Verse-case scenario....

Do you believe in life after love, after love, after love? As songs about romance fall off the charts, musicians tell us what's changed and what's filling the void in our playlists and hearts

- Karishma Kuenzang

Perhaps Cupid hasn't got the message. But love songs have been changing over the years. Sure, The Heart Wants What It Wants, Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, and Nobody Wants to Be Lonely. But music, it seems, might be falling out of love with love.

It's not new; the trend became clear almost six years ago, in 2018, when a study, which examined annual Billboard top 20 songs between 1996 and 2016, first spotted the decline. In 1996, 14 hits on the year-end chart were love songs. In 2016, there was only one.

Even with covers, the change is noticeable. Dolly Parton's Jolene, released 50 years ago, begged Jolene not to take her man. Beyonce's version, from March, warns Jolene not to come for her man.

Indian music, both mainstream and indie, has been going through changes of its own. Here's what some musicians make of love songs these days.

Yohan Marshall, 33, Mumbai

He's written a love song Jo Tu Mere Paas Hai (2024) for his wife, about how life feels easier when she's there; and written Act Like (2022), about the heartbreak that stems from changing for someone, and it still not working out.

Marshall is glad that love songs have more nuance, covering vulnerability and confusion rather than sappy promises. "People are sceptical about love in an age when young adults are lonely," he says. "We want to find the right person, but there's online dating, ghosting and swiping. So, it's harder to date, commit and find true love."

Marshall's July release, Bawra Mann, talks about living a busy life, falling in love with someone and finally feeling understood. "I wish modern pop would get more personal," he says.

Nisa Shetty, 30, Mumbai