The universal language of music has united generations of lovers since the beginning of time. Falling in and out of love, grasping at unrequited love, mourning love lost and succumbing to deep love are central to the human experience. Love peels back emotions, incorporating complex feelings that come across powerfully in the common language of music. With endless love songs to describe matters of the heart, the top love songs according to music lovers of all ages connect the past with the present.
Frank Sinatra and daughter Nancy deliver this duet with unmatched melodies and the sort of calmness that love can sometimes bring. The almost country-esque wobble of the strumming guitar and drum patterns contrasted with a cinematic string section feel almost embarrassingly romantic, like young love.
This beautiful country ballad is so sad that its relatable to anyone who has lost love and gained a hole in their heart. An under-the-radar song, many discovered this lonely hit via popular 1993 rags-to-riches movie, The Beverly Hillbillies.
Burt Bacharach, one of the most influential songwriters and composers in modern music history delivers the timeless message of love for one another through the political and social realities of the 1960s making What The World Needs Now Is Love" a staple in community building and a reminder of humanity. Bacharach received three Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, six Grammy Awards, an Primetime Emmy Award and over 1,000 artists have recorded his songs.
One of the most versatile soul singers of all time, Sam Cooke, brings deep emotion to music through his ability to oscillate between disparate music genres and styles. "Bring It On Home To Me" is a call-and-response love song with Lou Rawls on backup vocals as Cooke longs for his lover to come back home.
Jill Scott is powerful, candid and curious in her writing and performance. In "He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat)," Scott recounts the ways her partner loves her in the most descriptive and intricate details and settings. The song sounds and feels like love.
This essential emo/alt-rock love song was Dashboard Confessional's first Billboard Top 10 hit, and rightfully so. "Hands Down" captures the youthful crush stage of love and lust with lyrics perfectly suited for an AIM away message.
Most dance pop songs churned out by producers these days won't stand the test of time, but there's a magic in "We Found Love" that keeps people returning even a decade later. The gleeful build up and Rihanna's vocals will put a lush and loving glow on any dance floor.
Pop icon Justin Timberlake broke the mold with "FutureSex/Lovesounds," and "My Love" epitomized his blend of dance/R&B/pop/hip-hop with Timbaland's unrivaled production talents and a smooth, memorable, catchy chorus.
"Always gon' be a whip that's better than the one you got / Always gon' be some clothes that's fresher than the one's you rock / Always gon' be a bitch that's badder out there on the tours / But you ain't never gon' be happy 'til you love yours," he raps.
When you think Bee Gees, you probably think dance and disco. But along with "Emotions" (a fantastic break-up song), "How Deep is Your Love" is evidence of the Bee Gees' ability to cut to the heart of a soulful connection between two people.
Taylor Swift cemented her role in pop culture with her heartfelt guitar ballads, and "Love Story" bridges the gap between her country roots and modern pop music. The song epitomizes the blissfully ignorant days of idyllic young love.
We know this veers more into heartache territory, but Daniel Bedingfield's "If You're Not the One" is the dance/electro-pop ballad we never knew we needed until it was 2002 and you couldn't turn on a radio station without hearing it.
This simple love ballad was sung gorgeously by country star Allison Krauss. "When You Say Nothing at All" captures the comfort and unspoken love language shared between partners with a timeless message of devotion.
Beyonc is one of the greatest artists of our generation, with unrivaled vocal talent and a constantly evolving sound and style. "Love On Top" is Beyonc at her most joyous, belting out lyrics in a way that lets you hear her smile through the words.
Rock band Explosions in the Sky may not have any lyrics to accompany its early-2000s single "Your Hand in Mine," but the emotional weight carried by the title and into the building crescendos gives us chills every time.
When the beat kicks into "I Love You Always Forever," you realize what a true bop this '90s pop single truly is. Lewis seems to channel Cindy Lauper's magic, just a decade later and with slightly more pizzazz.
This ballad is a simple, sweet ode to lazy afternoons spent in the company of a loved one. "Hold You in My Arms" was one of Ray LaMontagne's first breakout singles, and remains a staple heard at wedding venues around the country.
It would be a list of love songs without a serious dose of '80s melodrama, and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" is everything we could want in a glam rock ballad that fits into our "pining but still a love song" category.
You probably don't think much about "Vision Quest," the movie for which this song was made, but "Crazy for You" is one of Madonna's best love songs. It also earned Madonna her first of many Grammy Award nominations.
We dare you not to start tapping your foot and grinning upon hearing Jackie Wilson's number one R&B hit song "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher," which has rightfully earned a place on any list of the happiest and catchiest love tunes.
Keeping in our uptempo, groovy streak, "Best of My Love" is a classic found on movie and TV soundtracks across the decades for good reason. You'll be humming "Oh-o-oho, you've got the best of my love" all day after revisiting this track.
Queen's discography is chock-full of classic hits, but none fits best on the "love song" category than this tune. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is an uptempo, genre-bending single that stands the test of time.
"Crazy in Love" remains one of the best pop songs of all time, iconic in both its beat and the unforgettable music video that went along with it. As Beyonc continues dominating the world as the goddess of the arts, it's hard to pick just one of her best hits but this has to be the contender for greatest love song.
Prince's greatest hits are peppered with a joyous and infectious sense of love, but perhaps none more than the devoted single "I Would Die 4 U." The extra inflection Prince added for the line "darlin' if you want me to" is pure starlight energy.
Though picking one version of "Make You Feel My Love" is nearly impossible, Adele's rendition on "19" is devastatingly beautiful (and once again falls into our "pining" category). Adele is serving up an emotional education to us all, and we're here for the lesson.
Like others on our list, The Smiths are music legends. "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" is a beloved bittersweet song that stands the test of time thanks to the before-its-time emo message delivered with an English rock vibe.
Since we're including love songs about devotion and pining (but trying to avoid wholesale break-up ballads), "We Belong Together" is the perfect place to start. Mariah Carey's hit single from "The Emancipation of Mimi" remains is a classic modern love song with a fantastic pop diva music video to match.
Peter Gabriel's '80s rock song is cemented in movie culture with the 1989 movie "Say Anything" (the same film that gave our earlier pick's band name). "In Your Eyes" manages to transcend its cheesiness and strike a romantic chord in our hearts every time.
On the beautiful "Dance With My Father," the R&B legend sings of how his late father, who died when he was 8, used to dance with him as a child and how he wishes he could experience that feeling again.
K-Ci & JoJo probably didn't realize they were recording a song that would soon become a school dance staple, providing the soundtrack to awkwardly adorable PG slow dances everywhere. "All My Life" is the ultimate mix-CD track, movie score pick, and karaoke jam, and it's more than earned its spot on this list.
"The Power of Love" is among the most heterosexual of all our love songs, and we love Celine for the sheer force she brings to this declaration of woman-on-man bonding (which was originally a 1984 Jennifer Rush song).
This follow-up hit to "End of the Road" is the perfect ode to doting upon a loved one. Blending the romantic and physical aspects of love, this sexy "Boyz II Men" '90s jam belongs on every love playlist.
Detailing the story of her romance with Bob Marley's son, Rohan, and the subsequent birth of their child, the album's 12th track, "Nothing Even Matters" featuring D'Angelo, sees Hill sing about love and how it can make everything else seem irrelevant.
Sliding into the category of "love advice," this Otis Redding track needs no introduction. It was already considered a classic, and was solidified in pop culture history when Donkey belted it out in "Shrek" and then sampled for Kanye West and Jay-Z's "Otis."
The art of parenthetical song titles has truly been lost. Candian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams crafted the love song to end all love songs with "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You," and we'll never forget him for it.
"God Only Knows" finds itself at the top of most "best songs of all time" lists for good reason. Visionary Brian Wilson crafted some of his best work on the 1966 album "Pet Sounds," and this heart-melting track is one of the record's highlights.
Funk group Earth, Wind, and Fire crafted one of the best songs of the century in "September," and the bonus for us is that it's a delightful love song to boot. Half the song is simple, joyful belting of "Ba de ya," and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Sir Elton John's sweet tune was inducted to the Grammys Hall of Fame, and easily earns its place in our list of the best love songs. The pure poetry of the piano ballad will bring out the romantic in anyone.
Falling back into the "pining" category, The Righteous Brothers' version of "Unchained Melody" became the most definitive and recognizable takes on this beautifully written ode to loving someone from afar.
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