Top 25 Best Gothic Love Songs of All Time
This is for all you dark-hearted & romantic souls out there; a top 25 of the best gothic love songs of all time! And for those of you not familiar with this epic music genre; why not use this Halloween as an excuse to try this playlist (maybe skip the Cradle of Filth songs though).
Rules: the song has to be about love, and it has to fit within the genre of gothic music in some way. This list is thus not limited to goth artists or goth rock alone; it also features gothic metal and mixed or related genres (doom/symphonic/black). There are even a few songs made by pop artists.
What makes a Good Gothic Love Song?
So, what are the components of a good gothic love song? I named 6 factors that I believe are often present in a good gothic music: 1) darkness, the ‘goth feel’; 2) passion, including fatal love; 3) lyrics, preferably well-written and poetic; 4) originality, uniqueness; 5) story, telling a gothic tale; 6) overall magic, does it simply sound good and make you want to listen again?
The list includes 25 songs, ranked from awesome to ultra-awesome. Click here for the whole playlist. I made both an article and separate YouTube video of this top 25, so you can watch/read whichever you prefer 😉 Enjoy!
25. Lacuna Coil – Entwined
“Entwined together, entwined forever”
Darkness ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ Originality ♦
Story ♦ Magic ♦
Easy to listen to, albeit close to mainstream rock (elitist, but true), ‘Entwined’ is an exciting celebration of love by well-known Italian symphonic metalband Lacuna Coil.
24. Blackmore’s Night – Ghost of a Rose
“And ever more, he thought he saw a glimpse of her on the moors”
Darkness ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ Originality ♦
Story ♦♦ Magic ♦
One of the sweeter songs on this list. Not the most remarkable, but beautifully sung by former Deep Purple’s guitarist Ritchie Blackmore’s wife, and done so with a surprisingly dark undertone.
23. Sirenia – Lithium and a Lover
“A peerless cure-all to recover, like lithium and a lover”
Darkness ♦ ♦ Passion ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦
Story ♦ Magic ♦ ♦
Not one of Sirenia’s best songs, but it does fit this list quite well. The strength of this song lies in its use of different vocals, and the choir in particular makes it interesting to listen to.
22. Nox Arcana – Scarborough Fair
“And seek yonder crossroads where we parted ways; then, she’ll be a true love of mine”
Darkness ♦ ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ Originality ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ ♦ Magic ♦
Scarborough Fair; normally a light-hearted and cheerful song. Nox Arcana touched it and BOOM! – dark and sad. Which makes it perfect for this list. Not the best vocals though. Watch out for the plot twist!
21. My Dying Bride – For You
“When I see your face, all the angels are shamed”
Darkness ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦
Story ♦ Magic ♦ ♦
For a doom metal band, this song is a quite cheerful lovesong. Its simply good, but a bit too serene to truly stand out (that’s a kind way of saying it gets boring after a while).
20. HIM – Join Me in Death
“Won’t you die tonight for love?”
Darkness ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ Originality ♦ ♦
Story ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦
Finnish gothic rockband HIM can come across as a bit whiny. This song need not worry about that; the gloomy refrain is simply too appealing to dislike. Lyrics aren’t the work of a genius though.
19. Within Temptation – Memories
“All of my memories keep you near; in silent moments imagine you here”
Darkness ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦
Sharon den Adel’s vocals are on the weaker side when compared to other symphonic metal singers. In gothic ballads like this one, however, her high-pitched voice is extremely well-suited to the song and completely in sync with the melody. This song is setting a high standard for all to follow.
18. Nightwish – Beauty of the Beast
“You told I had the eyes of a wolf; search them and find the beauty of the beast”
Darkness ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦
The kings (and queen) of symphonic metal do not like to be called ‘gothic’. Luckily, I do not have any respect for that wish, and gladly put this underrated masterpiece about the dark side of love in 18th place.
17. Lake of Tears – To Blossom Blue
“To blossom blue is to blossom without you”
Darkness ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ ♦ Magic ♦ ♦
Heart-breaking, tear-jerking, mind-wrecking. And this isn’t even the most desperate song on this list. Keep your tissues close.
Read More:
- Your Ultimate Guide to Gothic Romance
- 10 Essential Gothic Metal Songs
- Best Gothic Art by Caspar David Friedrich
- The Strange History of Moshing & the Moshpit: Death & Karate
16. Poisonblack – With Her I Die
“In her I lay all my trust, as the flames grow higher”
Darkness ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦
Story ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Not very complex. There are more ingenious songs on this list. Why is this one placed this high, then? Because it’s catchy, passionate and pretty addictive to listen to. The magic is simply high with this one.
15. Bauhaus – The Passion of Lovers
“The passion of lovers is for death, said she”
Darkness ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Story ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
A classic, very appealing song. Different from most other gothic songs; its originality makes up for its lack of darkness & passion.
14. Cradle of Filth – Nymphetamine Fix
“Six feet deep is the incision, in my heart, that barless prison”
Darkness ♦ ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Cradle of Filth provides us, as always, with phenomenal poetry. This is how you put the beauty & beast style to good use. Point of criticism: while the lyrics are passionate, it doesn’t feel that way if you just listen to the song without paying attention to them.
13. My Dying Bride – For My Fallen Angel
“Loves golden arrow, at her should have fled; and not Deaths ebon dart, to strike her dead”
Darkness ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦
Tissues, again. You can truly feel the pain of losing your loved one in this song. This is pretty much a poem put to music though, not really a song. But who cares, it’s dark, passionate, well-written and stands out of the crowd.
12. Theatre of Tragedy – Venus
“Tui lucent oculi sicut solis radij” (“Your bright eyes shining like the sun”)
Darkness ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ? (lol) Originality ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Story ? (lolol) Magic ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
One of those songs that has you hooked from the very beginning. It’s sung in Latin though, so we have no idea what the **** they’re saying, but it’s something about love.
11. Annie Lennox – Love Song for a Vampire
“Once I had rarest rose that ever deigned to bloom; cruel winter chilled the bud and stole my flower too soon”
Darkness ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Soundtrack to the 1992 adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this song tells the tale of a tragic gothic romance and does it well. The slow build-up of this song gives it a beautiful dark vibe. Annie Lennox appears as if she’s never done another genre than gothic during her career.
10. London After Midnight – Kiss
“I know you love me, and always will”
Darkness ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
This song is cool. There’s no other word for it. Possibly the most bombastic music on this list. There’s no way you’ll get tired of this one.
9. Type O Negative – Love You to Death
“Am I good enough for you?”
Darkness ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Type O Negative is quite skilled in giving their audience the feeling that they’re mocking their own music genre. It makes this song all the more fun to listen to. A particularly strong point here is how they’ve integrated the more serious topic of feeling insecure in matters of love.
8. Nightwish – Ghost Love Score
“If you be the one to cut me, I will bleed forever”
Darkness ♦ ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Admitted; this is not the most goth song of the lot. It’s less romantic and less dark than others. Due to sheer brilliance, however, it’s awarded 8th place.
7. Omnia – Wolf Song
“Your long red hair ensnares me, your warm red blood it calls me; my red right hand shall take thee home”
Darkness ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
This is what you call a hidden gem. Perhaps the most disturbing twist on Red Riding Hood you’ll ever hear. The female vocals are not great, but the male’s singing is superb. This is dark, scary, poetic and quite unique. Spoiler: it won’t end well.
6. Siouxsie and the Banshees – Face to Face
“They say follow your heart, follow it through; but how can you, when you’re split in two?”
Darkness ♦ ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Although a lot more child-friendly than others on this list, there’s something haunting about this song. It looks at love as if it is a game, and a dangerous one too. This perspective is something different, but one could argue that it’s more about lust than love as a result. Anyway, aren’t these vocals just perfect?
5. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds & Kylie Minogue – Where the Wild Roses Grow
“As I kissed her goodbye, I said; all beauty must die”
Darkness ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
This deserves more points for darkness than I could give. Seriously, it scares the **** out of me, and I don’t even like listening to this because the story creeps me out so much. That, however, is actually why it is so very good; never has a song about a girl’s mistaken love for a man led to a more haunting work of music.
4. Sisters of Mercy – Temple of Love
“Life is short and love is always over in the morning”
Darkness ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
This song is stunningly wonderful. It’s completely impossible to say anything negative about it. Why is it not number 1 you ask? Because it’s clearly a metaphor for war, more than actually a love song (although you are completely free to interpret it as you wish).
3. Cradle of Filth – A Gothic Romance
“My veins spill forth their waters, rent by lips I cherish most”
Darkness ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Read the title of the song. Oh, and while you’re at it, read the lyrics too; Cradle of Filth is, as I said before, always brilliant with words.
2. Kate Bush – Wuthering Heights
“Heathcliff it’s me, Cathy, I’ve come home and I’m so cold…”
Darkness ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
A song about what might be the greatest gothic romance of all time. In all honesty, this one song tells the story of Wuthering Heights better than any movie or series adaptation out there. Kate Bush takes the role of Catherine’s ghost, restlessly wandering over the moors and desperately trying to enter her old home while calling out Heathcliff’s name. Has any song ever better understood the literary work it’s based on? I think not.
1. The Cure – Lovesong
“Whenever I’m alone with you, you make me feel like I am whole again”
Darkness ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Passion ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Lyrics ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Originality ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Story ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ Magic ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Who else can possibly take the top spot? Many of the above-mentioned songs are good songs about love. If you want to hear a song that perfectly captures the feeling of love, however, it’s this one. It tells the story of love quite unlike any other. Sad and melancholic, the lyrics are brilliant in their simplicity and together with the rather distinct, more fast-paced melody make this song a very special piece of art.
Again, if you want to hear the whole playlist, click here.
Fun Facts!
- Surprisingly, about 9 of these songs sound quite happy for the most part;
- but, 21 of these songs include a dark aspect of love in the lyrics
- And in at least 10 songs, one of the lovers is death…
- Of which 2 are killed by their lover
Country Countdown!
Songs per country: UK: 11; Finland: 4; USA: 3; Netherlands & Norway: 2 Italy, Sweden & Australia: 1
Marloes Valentina Stella
Sup! I'm Loesy Valentina; a journalist, writer, fantasy-lover, edgy metalhead, and diehard gamer. You can find my words on sites like GamesRadar+, Fanbyte, Polygon, BeyondGames.biz, PCGamer, PCGamesN, Esports Insider, and, of course, the Council of the Lost. Also working on saving Arkesia & finding the Arks.
This is a great list, especially with Cradle of Filth in here (unashamed lifelong fan). Their newer tracks are also really good and back in form.
Thanks a lot! Glad you liked the list! And I couldn’t agree more; many bands are not capable of remaining this good and original over the years, but in my opinion there’s still no other band quite like COF
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