Without wasting your precious time, here are 5 of the top love songs of all time:
1. Beyoncé, “Love on Top” (2011)
The video may have brought to mind New Edition’s “If It Isn’t Love,” but Beyoncé had no doubt about the emotions the video presented. Delighted in the verses and practically growling in the chorus, Beyoncé’s romantic ecstasy on her fourth single, “Love on Top,” is carried by lighter-than-air keys and punchy soul horns. , limited only by the limits of her vocal range. Of course, like a bodybuilder adding extra weight to an already overloaded barbell, she’s not holding back, as demonstrated in a series of remarkable critical changes in the chorus.
2. Mariah Carey, “We Belong Together” (2005)
Unfortunately, Mariah has some. In this 14-week #1 Hot 100 hit, Carey realized (too late?) that she was on good terms with her ex-boyfriend. This one is all about soothing love — like the songs on the radio that make her think of him (Bobby Womack and Babyface) or longing for the days of an endless late-night phone call. But unlike some post-breakup songs that leave you feeling sorry, Mariah’s breathless passion (and vocal yearning) leaves you pretty sure these two will make it work. They belong together!
3. Frank Ocean, “Thinkin’ Bout You” (2012)
For many, their Turning era was a butterfly-inducing introduction to an R&B voice that would soon define a generation. Frank Ocean’s admissions of love are initially wrapped in romantic sarcasm, offering in conversational baritone, “No, I don’t like you, I just thought you were cool enough to kick it/ Got a beach house I could sell you in Idaho since you don’t think I love you….” But by the time he’s belting the song’s classic bridge (“Yes, of course, I remember, how could I forget how you feel?”), all his defenses are down. “Thinkin’ Bout You” is a lovesick anthem that can hold its weight alongside other R&B greats, perfectly illustrating with words and dynamics how it feels to fall head first.
4. Alicia Keys, “If I Ain’t Got You” (2004)
Alicia Keys’ most enduring love song in her vast catalog strips back everything, including the beat itself, which spotlights Keys’ new vocal and soul-stirring piano melody. With lyrics simple but touching, she knows precisely when — and how — to dial up the song’s most delicate moments to hit the listener directly in the heart and boil love down to its core feeling. It’s on full display when her strained singing lingers on the final words in the chorus.
5.”Rihanna feat.Calvin Harris, “We Found Love” (2011)
Many songs employ flowery lyrics to tell you what love sounds like; together, Rihanna and Calvin Harris demonstrated how love feels. In the case of their 2011 Hot 100 No. 1 “We Found Love,” the sensation was that of being shot out of a confetti canon and taking flight, with the Scottish producer’s wind-up production — a classic of the EDM era — capturing the hectic, exhilarating, sometimes slightly dangerous thrill of new romance. Meanwhile, RiRi’s lyrics celebrate the triumph of finding love despite hope, and the high final product of these two stars defies feelings of despair.