The 5 Most Romantic '70s Songs To Crank Up On Valentine's Day

No matter that Valentine's Day has long since become an excruciatingly over-commercialized affair, sincerity remains to be found. You can opt for the chocolate-and-flowers routine if you'd like, book a dinner at a fancy-schmancy restaurant, or do a lowkey evening at home in pajamas, sure. But no matter what, music will help. And if you want sincerity in a love song, one decade will especially help: the 1970s. While many folks associate the '70s with killer classic rock, it also produced some of the greatest, most romantic love songs ever across all genres of music. 

Quality love songs are harder to write that folks might realize. On one hand, love songs can come across as flippant, trite, or silly trash, like 1975's "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Captain and Tennille. They can also be overly mushy, saccharine, immature, and come across as precisely the opposite of sincere. For the purposes of this article, our '70s love songs are going to avoid either pitfall, meaning no furrow-browed, weepy faces crooning towards the audience or camera (with one semi-exception). We also have to skip songs that skew chiefly adult-themed in lieu of romantic, like 1979's "Ring My Bell" by Anita Ward. Finally, an exceptional love song must first be an exceptional song. This means top-notch, thoughtful songwriting, lyrics suited to the song's message, and a singer that makes the listener believe what's being sung.

On that note, obvious '70s love song choices include the unparalleled "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green and the sumptuously effusive "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton. Other, worthy choices include songs by the Philly Soul outfit, The Stylistics, a hit from Barry White, and the falsetto to end all falsettos: the Bee Gees.

We're not sure that we even need to explain why Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" deserves a place in this article, at least not to anyone who has ears and a pulse. But if you don't have a pulse, then this song will not only give you one, but will resurrect your body and love life on Valentine's Day or anytime. Released in 1972 on Green's album of the same name, "Let's Stay Together" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February, approximately nine months ahead of what we assume was a massive baby boom come November. It's regarded not only as Green's finest work, but one of the finest soul songs ever written and recorded.

Musically, "Let's Stay Together" is a masterpiece. It's built around tried-and-true chord progressions, but in an elegant way that adds seventh and ninth notes of scales for a richer, lusher, unique sound. Take this core song structure, add to it a mellow, groove-able rhythm section and Green's masterfully smooth delivery, and you've got the GOAT of '70s love songs. Lyrically, the repetition of certain words and phrases also drive home the song's message and give it an un-architected, spontaneous feeling. This includes the opening, "I, I'm so in love with you," and, "Lovin' you whether / Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad." 

As Ultimate Classic Rock excellently states, not only did "Let's Stay Together" grant Al Green his own artistic identity, it established a new precedent for soul songs that blended R&B with gospel. That's pretty good for a song that Green wrote in about five minutes, lyrics included, minus later production and arrangement.

Definitely one of this article's lesser known '70s love songs, The Stylistic's "You Make Me Feel Brand New" earns top marks because of its completely radiant, untarnished authenticity. Released on 1974's "Let's Put It All Together," "You Make Me Feel Brand New" hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains The Stylistics' most listened to track on Spotify, at about 94 million listens. 

When we say "You Make Me Feel Brand New" is authentic, we really mean it. The lyrics are exceptionally vulnerable, emotionally intimate, and directly stated, with lines like, "This song is for you, filled with gratitude and love," "Whenever I was insecure / You built me up and made me sure / You gave my pride back to me / Precious friend," and, "How can I repay you for having faith in me?" Honestly, we'll eat our hat if anyone can find lyrics like this nowadays. But because lyrics are just words without music, "You Make Me Feel Brand New" shines on the musical front, as well. The song, from the five-man group of the Stylistics, hinges on Airrion Love's (a prophetic last name) baritone and Russell Thompkins, Jr.'s falsetto. The two switch back and forth from verse to pre-chorus, with the rest of the group joining during the chorus. The result is glittering, magical, and overflowing with romance. 

Folks who listen to "You Make Me Feel Brand New" on Valentine's Day will also be sharing in a slice of '70s Philadelphia Soul, aka Philly Soul, a counterpart of Motown characterized by easy-going music and dense arrangements. This makes Philly Soul the perfect companion for romantic days, evenings, and date nights.

At this point in time, memories and discussions of 1977's "Saturday Night Fever" probably boil down to that one John Travolta dance scene where he admittedly kicks ass and also kicks the air in a midair split. But, "Saturday Night Fever" bore the distinct honor of not only such iconic revelry, but granting us five No. 1 Bee Gees hits. "Stayin' Alive" might get all the attention, especially as an overplayed movie and TV soundtrack song, but it's "How Deep Is Your Love" that stands as one of the finest '70s love songs on Valentine's Day or otherwise.

While the video for "How Deep Is Your Love" comes close to violating our no purse-browed melodrama rule, the song's music is just too good to not be moving. Much of the song's beauty hinges on its descending, then ascending chorus progression. The lyrics "'Cause we're livin' in a world of fools / Breakin' us down" layer atop a descending, somewhat melancholic chord progression that matches the words. Then, the music rises again with, "When they all should let us be / We belong to you," and resolves into something bittersweet — just like the song about two people finding refuge in each other. And of course, there's the Gibb brother's — Barry, Robin, and Maurice — wonderful vocal harmonies.

"How Deep Is Your Love's" more complex, nuanced sentiment might boil down to how it was written, which was different than other Bee Gees tracks. The song was initially written for singer Yvonne Elliman, but the Bee Gees held onto it and then added nuanced touches later on.  

Eric Clapton earns a place in our shortlist of '70s love songs for 1977's "Wonderful Tonight" off the album named after his nickname, "Slowhand." By the time the late '70s rolled around, Clapton had already risen to fame through the Yardbirds and Cream, set off on his own, and demonstrated his characteristic focus on songwriting and singing rather than rampant guitar shredding. "Wonderful Tonight" serves as an exemplar of this style, built around a simple but highly emotive four-note riff, very deliberate instrumental and vocal phrasing, and a tempo and rhythm ideal for slow dances at weddings.  

Unlike the other songs in this list, "Wonderful Tonight" doesn't describe love in abstract terms. Rather, "Wonderful Tonight" speaks its romance through a specific story about a couple getting ready to go out, heading to a party, the man having too much to drink, and the couple heading home. The end of the chorus returns to back-and-forth lines like, "And then she asks me, "Do I look all right?" / And I say, "Yes, you look wonderful tonight." These lyrics, coupled with the absolute perfection of Clapton's clean, voice-like guitar tone, ought to make any listener swoon come Valentine's Day.

As it turns out, the very specific lyrics of the song were based on equally specific, real-life happenings. Clapton wrote "Wonderful Tonight" while was dating English model Pattie Boyd, who happened to take a long time to get ready to go out. One night after getting, Boyd asked Clapton (per Bonhams), "Do I look all right?," and he whipped out his guitar and played "Wonderful Tonight." As The New York Times quotes Boyd, "It was such a simple song but so beautiful and for years it tore at me."

No list of romantic Valentine's Day songs of the '70s could be complete without Barry White. Y'all have heard the man's voice, right? Let's just say that his voice is of a certain register to make certain organs quiver. But in the case of the 1974 song in question, "You're The First, The Last, My Everything" off "Can't Get Enough," the song is less about bedrooms and more about joy. This makes it unique in our list, because romantic love songs tend to be lower-tempo, dreamy, lullaby-like affairs — as we've explored. Not so with "You're The First, The Last, My Everything," which captures the bouncy, giddy glee of just being present, in the moment, with someone you truly adore.

"You're The First, The Last, My Everything" starts out pretty strangely, as the first minute out of about four-and-a-half minutes is one, long, spoken-word intro. But somehow, someway (see our vocal register comment above), White keeps the listener's attention before transitioning to the actual, piano-and-percussion-driven, string-and-harp-textured song. "You're The First, The Last, My Everything" doesn't just float through the clouds over its whole length, it dances and swoops like a songboard soaring on love's currents. And even though the lyrics sound a bit cliché when read on paper – "The first, my last, my everything / And the answer to all my dreams" — White's impassioned delivery makes them believable.

Interestingly enough, White didn't write the original version of "You're The First, The Last, My Everything." The original dated to 1956 and was a country song by Peter Radcliffe. White saw the potential and remade the track into the superb Valentine's Day track that it is.