12. Wonderful Tonight, Eric Clapton

If music is about romance, this is about the most romantic song I know. Also, the slowest slow-dance number since the Flamingos’ I Only Have Eyes for You (the “shrub-de-bup” song) or, going further, Golden Teardrops, which doesn’t move at all. It would be a crime, not to mention awfully uncomfortable, to dance to Wonderful Tonight with anyone but your lover, just as it would be a crime not to dance when the disc jockey plays it. It’s also one of the most mature love songs, befitting Eric Clapton’s and this listener’s ages: it’s not about chasing, or getting, the girl; it’s about a married, or at least committed, couple, getting dressed up, going to a party, getting tired, coming home and, through it all, appreciating the love they share. It’s slow, but not lethargic; sweet, but not saccharine; intelligent, but not pretentious. For years I overlooked the background female voice that subtly adds depth and range. More obvious is the guitar for which Clapton is famous, a wailing voice that increases the tug on the heartstrings. Near the end, the music stops entirely, and we hear what may be the most romantic line in all of rock: “You just don’t realize…how much I love you.” If you’re dancing with your lover, you don’t want this song to end.