The UK’s favourite love songs revealed…and a music therapist reveals why we swoon for romantic tunes

All Of Me by John Legend has been named as the UK’s favourite love song in our latest survey of 2,000 Brits*, along with how the romantic mood can be set ahead of Valentine’s Day both at home and on dates.

The nation’s top 10 love songs of all time were revealed to be…

1. All Of Me, John Legend (11%)
2. I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston (10%)
3. Chasing Cars, Snow Patrol (9%)
4. Thinking Out Loud, Ed Sheeran (9%)
5. I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing, Aerosmith (8%)
6. Just The Way You Are, Bruno Mars (7%)
7. Angels, Robbie Williams (7%)
8. (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, Bryan Adams (7%)
9. My Heart Will Go On, Celine Dion (5%)
10. The Power Of Love, Jennifer Rush (4%)

John Legend

When asked which genres they found to be the most romantic, almost a quarter (24%) of respondents chose chill-out music, followed by pop (21%) and RnB (20%). Subsequently, hip hop (2%) and heavy metal (1%) were ranked as the least romantic genres, beaten only by house music, which less than 1% (0.7%) said made them feel romantic.

The research found that romantic music positively impacted the mood of over two-thirds (71%) of listeners, as just 4% said love songs negatively affected their moods. What’s more, almost three in five people (59%) shared that it left them feeling romantic, while a further half (56%) of respondents said love songs evoked happiness. Two in five (40%) respondents shared that love songs made them feel nostalgic, and nearly a third (29%) shared they felt hopeful when listening to romantic tunes.

The UK’s top romantic songs have an average BPM of 111, showing that faster songs are more likely to get hearts racing on the year’s most romantic day, but some higher BPM songs can boost that romantic mood of the day.

Over two-fifths (45%) of respondents shared that they are more likely to pick a venue for a Valentine’s date if love songs are being played. Restaurants are the top choice among date planners, as over half (52%) set their sights on dining out. However, one in three (30%) people shared that they will be wining and dining at home for the occasion.

When it comes to where daters are likely to avoid on Valentine’s Day, clubs (2%), cafes (4%) or leisure activities (4%) like mini golf topped the list.

Two people sharing glasses of wine

For [those at home OR businesses looking to decorate for the day], flowers and candles tie in as the top mood setters for Valentine’s Day, both winning almost one in five (19%) respondents’ hearts.

More than one in six (17%) also say dressing up for the occasion sets the romantic mood, while a further one in seven (13%) say music holds the key to spread the love via the airwaves on Valentine’s Day.

Our Music therapist for PPL PRS, Marianne Rizkallah, explains why romantic music plays such a vital role in keeping romantic spirits alive on Valentine’s Day:

“Music’s impact seems to be focused on the limbic system, that deals with our emotions. Music’s positive impact, stimulating dopamine creation, creates activations in the limbic system and promotes positive feeling states.

“I think memory and association play a big part in Valentine’s songs – the positive associations with a song that reminds you of your significant other, the couples that have “our song”, and the emotional attachments to that.”

References:

* A survey commissioned by PPL PRS of 2,000 people in the UK in February 2023.   

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