"Somewhere" from West Side Story. The first two notes create a minor seventh- you can feel the heartbreaking reach for the octave that never makes it. The lyrics are honest and innocent- "peace and quiet and open air," "we'll find a new way of living, we'll find a way of forgiving"- that dream up an imaginary "somewhere" where their love can be fully alive. It's the glimmer of hope you achingly hold onto, hoping this time the story will end differently, knowing too well how it ends.

"Till There Was You" from THE MUSIC MAN. Paul Mcartney thinks so too!

My favorite Broadway love song is "Maria" because it's perfect. It's from West Side Story. 'Nuff said.

I love "My Eyes Adored You" from Jersey Boys. Beautiful song. I always loved that song. Even before I ever did the show. My Eyes Adored You would probably be number one.

I think "If Ever I Would Leave You" is to me the quintessential love song. Especially, you can take it out of context- but within that context, I just think it covers all the bases.

"I'm Changing My Major" from Fun Home

I can't wipe the smile off my face during "People Will Say We're In Love" from Oklahoma!. Those repeated denials and sly teases. . . They may say it ain't so, but the audience clearly sees two people who are absolutely perfect for one another.

I'd have to say, "On the Street Where You Live". The idea that you can be so obsessed and enraptured with someone that you're happy just being near a place that that love of your life may possibly be? Seems like the ultimate love to me.

"Sunrise, Sunset," written by my brother-in-law. It is a love song for everybody, isn't it? It's what jumped to my mind. There were some songs in Follies but I really have to think about that. Then we had a song in Company, "Sorry/Grateful." That's a great song.

My pick would have to be “What About Love?” From The Color Purple. This song celebrates the side of love that you don’t always recognize. The realization that the idea of “love” in your head is not at all what you’re feeling is very relatable to anyone discovering a love of anything.

I imagine we all have many favorites, but the first Broadway show I saw was the 1957 Bells Are Ringing and although one could certainly choose “The Party's Over” or “Just In Time” from that wonderful score, it's the beautiful “Long Before I Knew You” that has stayed with me.

For me, it's a tie:"One Hand, One Heart" and "Somewhere" from West Side Story. Both of them beautifully convey the innocence of First Love, and the bittersweet dream of a world where that love may live freely. They're tied with "Food, Glorious Food" from Oliver! Love may be fleeting, but Hot Sausages and Mustard are forever.

My favorite Broadway love song is "My Friends" from Sweeney Todd. I want someone to look at me like Sweeney looks at razor blades.

My favorite Broadway love song is "One Second and a Million Miles" from The Bridges of Madison County, specifically sung by Steven Pasquale and Kelli O'Hara. It's so gorgeous and so romantic. Happy Valentine's Day!

My favorite love song is “The I Love You Song” from my Broadway debut, Spelling Bee. It’s just a beautiful song. It’s a beautiful song with a beautiful family, and Bill Finn who wrote the music and did the lyrics, there’s such a touching story of love within a family.

My favorite Broadway love song from the moment I first heard it is “All I Ask Of You” from Phantom of the Opera. No snarky irony. I love Phantom. When I was a teen, Phantom really spoke to me. The lyrics helped teach me how to express love. Even now the music transports me. There are several other top love song candidates in Phantom, but the sentiment expressed in the duet between Christine and Raoul of just needing to be together is simple, timeless, and perfect.

There are so many incredible songs to choose from, but instantly my mind went to "With So Little To Be Sure Of" from Anyone Can Whistle. Something about the strength love gives us, how that moment of connection with another person can create stability at moments when the world around you seems to be going truly crazy. And how that can help one believe in oneself even once that moment of connection is over: "Being sure enough of you made me sure enough of me."

My favorite love song is from one of my favorite musicals- She Loves Me. It's "Will He Like Me?". I think it's a beautiful, love song about the possibility of love and how you show up for that first meet.

"Being Alive" from Company. While not a love song in the traditional sense, "Being Alive" works through, in a most quintessentially "Sondheim" manner, the journey that one must take in order to be able to both give and receive love. The conclusion, that "alone is alone, not alive," and the final plea: "somebody crowd me with love, somebody force me to care..." shows us at our most vulnerable. And that is very romantic.

“If I Loved You” from Carousel is so classic. I love that doesn't come right out and get the point. Billy and Julie both flirt with the possibility of hooking up and maybe a life together and they essentially commit without without ever saying it. Also “Her Face” from Carnival has one of the most beautiful melodies.

"All I Ask of You" from The Phantom of the Opera. Since I was a little kid I would belt it out! I was a little kid and my sister and I recreated The Phantom of the Opera in the living room when we were like seven years old. And I had to play both The Phantom and Raoul. It was a whole thing!

I am naturally suspicious of flat-out love songs, preferring the ones that sneak up on you. Come to think of it, I am naturally suspicious of Valentine’s Day. Is it really about being in love, or is it about putting an enormous amount of pressure on everyone to feel in love and buy candy? Is it rapturous love or are we just trapped by the expectations of the heart holiday? If you’re not sure, or you’re recovering from heartbreak, or just feeling bullied into settling for a Whitman’s sampler and/or a hookup, I have a Broadway song for you: “It’s All Right With Me” by Cole Porter —the writer who excels at playing it witty and cool with deep and wrenching emotions. I love how Porter, who is normally so deft with internal rhymes writes a simple, repetitive and almost rhymeless lyric. The verse only has one rhyme in it (until the last verse which has two) It's the wrong time, and the wrong place Though your face is charming, it's the wrong face It's not his face, but such a charming face That it's all right with me It's the wrong song, in the wrong style Though your smile is lovely, it's the wrong smile It's not his smile, but such a lovely smile That it's all right with me For Porter, one rhyme a verse is nothing (This is the “You’re The Top” guy — the “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” guy!) But the seeming lack of effort works with the song’s subtext “Screw it, let’s live in the moment. I’m too tired and heartbroken to work at this. Just hand me the Whitman’s Sampler” It takes a lot of craft to write something that looks that effortless, and to take resignation and confusion and make it sing.

I'd say "Soon It's Gonna Rain" from The Fantasticks, but that's really Off-Broadway. So, I'll go with” Falling Slowly” from Once. Girl and Guy never even kiss in the show, but they express their yearning for one another through the music they make together. What's more romantic than that?

“If Ever I Would Leave You” from Camelot. Such a simple beautiful melody, such a simple beautiful promise…and by that final season of Spring: A Soaring declaration of (Calendar) love! “Garlic! Garlic!” from Dance of the Vampires runs a close second.

"If I Loved You" from CAROUSEL and "Too Many Mornings" from FOLLIES

One of my favorite musicals is Fanny, which unfortunately has never been revived on Broadway. On the original cast album a young Florence Henderson sings a heartbreaking love song as the title character “I have to tell you” in the first act which is then reprised in reverse in the second act by her true love Marius. I love all of this show’s score, with other wonderful singing actors as well, and Fanny’s plaintive love declaration is particularly moving as are many other moments in this lovely score.

"As Long as He Needs Me" from Oliver is beautiful but ladies I don't recommend loving a man that way, for the record.

"Bill" from Showboat and "Not A Day Goes By" from Merrily We Roll Along

"Suddenly Seymour" from Little Shop of Horrors. I saw the original production at The Orpheum when I was a kid and made my parents take me back several times. Lee Wilkof was my schmendrick superhero, and how can you not love a song about the little nebbishy Jewish guy finally getting the blonde bombshell?

In the spirit of Irving Berlin, "They Say That Falling In Love is Wonderful" from Annie Get Your Gun.