Combining the fatalism of lines like ‘what good would living do me’ with the use of God in the title was risky business back in the mid-’60s. Once that miasmic mix of harpsichords and celestial brass clears, and that opening caveat is laid bare, we’re left with a heartbreakingly tender song of yearning, of devotion and of fidelity. The uncertainty of the first line (‘I may not always love you’) is a classic pop curveball, which works with the swooping transition from intro to verse. Three years later, Wilson and the Boys would surpass the master with a song that lifted the notion of the sophisticated love song clean into the heavens. In 1963, Brian Wilson was so obsessed with Phil Spector’s orchestral vision for the Ronettes’ ‘Be My Baby’ that he reportedly took to listening to it 100 times a day.

Lovers near and far, here is our definitive ranking of the greatest love songs of all time. Whatever the occasion, there’s a love song out there for you.

So we thought we’d do you a favour and cut through the noise, and round up the very best love songs of all time, from old school classics to Beyoncé belters. People have been writing those things since the Dark Ages, and they’re still releasing them every damn day in 2023. The kind of song that has you missing an ex you don’t even have.īut the love song genre is, as we all know, an incredibly saturated market.

True love songs are the kinds of bangers that have you belting falsetto in the shower, dancing in the kitchen, and accidentally singing out loud in public. Whether you're a keen singer, newly in lurrve or totally heartbroken, there’s nothing like a good love song (though if it’s the latter, our list of the best breakup songs might be a better antidote for your heartache).

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