At the far and dark end of Blue Valentine, a movie-goer will walk away with the vague sense that true love is never true, and a better pass time than courtship might be a clumsy walk along the lip of a cliff. Unplanned pregnancies, quasi-rape and mutual marital loathing abound. Suffice it to say… Worst. Date movie. Ever.

But this Oscar-nominated flick did offer one redeeming token; “You and Me” by Penny and the Quarters. A soul-filled throwback that sounds like a 45 demo recording of that one time Carole King auditioned with The Pips before Gladys Knight walked in. Midnight Tapestry to Georgia, if you will.

Relationship foreboding aside, maybe Blue Valentine is serendipitous as the Hallmark holiday falls in stride with this song. It sounds like a night of chocolate truffles and souffles, bottled perfume and Pinot Noir, and a slow dance or two to boot. And the haze of raw emotion mixed with red vino probably plays right around the key and hue of Blue.

Happy Valentine’s Day, loves.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Penny & The Quarters – “You And Me”