All You Need Is Love (Songs): Our 2025 Valentine’s Day Soundtrack!

Love is in the air – and in our speakers! This Valentine’s Day, Atwood Magazine’s staff is turning up the romance with a handpicked playlist of our all-time favorite love songs. Join us as we celebrate the music that makes our hearts beat a little faster!

Playlist: Our Favorite Love Songs of All Time!

All You Need Is Love (Songs)

Our 2025 Valentine’s Day Soundtrack!

The 1975 really locked in with Being Funny in a Foreign Language, and nowhere was that more apparent than on their instant classic love song, “I’m in Love With You” – a track that truly says it all, right there in the title. Through buoyant beats and a radiant, celebratory atmosphere, the indie pop band created an irresistible ode to that funny feeling – reminding us how special, how beautiful, and how exciting it is to be in love. – Mitch Mosk

How do you know you are in love? Maybe it is when reality is better than your dreams. Aerosmith sure thinks so. “I don’t wanna close my eyes/ I don’t wanna to fall asleep/ ‘Cause I’d miss you baby/ And I don’t wanna miss a thing,” are the lyrics to this touching yet rock ‘n’ roll love ballad that beautifully captures the intense emotion – when precious moments become something you never want to miss out on. – Lauren Turner

“When the rain is pouring down, and my heart is hurting – you will always be around, this I know for certain.” That ability to be there for us at our darkest hour; what better words could really encapsulate love, whether romantic, platonic, familial, or anything in between? It’s a quintessential Keys song, simple and forthright yet full of passion and authenticity. And that beat – you just gotta nod your head. – Christine Buckley

There is something so inherently beautiful about Alex Turner’s voice. As he croons and pleads with such devotion to a lover he’ll be everything they will ever want or need – he simply just wants to be theirs. Indeed a personification of the love some may feel on a day like today. – Jada Moore

I can’t listen to “God Only Knows” without getting emotional, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. As romantic as it is bittersweet, The Beach Boys’ love song aches with the weight, the warmth, and the wonder of love. But above all else, it’s the vulnerability that shines through: “I may not always love you, but long as there are stars above you, you never need to doubt it, I’ll make you so sure about it; God only knows what I’d be without you.” While it was groundbreaking for its time, what makes “God Only Knows” continue to resonate 60 years on is its raw, unfiltered, unabridged humanity. It’s a reminder that, whatever happens and however long the journey, love is worth every moment. – Mitch Mosk

The Beatles literally started their monumental career with a song titled “Love Me Do,” have a compilation called Love, wrote a universal anthem called “All You Need is Love,” conquered the world with an army of love songs, and recorded their last session as a unit by singing how the love one gives is equal to the love one takes. And yet, it’s a single released after their break-up has me unhealthily obsessed. “Real Love” is a John Lennon composition, completed by the rest of the band with Jeff Lynne after his death for the The Beatles Anthology, and proves that the band had not lost a single step. After those magical opening chords, piano sourced from Lennon’s home demo, the song carries on with the chiming guitars, soaring harmonies, and melodic journeys that recall the best of every era of the band. Lennon sings about love in such a heartfelt, simple way that speaks volumes about its universality. He sings about life’s plans, childhood innocence, and romantic dissatisfaction just to reach the same answer; in the end, it was real love he was waiting for. It’s such a quintessentially Beatles conclusion, but from innocent boy-girl pop stories to psychedelic meditations, they’ve been telling us that all we needed was love from the very beginning. – David Diame

Even in the pantheon of Beatles love songs – a truly long and winding (and wonderful) road – no love song is as pure, as tender, as beautiful, or as heartbreaking as “In My Life.” Lennon’s wistful walk down memory lane is an intimate ode to people and places past and present – to the moments in our lives that fill the world with meaning. It’s gentle, it’s sentimental, it’s nostalgic, and it aches with the weight of life itself. “Though I know I’ll never lose affection for people and things that went before. I know I’ll often stop and think about them; in my life, I love you more.” – Mitch Mosk

I‘ve always felt a special connection to Billy Joel’s Piano Man album – it’s one of the first records I really fell in love with as a kid – and that bond has only grown deeper over the years, especially as I ‘went out into the world’ and made a life for myself in New York. Already one of my favorite love songs, “You’re My Home” will forever be the last song I listened to before I walked down the aisle at my wedding. It’s a heartfelt reminder that ‘home’ isn’t a place – it’s a person, and when you’re in love, you’re always right where you belong – alongside the one you love: “Well, I’ll never be a stranger and I’ll never be alone. Wherever we’re together, that’s my home.” Timeless words, capturing a timeless truth. – Mitch Mosk

I know I’m not alone when I say “this was our song,” but it really is – I walked down the aisle to Blind Pilot’s timeless love song, and I will forever cherish this beautiful song as an ode to togetherness, to expressions of intimacy, and to the warmth and wonder of being in love with someone who knows the real you, the full you, all of you – inside and out, right side up and upside down.

“So Far Away” isn’t the typical love song. It’s about an aspect of love we don’t think we will feel after falling: loneliness. Carole King describes time away and miles between as an emptiness having nothing to do with feeling insecure. She describes a vulnerability we would never know about if we weren’t already feeling so loved in the first place. – Josh Bloom

My wife’s favorite love song; she says it reminds her of me (I have green eyes) and how she feels when we’re together. Coldplay really nailed the simple beauty and comfort of love with this song, channeling all those complex, big, bold, emotions into sweet lines “Honey, you are a rock upon which I stand” and “I came here with a load and it feels so much lighter now I met you” – two things I can intimately relate to, and cherish about my own love story.

Nashville-based Crys Matthews is a stunning folk artist known for being a champion of social justice. Matthews has just collaborated with fiancé Heather Mae on the song “The Good Stuff” off of her latest album Reclamation. The piece is a heartfelt dedication to each other and ode to all the good stuff their partnership brings. Mae is a social justice warrior as well and together they are so powerful, courageously baring their soul. The intimate vulnerability the track exudes is deeply captivating. – Chloe Robinson

“However far away/ I will always love you/ However long I stay/ I will always love you/ Whatever words I say/ I will always love you/ I will always love you,” The Cure sing in their classic “Lovesong.” The iconic guitar riff mixed with a brain altering bassline, captures love at its most raw and purest form – undying. When no matter what you say, what you do, no matter much time you spend apart or where life takes you, you know you will always be in love with that individual. What makes it even more romantic? It was originally written by member Robert Smith as a wedding present for his wife. – Lauren Turner 

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This love song is as nonsensical as it is profound. The instruments engage in dialogue: strings going back and forth, horns butting in, acoustic guitars murmuring amongst themselves. Tillman sings, “I want to take you in the kitchen/lift up the wedding dress someone was probably murdered in.” Reverence and irreverence turn to each other and ask, “What are you doing with your whole life? How about forever?” – Nasim Elyasi

This song gave me language for falling in love long before it ever happened to me. I remember looking out of the window in the backseat of my mom’s car on roadtrips, staring longingly, playing this song on repeat from the family iPod. “I just want you to know who I am,” will always resonate. – Hannah Burns

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Falling in love feels like the apocalypse. It’s the calm before the storm, jumping into the void ignoring how it feels to be in pain. Ignoring all the evil in the world, in order to enjoy even a sliver of happiness. “Wasteland, Baby!” describes just this feeling, the innocence of falling in love without thinking about the possible negative consequences. Quoting one of the most famous monologues in TV series history, “Love is awful. It’s awful. It’s painful. It’s frightening. […] Makes you say and do things you never thought you would do. It’s all any of us want, and it’s hell when we get there. So, no wonder it’s something we don’t want to do on our own.” (Yes, it’s the Hot Priest’s monologue from “Fleabag”). This is exactly “Wasteland, Baby!” is about, by the way. Love is all any of us want, and it’s all the fear and the fire of the end of the world when we get there, but we wouldn’t give it up for anything. – Dimitra Gurduiala

Perhaps the electronic genre isn’t known for love songs, but Illenium’s album Ascend contains one that is striking and dreamy. The lyrics show a person’s love for their partner, claiming that dying in that person’s arms is exactly where they are supposed to be. Feeling safe, being happy, and embracing life with that someone are the lovely things in this track. Filled with guitar, as it is a characteristic of Illenium’s work, it surely is an unusual, yet wonderful, love song, also made special for its collaboration alongside X Ambassadors. – Bárbara Martínez Campuzano

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“This is How You Fall in Love” captures the essence of a heartfelt, slow-dance moment, making it perfect for a wedding. Its bittersweet lyrics and evocative melodies create a beautifully vulnerable atmosphere, embodying both love and heartbreak. The song’s emotional depth and simplicity make it an unforgettable soundtrack to a cherished memory. – Danielle Holian

For all of his explosive guitar wizardry and technical prowess, most would not associate with Jimi Hendrix with the tender, thoughtful, and meditative; in reality, much of his being was spent in that mindset. “May This Be Love” is truly one of his earliest explorations of his soft, romantic side, with the song being a sweet declaration of love to somebody else. They are the “waterfall” in the song; an eternally rushing, endless source of nutrients, which gives the song its central metaphor. In a haze of R&B-like guitar stylings mixed with Mitch Mitchell’s percussive saunter and Noel Redding’s insistent bedrock bass, Hendrix disregards everyone else who dares to tease him, content with the love that he has and the way their relationship’s blossomed. The loveliest thing? Hendrix’s vocals, cooing for his lover to fall with him for a million days, before bursting into a flow-like guitar solo that rushes as elegantly and beautifully as the waterfalls he relies on. The outro of this song is magnificent, and cements the song’s simple grandeur in a way that communicates the power of love. – David Diame

Hmmmm, I’m not so sure what my absolute all-time favorite love song is, but Kendrick Lamar has been on my mind a lot lately, having just caught his recent performance at the Super Bowl and listening to an excess of his music in preparation for said event– including relistening to the DAMN. album all the way through again for the first time in ages. So I’ll give one of my favorite tracks from that 2017 classic a shout-out in this column: “LOVE.,” a duet with a singer named Zacari who completely fell off the map after this song came out, but definitely made his mark with his ode to “sippin’ bubbly, feelin’ lovely, livin’ lovely,” all while the Main Man borrows a bit from 50 Cent & Nate Dogg on “21 Questions” while asking “If I didn’t ride blade on curb, would you still love me? If I minimized my net worth, would you still love me?” Kendrick Lamar is known for being aggressive and outspoken in much of his music, but giving him the space of 3 minutes and 33 seconds to let his more vulnerable and sensitive side come through proves to be a rewarding move as well. Plus, the end result is one of my personal favorite hip-hop love songs. – Josh Weiner

Laufey’s voice itself personifies the feeling of warmth and comfort. The lyrics a poetic expression to the person who has completely enamored Laufey. This song is a beautiful and romantic listen perfect to set the mood of the day! – Jada Moore

A romp through the intense and jarring yet exquisite emotions of new love: thrills, trembling, anticipation, yearning, doubt, despair, and most of all utter foolishness. It’s as close to a pop song as Zeppelin ever got, yet still smashes together different styles, with a half-time shuffle and a samba overlayed playfully on their signature blues-rock. You can’t not smile at this one when the lovesick hero realizes his love hasn’t left him, he’s just a “fool waiting on the wrong block.” – Christine Buckley

There’s good reason The National have graced the pages of this Valentine’s Day playlist twice — the band (and poetic lead singer Matt Berninger) craft some of the finest songs of this century when it comes to the anxieties, fleeting joys and even pressures of love. “Slow Show” spells things out plainly and sweetly, yet never strays from the delicate balance, the tightrope that needs to be walked in love — a balance between desperate longing and allowing your partner to grow into who they are. All the while, everyday anxieties and doubts creep in (when Berninger sings “I leaned on the wall, the wall leaned away,” you feel it viscerally. And the eternal line “You know I dreamed about you/for 29 years before I saw you,” is positively crushing and indeed, life-affirming. – Beau Hayhoe

Matt Berninger is one of the best when it comes to transporting the listener into a specific moment, and throughout “New Order T-Shirt,” he delivers a montage of of many times that he fell in love with his wife Carin. It’s impossible to hold onto every single second that you felt in love, but Berninger implores, “I keep what I can of you.” Whether it’s your partner rubbing the small of your back or drinking a beer and holding a pet, you will remember certain moments forever. – James Crowley

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“Cigarettes and Coffee” might be one of the most timeless love songs ever, with Redding’s raw, soulful voice communicating longing in a way I find almost impossible to replicate. Its simplicity is what makes it so perfect, as though everlasting love is as simple as a cup of coffee, as though choosing joy is enough. He lays it out so plainly that you have no choice but to believe him. – Juls Patterson

What do you do when your whole world is torn asunder? Faced with the collapse of a band he’d known since he was 15, a bearded, bedraggled Paul McCartney was on the verge of a breakdown. Only through his love for Linda Eastman (soon Linda McCartney), ensconced in this searing, plaintive ballad, could the new musical duo spread their Wings. – Aidan Moyer

For someone as partizan as I am to his music, to see Peter Gabriel appear here twice is exhilarating (his cover of The Magnetic Fields’ “The Book of Love” beautiful, the original one of the finest love songs ever conceived). “In Your Eyes” is not another ’80s love song – it might just be the greatest song of all time. It is lyrically resplendent, and glows with the artistic depth that only Peter Gabriel displayed around the release of So. Add Youssou N’Dour’s sparkling backing vocals into the outro, and you have a song as hallowed as ‘a thousand churches’, as fulfilled as vanquished ‘fruitless searches’, as proud as romance ever was. – Frederick Bloy

This song seemingly has a little magic to it, as it is as emotionally consuming as the best kind of love can be. The orchestral backdrop and repetition of both music and lyrics creates the unique juxtaposition of a rich melody with a delicate message: love has existed since the beginning of time, and as illogical and cheesy as it is sometimes, how lucky are we to have found it. – Melanie Lustig

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Love songs can run the whole gamut of emotions—from anguished pleas to infuriated betrayals—but there’s something so comfortable and carefree about “I Want You (Fall 2010)” off of Ratboys’ The Window. Ratboys take the monumentally large feeling and shrinks it into the most specific and personal of vignettes, enlarging its impact. Burning blank CDs, nerding out about favorite bands, going on trips with no destination; being captured in everyday moments illustrate the experience of falling in love so intimately. Its almost puppy love-like disposition is perfectly combined with the jaunt of their power pop melodies, occasionally punctuated by their exploding drums and guitars before blowing up entirely, which make the whole thing so effortlessly casual. It almost feels like Julia Steiner winks when she politely and forwardly asks to “hang out forever, starting now”, combining the incomprehensibly large with the comfortably cheerful in one cozy request. If someone said that to you, it’d be hard not to accept. – David Diame

There’s such levity in this song, and a tenderness that immediately grabs and hooks you in. It’s the epitome of a “going steady” song, if that phrase was still in our general lexicon. Sam Cooke makes romance look (and sound) effortless here, getting launched into the stratosphere with the strength and fervor of love. And those classic doo-wop harmonies really make the heart flutter. – Kendall Graham

They say the one you love should be more than just your lover, but also your best friend. That’s why I really enjoy Sarah Banker’s single “FRIENDS”. Her warm, flirtatious vocals sing, “Let’s be friends/ Let’s be lovers/ Let’s be everything /Between the streets/To under the covers.” She is seeking a romance that is all encompassing and I think that is the type of partnership we should all strive for. – Chloe Robinson

“Turning Page” is a beautiful ode to love and how delicate yet powerful it can be. Filled with utter devotion, this song is a confession that captures just how precious love is. Through a steady piano and soul moving violins, Sleeping At Last mimics yearning and the essence of time moving slowly as the storyteller reminisces on a time before they met their significant other, “Nothing prepared me for/ What the privilege of being yours would do.” But as soon as their worlds collide, the song picks up its pace and the melody captures the whirlwind of raw emotion effortlessly, “Your love is my turning page/ Where only the sweetest words remain/ Every kiss is a cursive line/ Every touch is a redefining phrase.” In short, “Turning Page” makes it feel as if you could hold the fragileness of love in the palm of your hand. – Lauren Turner

The timeless song ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’ by The Smiths and written by Morrissey and Marr, captures the precious existential feeling of falling in love for the first time. This song is immersed in the desire of wanting to transcend the ordinariness of life with another person and the promise this might hold through ‘a light that never goes out.’ The palpable tremor of ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’ revolves around risking one’s emotional self for the possible affirmation of love amidst a night that might transform life and reality itself. – David Buyze

Though Stevie Wonder never explicitly says the word ‘love’ in his song “If It’s Magic,” it is still in my opinion of the most powerful love songs of all time. Stevie’s ability to capture the very essence of love, whether romantically, platonically or otherwise, is truly magnificent. This song is worth a listen this Valentine’s Day. – Noa Jamir

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The already beautiful ballad became reimagined as a Blind B-side – cementing itself as a classic in its own right. Without realization, you’ll be yearning for a past lover, singing, “Wild, wild horses / Couldn’t drag me away.” (Of course, The Rolling Stones’ original is still a classic over a half-century later.) – Marissa DeLeon

Gracing the end credits of their 1988 live/studio album Rattle and Hum, “All I Want Is You” was the last fans heard from U2 before they chopped down The Joshua Tree with 1991’s Achtung Baby. It’s also their most straightforward love song – while tracks like “Drowning Man” and “Sweetest Thing” are often awarded the title, this is one of the only times in their discography when love isn’t bracing itself against past or impending heartbreak. It’s no wonder it sometimes segues into “Where The Streets Have No Name” in live versions — both songs are broken free by their defenselessness. – Emma Schoors

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:: Valentine’s Day 2025 ::