69 Love Songs
by Magnetic Fields
  • Record Label: Merge
  • Release Date: Sep 7, 1999
Metascore
88

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. AllMusic
    90
    Stephin Merritt's most ambitious as well as fully realized work to date, a three-disc epic of classically chiseled pop songs that explore both the promise and pitfalls of modern romance through the jaundiced eye of an irredeemable misanthrope.
  2. Almost Cool
    80
    He jumps styles of music effortlessly, all the while managing to pull things together with touching and inventive lyrics.... One of the best releases of the year.
  3. Armchair DJ
    80
    Unabashedly beautiful tunes like "I Don't Believe in the Sun" and "Come Back from San Francisco" provide provide ample payoff for the arduous process of listening to the collection in total.
  5. CDNow
    90
    The merely wonderful arrangements pale next to the songs themselves.
  6. E! Online
    83
    There are plenty of throwaway tunes, and the sound quality is decidedly lo-fi, but what's most surprising about this three-CD collection is the number of good songs.
  7. Entertainment Weekly
    100
    69 elegant observations by a pop master.
  8. L.A. Weekly
    70
    After three discs, Merritt's mesmerizing display of sustained inconsequentiality starts to seem like one of those Guinness Book of World Records stunts, impressive but pointless.
  9. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    In the hands of someone less witty and schizoid, a near three-hour epic would be unforgivable, but Merritt at play is frequently magical.
  10. Pitchfork
    90
    Each song contains its own small epiphany, but they never quite add up to the one big sweeping epiphany that you'd hope for.
  11. PopMatters
    80
    For its epic length, the collection occasionally (rarely) drags, but when it does, it doesn't for long.
  12. Q Magazine
    80
    A boundlessly entertaining expose of what happens when you mix fine words with excellent melodies to make great songs.
  13. Rolling Stone
    60
    Merritt's compositions have a tossed-off, barely produced quality and are held together by sturdily constructed melodies that hark back to Eighties synth poppers like Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark.
  14. Sonicnet
    80
    By my count, you've still got 50 keepers out of 69, give or take a few songs. And about a third of those sound like classics.
  15. The A.V. Club
    100
    Alternately recalling the best work of Blondie, Leonard Cohen, Depeche Mode, and dozens more, 69 Songs About Love is a sprawling masterpiece of White Album-like proportions.
  16. Village Voice
    90
    Like a great romance, it's consistently lovable even when stupid or frustrating, and its best moments are absolutely breathtaking.
  17. Village Voice (Consumer Guide)
    100
    Even the "jazz" and "punk" cuts are good for a few laughs -- total losers are rare indeed.

Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best Album of 1999
3
#3 Most Discussed Album of 1999
3
#3 Most Shared Album of 1999

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 77 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 62 out of 77
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 77
  3. Negative: 12 out of 77
  1. Jim
    Feb 4, 2008
    10
    Rolling Stone is wrong again. A great album
  2. JohnP.
    Apr 15, 2008
    10
    Lyrically brilliant and beautifully structured from start to finish. One of the most relevant and ambitious albums of the 90s, and a Lyrically brilliant and beautifully structured from start to finish. One of the most relevant and ambitious albums of the 90s, and a must-have for anybody who prides themselves as having good taste in music.… Full Review »
  3. WayneW.
    Jan 17, 2008
    10
    This album is just a fun album to listen to. Stephin Merritt writes incredible lyrics!
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