Finding the Right Song for Your Valentine’s Day Video

“Music is the shorthand for emotion.” Or at least that’s how Tolstoy saw it. And when it comes to creating an evocative Valentine’s Day video, the song you pick is a major part of successfully sharing what you’re feeling.

If you’re having trouble tracking down the song you want for your video, maybe you just need to narrow the playing field. To help you out, we’ve broken down how we used Animoto’s music filters to find the right song for five different types of Valentine’s Day videos.

The first Valentine’s Day video

• What to consider: If you’ve just moved in together or are still feeling that newlywed bliss, you’ll want a romantic song that fits the holiday. Start with filters that focus on your significant other’s favorite genre, then think about the mood you want to create.
• How we searched: We filtered our music using the “Popular for” category, selecting “Valentine” to find holiday-appropriate tunes. Then we added a “Mood” filter—“Romantic”—to make sure we had a song that was heartfelt enough for the holiday.
• Our pick: “All the Pennies” by Mindy Gledhill

Valentine for Mom

• What to consider: Think about the type of music your mother loves and use that to fuel your search. If you plan to use lots of footage in your video valentine, make sure Mom can hear it by choosing a softer song with light vocals or no vocals at all.
• How we searched: We started with the “Adult Contemporary” category, then selected songs with a slow tempo. Finally, we stuck to instrumental tunes to keep Mom focused on the video itself, while still adding a soundtrack that brings out lots of emotion.
• Our pick: “Lionheart Soul” by Jared Lutes

Boudoir photography

• What to consider: Look for a track that’s both romantic and a little bit racy. Play with the “Mood” category to find songs that create a seductive atmosphere.
• How we searched: First we checked under “Popular for” to find the “Boudoir” category, a filter that’s curated especially for boudoir photography. Next we doubled down on the boudoir vibes by checking “Sexy” under the “Mood” filter.
• Our pick: “Goddess” by Super Estela

Galentine’s Day

• What to consider: Want to show your friends some love? Think about the type of songs that your crew can’t get enough of and search within that genre to find music you’ll all love.
• How we searched: For our Galentine’s Day video, we began by selecting “R&B” under “Genre”. To make sure we had fun lyrics to go along with our music, we selected “Vocals” under the “Instrumental/Vocals” filter.
• Our pick: “If You Need A Friend” by Kenneth H. Williams

Valentine’s Day video ad

• What to consider: Write down a few words that relate to your business. Is it fun? Serious? Family-oriented? Then consider filters that best match your picks to find a song that works for your ad.
• How we searched: To hit both our goals—Valentine’s Day and video ad—we went to the “Popular For” category and selected both “Business” and “Valentine”. Then we filtered by “Mood”, selecting “Fun” to add a lighthearted soundtrack.
• Our pick: “Everybody Smile” by Michelle Lockey

If you love one of our picks, save it for next time by clicking the heart icon on the right-hand-side of the song selector to add it to your Favorites. And if you think you’re ready to start on your video valentine, check out our Valentine’s Day storyboards for inspiration or just jump in and start creating!

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This post was updated on January 28, 2019.