Not so sure about the Beatles’ song that rose to prominence from their “Yellow Submarine” album of 1964 since it begins with “There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done” and I, unlike other children of the ‘60s, believe in moral absolutes, but the chorus has its strong point that “All you need is love”.

Maybe that and a big, fat paycheck to pay the bills.

Or a dog to kiss you when you get home.

But “Love” is in the news today with the passing of pop Artist Robert Indiana, the one with the “LOVE” series where the “L” and the “O” are on top of the “V” and the “E”. You know, the art that was everywhere and even ended up on a postage stamp, back in the day when folks other than myself wrote letters.

Now, the sign has morphed. All across the State of Virginia, at numerous highway rest stops and towns, “Love” signs of one sort or another stand in testimony of their marketing phrase “Virginia is For Lovers”.

Robert Indiana died at age 89 at his home, 15 miles off the coast of Maine on Vinalhaven Island, where he lived in seclusion for years. Friends had tried to contact him and even a lawsuit had been filed just before his death, intimating that he was being isolated by caretakers.

Love. Is it really all you need? How about some friends and family who care for you? That’s love.

The artist had other works. I remember when his “Ahava” (“love” in Hebrew) came out in the 1970s, but he wasn’t only about love. Yet, it became his defining work.

Love means many things to many people. Actions may be taken in the name of love that really reflect selfishness or liberty gone awry. So it can get a bad rap.

However, if you’re going to be known for something, love is not a bad way to go.

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