These Are the Best Love Songs of All Time (2024)

In this sweet tale of unrequited love, I imagine Ms. Patti doodling in her journal, trying to work up the courage to tell that special person how much much she loves them. Her rich, soulful voice swells as she grows increasingly frustrated that the object of her affection "could probably care less."

This heartwarming classic from The Lion King soundtrack can still dampen our eyes and warm our hearts (despite a music video that is, in retrospect, laugh-out-loud cheesy).

There have been many renditions of this iconic song, from the A*Teens cover in Disney's Lilo & Stitch to versions from Twenty One Pilots and Kacey Musgraves. Yet nothing beats the original's velvety vocals.

Is it really a wedding if this KC & JoJo anthem isn't on the playlist?

Etta James neatly packages the pain of watching the one you love love someone else in this under-three-minute masterpiece. Beyoncé gave the song an update in the 2008 film Cadillac Records.

Bey and Jay have made beautiful music together on the topic of their relationship, and addressed it in their solo projects too—Lemonade, Everything Is Love, "'03 Bonnie & Clyde"—but this collaboration from Beyoncé's 2003 solo debut cemented their creative bond. And that horn section!

Not all romance feels like a furious rush of passion. Kacey Musgraves' "Golden Hour" is about the gentler kind of love that illuminates everything—just like the day's dawn and the glow of dusk.

Carly Rae Jepsen uses her native Canadian spelling in the Emotion closer "Favourite Colour," but people around the world can relate to this ballad about being next to the person you're most into.

Mimi's 1990 hit, originally written and recorded as one of her first demos, changed the vocal game when it comes to pop love songs. The elusive chanteuse unwittingly inspired a generation of new singers — including Beyoncé, who cites "Vision of Love" as the reason she began doing vocal runs.

The Purple One wrote dozens of love songs for himself and other artists, but this disco-tinged R&B jam is a masterclass in trying to persuade someone to get romantic with you.

Here's one for those dwelling in the past: Taylor Swift's "Red" isn't about a current love affair, but one that's come and gone. Still, it captures the exhilaration of falling headlong for someone: "Loving him was red."

If you were in love in the late 2000s, you likely knew Karen O's memorable plea—"They don't love you like I love you"—by heart. The line is so good, Beyoncé borrowed it for "Hold Up" almost two decades later.

If it's over but doesn't feel like it yet, the mistress of heartbreak has got you covered. Adele's modern-classic ode to former loves earned a Best Pop Solo Performance Grammy and hit #1 in over 20 countries.

A fun game to play at a wedding is, "When Are They Going to Play 'God Only Knows'?" It's a staple for a reason, as this 1966 Beach Boys tune is as tender and celebratory as they come.

Quirky, a little nonsensical, and sweet as can be, "Anyone Else But You" shows the softer side of The Moldy Peaches, the early-2000s indie-rock duo made up of Adam Green and Kimya Dawson. Can't imagine there's another duet out there that references Nintendo games and MP3s.

Fleetwood Mac's catalog runs the full emotional gamut, from ecstatic adoration to sly recrimination. This Christine McVie composition is one of their most uncomplicated love songs, about the easy rush of falling for someone.

Strange how the best love song of all time only came out in 2011! Hard to imagine having a crush before Frank Ocean's bashful refrain—"Do you think about me still?"— first tugged on our heartstrings last decade.

Did this song really come out in 2016? The raw soul-inflected production on this bold ANTI belter sounds like it could have come out 60 years ago.

Featuring just a few instruments and Joni Mitchell's pensive vocal line, "A Case of You" packs a punch. Artists as varied as Prince, Tori Amos, and James Blake have covered the bittersweet folk song.

A bass sample from the Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer" drives the urgency of Gomez's longing lyrics: "I'm tryin', I'm tryin', I'm tryin', I'm tryin', I'm tryin', I'm tryin', I'm tryin', I'm tryin', I'm tryin', I'm tryin' not to think about you. It's not working, though."