The Love Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber

The Phantom of the Opera arrived in London’s West End in 1986, in the middle of the “I-made-you-a-mixtape” era.  

A long-established sign of love and affection, making someone a mixtape used to involve filled your cassette carefully curated songs. Today, we make playlists instead. They may require less physical effort but love and affection is still very much part of the process.

So, ahead of Valentine’s Day, we’ve made you a playlist featuring 23 contemporary covers of love songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber by some of his most beloved musicals by artists including Kelly Clarkson, Lana Del Rey, Boyzone and more.

However, if you’re the kind of person who never knows which heart-shaped chocolate to pick from the box, you might want a little more guidance, so here’s a few highlights from the Love Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber playlist to get you started…

'All I Ask of You’ from The Phantom of the Opera

With its instantly recognisable white mask, red rose and shattered typeface, the album cover for the original production of The Phantom of the Opera is about as gothic romance as it is possible for an album cover to be. ‘All I Ask of You’, however, is a sweet, gentle, melodic love song about finding shelter, light and happiness in a new relationship, sung by Josh Groban and Kelly Clarkson.

For Christine this song is about finding hope with her new love. These things are in stark contrast to the dramatic crashing chord-soaked "darkness of the music of the night" sung by Phantom.‍

'Love Changes Everything’ from Aspects of Love

A soaring stand-up ballad from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1989 musical Aspects of Love, ‘Love Changes Everything’ saw great chart success when a single version of the song, performed by Michael Ball, was released to coincide with the West End production. It reached number two and stayed in the UK single charts for 15 weeks. Michael has performed the song countless times since, including a duet with classical group Il Divo.

‘Love Changes Everything’ is a song about the many, many ways in which love – as another lyric confides – “makes fools of everyone”. Never has a truer word been sung and it’s the perfect line to belt out at the top of your lungs on Valentine’s Day...or any day!

'You Must Love Me’ from Evita

Written for the 1996 film adaptation of Evita, ‘You Must Love Me’ did not appear in original productions of the show but is now firmly associated with the story of Eva Peron, the show’s title character. With its elegant instrumentation and understated power, it’s a bittersweet and reflective love song performed by Eva towards the end of her life, as she looks back on her relationships with her husband Juan and with the Argentinian people.

The song was written by Tim Rice and Andrew, almost 20 years after their work on the original Evita production. It went on to win a Golden Globe, and the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1997 and was first recorded by Madonna, who played Eva Peron in the film adaptation of Evita.

However, in celebration of Andrew's 70th birthday, 11 times Grammy-nominated Lana Del Rey recorded the track in her signature style, which features on our playlist.

‘I Do’ from Starlight Express

If ‘You Must Love Me’ from Evita is full of the nostalgic yearning that comes at the end of a love affair, then ‘I Do’ from Starlight Express is all breathless hope and excitement, reflecting the optimism of the two young lovers who perform it.

Sung by coach Pearl and Rusty the steam engine, it appears towards the end of Starlight Express as the show’s eleventh hour number. The two of them have been chasing each other around throughout the show, and not just in terms of those famous train races. ‘I Do’ sees Pearl open up about her feelings about Rusty, as she sings of her regret about the way she treated him in her desire to win.

So there you have it, musical lovers – and these are just four sweet love songs from a playlist full of treats. Give the Love Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber playlist a listen, and you’ll find more than enough love to keep you on cloud nine all Valentine’s Day long.

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