Why are musical composers obsessed with the phrase “love is love”?

During one of his Tony Awards speeches for Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda dropped in a “love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love” — ostensibly in regards to the Orlando shooting at a gay nightclub mere hours prior — (re?)popularizing the phrase in the modern lexicon.

Since then, not one but two movie musicals, by and about gay writers, satirize the concept in their climactic songs.

First, Billy Eichner concluded his movie Bros with “Love is Not Love”, which expounds on the title’s corrective to Lin-Manuel by explaining that love comes in various forms; gay love isn’t the same as straight love, AND, gay love isn’t even the same as other gay love.

And Dicks, in theaters now, culminates with “All Love is Love”, which sounds Lin-Manuel approved . . . until you realize it’s sung by incestuous blood-brothers at their wedding after a night of fiery fucking.

Is our love like their love? Let’s hope not?