When it comes to making love songs, arguably no other genre has mastered that craft to the degree of R&B.
Its smooth melodic mix of jazz, blues and gospel rhythms, coupled with emotion-packing vocals, dates back to the ‘40s. Since then, the genre has undergone various iterations in its ongoing evolution — soul, funk, hip-hop, neo-soul, contemporary and alternative — while heavily influencing other genres along the way, such as rock n’ roll, country and pop.
Lyrical themes have run the gamut as well, from freedom, protest and pride to joy, pain and simply surviving. But when it comes to the subject of love in particular, R&B brims with colorful and insightful takes on every phase of that rollercoaster emotion: first encounter, between the sheets, courtship, break-up, make-up, marriage, divorce … then taking aim once again with the aid of Cupid’s arrow.
So in celebration of love and Valentine’s Day — and also in recognition of Black History Month — Billboard has compiled a chart-based tally of the Top 50 R&B Songs of All Time. Going back 60 years, the list encompasses the genre’s rich legacy of legendary solo singers and groups, as well as their contemporary counterparts delivering slow-burning ballads, bouncy bops and midtempo paeons to love. All of which are connected by one throughline: Love never goes out of style. And neither do these timeless gems.
Billboard’s Top 50 R&B Love Songs of All Time is based on weekly performance on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart from Jan. 30, 1965 (then Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles), through Feb. 1, 2025. The tally comprises songs with a main theme revolving around romantic love versus love of self and others, heartbreak or strictly physical attraction. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates during various periods.
Top 50 R&B Love Songs of All Time: celebrating the genre’s rich romantic legacy.
www.billboard.com
50. Miguel - Adorn
49. Jon B, “They Don’t Know”
48. Johnny Gill, “My, My, My”
47. Levert, “My Forever Love”
46. Mary J. Blige, “Real Love”
45. The Originals, “Baby, I’m For Real”
44. Barry White, “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe”
43. Bettye Swann, “Make Me Yours”
42. Eric Benét & Tamia, “Spend My Life With You”
41. Surface, “You Are My Everything”
40. Luther Ingram, “(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want to Be Right”
39. Rihanna, “Diamonds”
38. Boyz II Men, “I’ll Make Love to You”
37. Aretha Franklin, “Something He Can Feel”
36. Ashford & Simpson, “Solid”
35. Jermaine Jackson, “Let’s Get Serious”
34. Emotions, “Best of My Love”
33. John Legend, “All of Me”
32. Gladys Knight & the Pips, “Midnight Train to Georgia”
31. Al B. Sure!, “Nite and Day”
30. Jodeci, “Forever My Lady”
29. Joe, “I Wanna Know”
28. Erykah Badu & Common, “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)”
27. Anita Baker, “Giving You the Best That I Got”
26. Sisqo, “Incomplete”
25. Luther Vandross, “Here and Now”
24. Patti LaBelle, “If Only You Knew”
23. Usher, “There Goes My Baby”
22. Silk Sonic, “Leave the Door Open”
21. Alicia Keys, “Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready)”
20. Stevie Wonder, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours”
19. Four Tops, “I Can’t Help Myself”
18. Marvin Gaye, “Let’s Get It On”
17. Babyface, “Tender Lover”
16. Ginuwine, “Differences”
15. Fantasia, “When I See U”
14. Jagged Edge, “Let’s Get Married”
12. Diana Ross & Lionel Richie, “Endless Love”
11. Ray Charles, “I Can’t Stop Loving You”
