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The Jefferson Exchange

Exchange Exemplar: The History Of Love Songs

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Okay, they don't go THAT far back...
Gellinger/Pixabay

It's really not that long a stretch from "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" (Elvis Presley, 1961) to "I'm a sucker for the way that you move, babe" ("Never Be The Same", Camila Cabelo, 2018). 

They are both songs of love.  There have been many through time, and the history is really interesting. 

Love songs truly challenged their cultures when they first appeared.  This is one of many things Ted Gioia reveals in his book Love Songs: The Hidden History.  Ted visited in 2015, and we take his tour through love song history anew.  

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Geoffrey Riley is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has hosted the Jefferson Exchange on JPR since 2009. He's been a broadcaster in the Rogue Valley for more than 35 years, working in both television and radio.