Top Ten Love Songs

According to Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye," there's "no love song finer" than when you "can hear a lark somewhere, begin to sing about it."

No larks around this Valentine’s Day? Summon up an equally romantic atmosphere with the 10 loveliest love songs across the decades.

10. "No One," Alicia Keys

Who says they don't write 'em like that anymore? R&B singer-songwriter Alicia Keys released one for the ages as recently as last year. "No One," co-written with the Kerry Brothers, is simplicity itself--although Keys's kind of simplicity depends on a remarkable voice, the nostalgic scratch of sampled vinyl, a backward horn riff, and a brilliant finale.

9. "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)," The Penguins

Arguably rock 'n' roll's first hit love song, "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)" was released in 1954 as the B-side of the Penguins' first single. The doo-wop group's heavenly harmonies make up for slightly silly lyrics such as, "I knew the vision of your love's loveliness," as does Aaron Neville's angelic version from 2003.

8. "I Will Always Love You," Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton was in a deep funk in 1973 when she wrote "I Will Always Love You," her bittersweet goodbye and thank-you letter to her mentor and business partner,  Porter Wagoner. Her single hit the top of Billboard's country chart the following year, and again in 1982 (as part of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" soundtrack). While it's probably best known as a vehicle for Whitney Houston's 1992 vocal gymnastics, Dolly's original version remains the most heart-wrenching.

7. "Let's Face the Music and Dance," Irving Berlin

"There may be trouble ahead," crooned Fred Astaire to Ginger Rogers, amid the Art Deco splendors of the 1936 movie Follow the Fleet, with war looming on the horizon. Irving Berlin's "Let's Face the Music and Dance," remains a poignant celebration of moonlight and music and romance in the face of bad times. Frank Sinatra's and Diana Krall's versions kept hope alive, too.

6. "What the World Needs Now Is Love," Burt Bacharach, Hal David

From Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "What the World Needs Now Is Love" to the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love," the late sixties were filled with love songs that transcended romance and coupledom. The best of these was the Association's "Everything That Touches You," from their 1968 album, "Birthday." Terry Kirkman composed this glorious psychedelic symphony to a girl whose very existence transforms the ground and the air and, you know, everything, into L-O-V-E.

5. "Stand By Me," Ben E. King

Ben E. King's powerful "Stand By Me" was inspired by a 1955 gospel tune of the same title by Mavis Staples. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller gave it a pop makeover for King's 1961 single, which hit Billboard's Top 10 list again in 1986 with the release of the eponymous movie. John Lennon's 1975 cover is an R&B-flavored keeper.

4. "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)," Stevie Wonder

"I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)," the final track on Stevie Wonder's 1972 album, "Talking Book," begins as a prayer and ends as a dance party. Wonder sings it from an interesting perspective: a damaged soul imagines succumbing to someone he's not quite in love with--yet. Art Garfunkel and Michael McDonald didn't milk quite as much hope out of it as Wonder managed to.

3. "Something," George Harrison

Frank Sinatra deemed George Harrison's "Something" to be "the greatest love song ever written." The Beatle may or may not have written the romantic linchpin of 1969's "Abbey Road" for his then-wife, Pattie Boyd (also the pseudonymous subject of the era's other great rock love song, Eric Clapton's "Layla"). In either case, it's as notable for its wistful guitar line as for Harrison's delicious, laid-back melody.