who knew? Bonus points that it’s nearly impossible to hear it and not think of the wedding scene in “Love Actually.”

'Whole Lotta Love' by Led Zeppelin

Who’s cooler than Jimmy Page and Robert Plant? Nobody. Legendary. Who has been cooler under a whole lotta pressure and expectations this season than Love? Nobody. Maybe one day he’ll be legendary, too. One of the greatest rock songs of all time with one of the greatest guitar riffs of all time has to make the list. Get out your No. 10 jersey and your air guitar.

'We Found Love' by Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris

If you don't believe the title, just ask Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, who selected Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. The exhilarating dance floor staple is Rihanna’s longest-reigning No. 1 hit and it made the setlist for her Super Bowl LVII halftime show, so it’s in.

More Packers fun An exuberant Packers player, Jaire Alexander, photobombs WBAY reporter's live shot outside Lambeau Field

'The Love Boat' theme song by Jack Jones

The schmaltz could kill every backyard tailgate in a three-block radius of Packers party houses (although there is a certain drunken karaoke charm to it), but it makes the list for its opening lyrics: “Love, exciting and new/Come aboard, we're expecting you ...” Substitute Captain Stubing, Gopher and Isaac welcoming passengers aboard the Pacific Princess for Packers fans on the Foxy Paddler welcoming Love aboard last summer, after years of Aaron Rodgers drama, and it works — in kind of a goofy, yacht rock way.

'Love Story' by Taylor Swift

Assemble a playlist of any kind without a Swift song on it at your own risk. “Love Story” is a no-brainer addition on the title alone, and while Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” backstory is a little dramatic for purposes here, the catchy country-pop hit goes down easy, banjo, fiddle and all. Fun fact to make you feel old: Love was 10 years old when the song first climbed the charts in 2008.

More: 10 of the all-time best Packers songs

'You Can't Hurry Love' by The Supremes

Every playlist needs an injection of Motown, and this No. 1 comes with lyrics that sound like they were almost written for a quarterback who waited three years behind Rodgers for his chance to play. “You can't hurry love/No, you just have to wait/You gotta trust, give it time/No matter how long it takes.” Sending this one out as a not-so-long-distance-dedication to you, Jordan.

'Love Is a Battlefield' by Pat Benatar/'What's Love Got to Do with It' by Tina Turner/'The Power of Love' by Huey Lewis and the News

OK, so the “Love Is a Battlefield” title doesn’t quite work on its own, but the lyrics do, especially the first three words out of Benatar’s mouth: “We are young.” Maybe you’ve heard? The Packers are the fourth-youngest team to make the playoffs since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. In the words of Tina Turner, what’s Love got to do with it/that? Everything.

So yes, we’ll take a double shot of  ’80s swagger from both of those trailblazing women, both of whom won Grammys for their songs.

While we’re in the decade of good vibes, let’s also sneak in “The Power of Love” from “Back to the Future,” you know, for all the comparisons of Love to Rodgers and Brett Favre in his first season as the starter.

'One Love/People Get Ready' by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Because a “Love Hangover” is inevitable at some point in the years ahead, either from thrilling victories or heartbreaking defeats or just playoff stress. The reggae anthem is a reminder to stick together, stay positive and be happy.

Kendra Meinert is an entertainment and feature writer at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Contact her at 920-431-8347 or kmeinert@greenbay.gannett.com. Follow her on X @KendraMeinert. 

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: In honor of Packers QB Jordan Love, a playlist of 'love' songs