In the run-up to Valentine’s, there are spikes in listens to various songs, including “Your Song” from Elton John:
But let’s count the Top 10 down:
10 – Jason Mraz – ‘I’m Yours’
It probably helps that Mraz himself is a dreamboat, but this wistful confession of love set to an MOR, country rock sound is obviously very popular with lovers.
9 – Aerosmith – ‘Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing’
Helped by its star-turn in mega-blockbuster ‘Armageddon’ (and the fact that it’s just about the last time Steven Tyler and co. were relevant), lines like “I could stay lost in this moment forever” are Valentine’s Day bait.
8 – Ed Sheeran – ‘Perfect’
Considering his Spotify prowess – he’s the second most-streamed artist of all time on the platform after Justin Bieber – we’d be surprised if Ed doesn’t turn up on this list again! The top comment on YouTube sums up its appeal: “I sent my girlfriend this song after I told her I loved her, we dated for 4 months before she got in a fatal car crash and died due to a lung puncture from one of her ribs. I played this song as she lied in the hospital bed, as the EEG beeped away. Only after 2 years I can listen to it again.”
7 – Adele – ‘Make You Feel My Love’
“I could make you happy / Make your dreams come true / Nothing that I wouldn't do / Go to the ends / Of the Earth for you / To make you feel my love.” These unrequited lyrics (penned by Bob Dylan) + Adele’s vocal cords = magic.
6 – The Temptations – ‘My Girl’
An evergreen oldie co-written by Smokey Robinson, The Temptations’ first number one is still ubiquitous in pop culture, and its straightforward sentiments and Motown sound are timeless.
5 – Elvis Presley – ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’
A song so good that The King closed many a show with it. UB40’s 1993 version was also a smash hit.
4 – Whitney Houston – ‘I Will Always Love You’
Right, let’s get this little piece of trivia out of the way: Dolly Parton wrote this song ON THE SAME DAY she wrote her biggest hit, ‘Jolene’. When Dolly first heard it in her car, she says she “nearly wrecked”! She later told Dan Rather that when people say “it’s Whitney’s song, that’s fine– you can give her the credit, I just want the cash!” We miss Whitney, and her performance in the film this was recorded for, ‘The Bodyguard’, is phenomenal.
3 – Bruno Mars – ‘Just the Way You Are’
Critics thought the lyrics on what was Bruno Mars’ debut single were sappy and corny – the public made it the best-selling single of 2011. "It took me months to come up with 'Just the Way You Are',” Mars said. “I wasn't thinking of anything deep or poetic. I was telling a story. Get ready to fall in love!"
2 – Ed Sheeran – ‘Thinking out Loud’
Our mate Ed, again. The first song to spend a full year in the UK Top 40. Song of the Year at the Grammys. “Take me into your loving arms”, indeed.
1 – John Legend – ‘All of Me’
This will come as a surprise to no-one, frankly. A karaoke and reality show, staple, this 2013 smash was written for then-fiance now-wife Chrissy Teigen, “All of Me” has become the platform’s top love song with 1.1 billion streams. It is the most-added song in the “love” themed playlist, and it’s also the top song choice for men and women on playlists titled Valentine’s Day. The track has been added to more than 29 million playlists, spiking in streams every year on Valentine’s Day by at least 50 percent.
“The impact of ‘All of Me’ continues to amaze and inspire me,” Legend told Spotify. “I’m so honored to know we created something that has meant so much to so many people. I wrote this song to express how I felt to the woman I love as we were about to commit to a lifetime together… I’m grateful to know that lovers around the world have connected with this song and made it their own.”
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