What makes a perfect love song? Is it slow and sad, like “My Funny Valentine”? Or upbeat and poppy, like “Uptown Girl”? Or maybe it’s sultry and bluesy (“Let’s Get It On!”)? It’s not an idle question; ...

There are few, if any, songs in the last sixty years that capture the tender awkwardness felt in the first stages of love, like Elton John’s “Your Song.” Part of the reason it does such a good job is ...