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The Most Romantic Love Songs Ranked, According To Spotify Playlists

Image by Frauke Riether from Pixabay

A new study has revealed the top songs featured in romantic playlists on Spotify, with Ed Sheeran's Perfect claiming the top spot.

The research, conducted by QR Code Generator QRFY, used the Spotify tool Playlist Miner to find the top 1,000 playlists containing 'love songs' in the title. The playlists were then analysed to find the most occurring songs.

The study revealed that Perfect by Ed Sheeran takes the top spot, with 2.7 billion streams worldwide and occurring in 129 times in playlists. The song also appears in the top 100 songs in 'wedding' playlists, with Sheeran's song claiming the second most popular song in wedding playlists.

Perfect gained Ed Sheeran the number one spot in the US and UK charts, with it spending six weeks at the top spot in the UK and five weeks in the US upon its release in 2017.

“As with all the songs on the list, there is a timeless appeal to songs about love and romance, one that makes such songs enjoyable for everyone.

All of Me by John Legend came second, with 120 occurrences in playlists titled 'love songs'. Alongside Sheeran, Legend's song features heavily in wedding playlists, with it the fourth most recurring ballad.

Already having written hit songs for other artists, All Of Me was John Legend’s first number 1 hit in his career. Legend wrote it for his wife, Chrissy Teigen, who apparently cried the first time she heard it, and later he performed it at their wedding.

Joining them is James Arthur's Say You Won't Let Go in third place. The ballad featured in 98 playlists and has amassed over 2.6 billion streams globally on Spotify.

The hit song was released in 2016, where it hit number 1 spot in the UK and made it to 11th place in the US charts.

In fourth place, I Wanna Be Yours by the Arctic Monkeys occurred 77 times across the playlists. The song has been played over 1.8 billion times, making it the band's second-most streamed song.

Whilst popular, the song hardly charted in official charts. Yet it proves to be a classic show of romance for many, with the lyrics coming from poet John Cooper Clarke’s timeless classic I Wanna Be Yours.

Another Ed Sheeran track is the fifth most romantic; Thinking out Loud was featured 76 times in love song playlists and was also the third most common song featured in wedding playlists on Spotify.

The hit didn’t quite reach the number one spot in the US, although did in the UK, but it is still one of Ed Sheeran's most popular, with over 2.4 billion streams globally.

Image by Frauke Riether from Pixabay

Claiming sixth spot, with 74 features in 'love songs' playlists, is Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx. The song was penned by Marx as a love letter to his wife, making it the perfect song for couples this Valentine’s Day.

An iconic 90s song features next, with I Will Always Love You by the late Whitney Houston featuring in 72 playlists after amassing over 1.8 billion streams. Houston's iconic song, originally written and released by Dolly Parton in the 80s, remains a key figure of everlasting love for many.

The classic song shot to the number one spot in the US and UK after the hit film The Bodyguard and today, the song is the seventh highest-selling physical single, with over 24 million copies bought worldwide since its release in 1992.

Featuring 62 times, Foreigner's I Want to Know What Love Is is the eighth most romantic love song. Mick Jones, guitarist and songwriter for Foreigner, said the song came to him randomly at 3am, and ever since then, it has gained 766 million streams on Spotify.

Joint ninth most common was Peter Cetera's Glory of Love and Ruth B.'s Dandelions. Cetera's iconic 80s song (from Karate Kid Part II) was featured 61 times across playlists, as was the newest release by Ruth B. after having secured 1.3 billion global streams.

Rounding off the list is Calum Scott's You Are The Reason, with 60 occurrences across the playlists. The song falls just shy of a billion streams, at 981 million, but has proved itself extremely popular across the globe. In 2023, the music video for the heartfelt song garnered over one billion views, cementing its place in the findings.

As for honorable mentions, just missing top spots were Bruno Mars's Just the Way You Are, Phil Collins's Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) and George Michael's iconic Careless Whisper, all with over 50 occurrences in 'love songs' playlists but beaten to the top spots.

Top ten songs in ‘love songs’ playlist, ranked

Rank	Song title	Artist	No. times featured in playlists
1	Perfect	Ed Sheeran	129
2	All of Me	John Legend	120
3	Say You Won't Let Go	James Arthur	98
4	I Wanna Be Yours	Arctic Monkeys	77
5	Thinking out Loud	Ed Sheeran	76
6	Right Here Waiting	Richard Marx	74
7	I Will Always Love You	Whitney Houston	72
8	I Want to Know What Love Is	Foreigner	62
=9	Glory of Love	Peter Cetera	61
-9	Dandelions	Ruth B.	61
10	You Are The Reason	Calum Scott	60

Speaking on the findings, CEO of QR Code Generator company QRFY Marc Porcar said:
“These findings provide the perfect playlist to listen to this Valentine’s season. It’s no surprise Ed Sheeran features twice in the top 10, with his relatable lyrics and catchy tunes often being global hits. Sheeran’s lyrics and melodies piece together beautiful, heartfelt stories that can unite everyone in the experience of love, whether that be platonic, familial or romantic.

“As with all the songs on the list, there is a timeless appeal to songs about love and romance, one that makes such songs enjoyable for everyone. Worldwide, love songs are played and sang as a display of intimacy, and with them we find a means of expressing ourselves to those we hold dearly in our lives.”

Research carried out by QRFY