As Neko Case once said, “This song is for the lovers… so where’s mine?”

It’s so hard to keep track of what you’re supposed to think of Valentine’s Day. Testament to love in all its forms? Harmless holiday? Fiesta of bitterness? Open season on too-precious-by-half couples in love? An excuse by confectioners great and small to sell lots of product in chintzy red boxes? Tuesday? Whatever the case, the party line is that it has something to do with being in love. And frankly, if it avoids another shitstorm of “War On Christmas” news stories, I’ll go with it.

So here’s a love song, in more ways in one. This is Lisa Marr’s version of “New York City,” a song made popular by They Might Be Giants but first done by Marr’s old Vancouver twee-pop band, Cub. It’s a testament to the strength of Marr’s songwriting that “New York City” works equally well as a grungy cuddlecore song (Cub), a fairly straightforward modern rock song (They Might Be Giants) and a stripped-down ballad (this live version, recorded for WHFR in Detroit). It’s also a sweet song about the sheer awesomeness of giddy teenager love, which I think might be one of the strongest forces in the universe—I swear, you can look it up and everything.