Top 9 romantic songs by NI artists: Your soundtrack for Valentine's Day

There are oodles of chart-toppers expressing how love really does ‘lift us up where we belong’. Yet, alongside that cheerful array of joyful anthems comes an equally lengthy list of solemn heartbreak hits.

On one Friends episode Ross cites Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison the most romantic song ever written. We agree, and for that reason it takes the top spot on our love list. But, there are plenty of other outpourings of affection from local bands and artists.

So, dim the lights and get the candles burning, or curl up on the sofa and weep into your cushion, as you make your way through our pick of the nine best Northern Irish love songs.

Tupelo Honey – Van Morrison: The most sublime and heartfelt love song that Morrison has ever recorded. Written and recorded when he was living in domestic bliss in Woodstock with his first wife Janet "Planet" Rigsbee – "an angel of the first degree". She’s as sweet Tupelo Honey, just like honey, baby, from the bee."

Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol: Gary Lightbody once described it as the “purest love song” he’s ever written. The phrase 'Chasing Cars' came from Gary's father, referring to a girl Gary was infatuated with: "You're like a dog chasing a car. You'll never catch it and you just wouldn't know what to do with it if you did."

Shining Light – Ash: This song was written about frontman Tim Wheeler's now ex-girlfriend Audrey. As he was driving home one night, the tune and line "Yeah you are a shining light" came into his head. The lovestruck Downpatrick man raced home and wrote the song straight away using his acoustic guitar.

Run – Snow Patrol: Gary Lightbody has given various explanations for the lyrics in this tune, including that it was inspired after a fall down some stairs, but the words would surely melt the coldest of hearts: ‘To think I might not see those eyes/Makes it so hard not to cry/And as we say our long goodbyes/I nearly do’.

Everybody Knows (Except You)– Divine Comedy: You can almost hear the pain as Co Fermanagh-born Neil Hannon croons: ‘Everybody knows that I love you/ Everybody knows that I need you/ Everybody knows that I do, except you’.

A Good Heart – Feargal Sharkey: The former frontman of The Undertones makes the list for this solo effort about romantic risk-aversion. Who could doubt Sharkey's tremulous voice when he sings 'Please be gentle with this heart of mine'?

Into the Mystic – Van Morrison: Van is once again in touch with his emotions on this track from the Moondance album. It’s a song about a sailor returning to his lover. 'I want to rock your gypsy soul' is Van the Man at his finest lyrically and vocally.

Captured – Brian Kennedy: Written in 1990 this beautiful by Belfast singer-songwriter still captures our heart.

Teenage Kicks – The Undertones: It really is so hard to beat this classic. It was the late DJ John Peel’s favourite all-time record. In fact, he loved it so much he even had "teenage dreams so hard to beat" as the epithet on his gravestone. If that isn’t devotion, we don’t know what is!