The 30 best love songs of all time

Release date: 2024

Not all love songs are gushy ballads, and Billie’s hit from last year is a pretty great example, hitting a middle ground between joyful and melancholy, light and haunting. At first listen, it’s cute, but once she starts singing ‘If I’m turning blue, please don’t save me / Nothing left to lose without my baby,’ this becomes a song about (literally) not being able to live without someone – kinda romantic, but kinda intense too. No wonder it set TikTok alight for the best part of a year. 

Release date: 2017

A departure from her darker, more melancholic explorations of break-ups and self-destructive relationship tendencies, Del Rey brings a nostalgic perspective to this song, sharing her appreciation of young innocent love. With its swelling melody and vintage strings and booming moments this is exactly what you imagine a love song to sound like. As the opening track for her album Lust for Life, it perfectly sets up a reminiscent and warming feeling.

Release date: 1972

The lyrics to the Reverend’s landmark 1971 love song, ‘Let’s Stay Together’ articulate the solemn vows of marriage: ‘Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad.’ But sung by Green, these promises are given wings. Covered multiple times since its release, Green’s gorgeous original was given a new lease on life in ’94, when Quentin Tarantino featured it in Pulp Fiction. But our favorite boost for the song has to be when it was sung by Barack Obama at a fund-raising event back in 2012.  

Release date: 2013

Since her debut in 2013, Lorde has affirmed herself as the voice of adolescent heartbreak. At just sixteen years old, the native New Zealander was more emotionally astute in her single ‘Ribs’ than any man you'll meet in his mid-30s. The song is a devastatingly tender exploration of fleeting love and ageing while remaining young at heart; as she sings, ‘You’re the only friend I need / Sharing beds like little kids / And laughing ’til our ribs get tough,’ over a progressive pop tempo that’s like the thrill you feel when accidentally brushing the hand of your teenage crush.

Release date: 1967

This song is an oldie but a goodie for a reason. It perfectly captures the feeling of letting go completely and falling into the uplifting arms of a romantic love. It’s not a sad yearning kind of tune – this is a happy, cheerful tune to celebrate all the great things about being in lurrve. Just be warned: singing this tune yourself ain’t easy, and we wouldn’t recommend it for your next karaoke sesh. 

Release date: 2016

Normally The Weeknd expresses his love in a (ahem) explicit way, but with this tune he decided to crank up the dramatics. With lyrics describing a painful-sounding breakup with a lady who he is still undeniably obsessed with, this is as romantic as the Canadian singer gets. Despite lyrically not being the most typical love song, with its intensely beautiful melody The Weeknd really pulls on those tropes, declaring his utter devotion to his lover. 

Release date: 1980

Is this the happiest song ever written? Quite possibly. There’s a bounce to ‘You Make My Dreams’ that is ridiculously infectious – you can’t hear the ‘Ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh’ without wanting to grab hold of someone’s hand and spin them round and round. Its catchy chorus is the perfect embodiment of those early moments of love and your excitement for whatever the future may hold. Hall & Oates may have made a name for themselves via soft rock and smooth-jazz-inspired diddies about stained and complicated romance, but ‘You Make My Dreams’ is an unashamedly optimistic banger all about love.

Release date: 2016

When Beyoncé’s hour-long visual album Lemonade hit the internet in 2016, the entire nation explored the intense range of emotions of marital infidelity: betrayal, jealousy, rage, and revenge. ‘All Night,’ which wraps up the 12-track masterpiece (and is reportedly Beyoncé’s favorite song from the record), brought something different to the table. Perhaps less sexy than the hell-hath-no-fury revenge tracks on the project, the powerful love ballad gave us a tender and compassionate ode to healing heartbreak and moving on. And what is more moving than selfless love? ‘All Night,’ with its soulful vocals and haunting guitar, will forever encapsulate the seldom-explored topic of reconciliation and preservation in long-term commitments. 

Release date: 2012

‘Thinkin Bout You,’ the iconic song about an all-consuming crush, is more than just a potent love song that flexes gorgeous vocals and soaring instrumentalism. By using elements of various queer canonical events and allusions, the cheeky R&B track opened a conversation on Black queer artistry in the music industry, particularly in the hip-hip genre, which was still struggling with homophobia and toxic masculinity. The entire song represents the curiosity and uncertainty of sexual exploration and self-discovery, showing a generation of kids that listened to Channel Orange on repeat in their bedrooms, that love is for everyone.

Release date: 1974

Dolly Parton’s farewell to her long-time partner and mentor, country legend Porter Wagoner, when she decided to pursue a solo career, became quite the sensation in 1974. It’s hard to think of a better song in pop culture that captures the ‘if you love something, set it free’ sentiment. While few of us—save Whitney Houston—can belt those high notes like Parton, that doesn’t stop us from wanting to sing along with the chorus, with all the same pent up passion.