Songs of Love

Kate Garner shares her love affair with vintage music and the history behind some romantic songs

- Kate Garner

Behind every great song, there's a great story. Who or what was the inspiration? What was the journey from the seed of an idea to a timeless classic? How did the song change the lives of the writer, the performer and those with whom it struck a magical chord?

My dear dad was Chas Hodges, from pop duo Chas & Dave, and I grew up surrounded by music, from singalongs around the piano at family parties, to the life-changing moment when my dad bought me a gramophone and a box of 78s from a flea market when I was 12, and my love affair with vintage music was born.

Most of the music in that box was from the 1930s, which was a particularly prominent decade for songs about love. But there are thousands, maybe millions, throughout history. And yet, as a songwriter, I think love songs are the trickiest songs to write.

I've written a fair few songs but only one love song - that was for my husband Paul called Picnics and Planes. It tells the story of our many trips to Windsor Great Park where we would pack a picnic (and our dogs Ralph and Millie) and spend the day walking and watching the planes flying overhead to exciting destinations while planning our own travel adventures. It didn't cost much but it was one of the most romantic things in the world and was, without a doubt, worth writing a song about.