70s Love Songs: 30 Classics You Can Play Right Here
The best 70s love songs were written in a decade that let a ballad climb to number one and stay there.
This page collects 30 of them, from 1970 to 1979.
Every song is checked against Billboard chart data, and every one can be played from the table below.
27 of the 30 reached number one on the Hot 100.
Each row carries one verified line of story, not a guess.
How the 30 70s love songs on this list break down by year-end Hot 100 year.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's Billboard year-end data.
30 70s Love Songs, Playable and Sortable
Press Play on any row and the list keeps going, song after song, until you press Stop.
Tap a column heading to sort by song, artist, year or year-end rank.
| Play | #1 Hit | The story | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (They Long to Be) Close to You | The Carpenters | 1970 | 2 | Yes | Richard Chamberlain, Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield cut it first, then the Carpenters took it to number one for four weeks in 1970. | |
| I'll Be There | The Jackson 5 | 1970 | 7 | Yes | Five weeks at number one in 1970, the Jackson 5's fourth straight chart-topper that year. | |
| Make It with You | Bread | 1970 | 13 | Yes | Bread's first Hot 100 entry went straight to number one, for one week in August 1970. | |
| We've Only Just Begun | The Carpenters | 1970 | 65 | No | It began as music for a bank commercial and stopped at number two on the Hot 100. | |
| It's Too Late / I Feel the Earth Move | Carole King | 1971 | 3 | Yes | Five weeks at number one, with breakup lyrics a poet Carole King barely knew wrote in a single day. | |
| Tired of Being Alone | Al Green | 1971 | 12 | No | It reached number 11 in 1971, after four earlier singles from the same album missed the pop chart's upper half. | |
| The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face | Roberta Flack | 1972 | 1 | Yes | Six weeks at number one, the longest unbroken run of 1972. | |
| Let's Stay Together | Al Green | 1972 | 11 | Yes | One week on top of the pop chart and nine on the soul chart, after Al Green argued for two days before he would record it. | |
| Killing Me Softly with His Song | Roberta Flack | 1973 | 3 | Yes | Five non-consecutive weeks at number one made it the longest-running number one of 1973. | |
| Touch Me in the Morning | Diana Ross | 1973 | 10 | Yes | Diana Ross's second solo number one, for one week in August 1973. | |
| Let's Get It On | Marvin Gaye | 1973 | 4 | Yes | It hit number one twice in September 1973, with Helen Reddy in between. | |
| You Are the Sunshine of My Life | Stevie Wonder | 1973 | 19 | Yes | Stevie Wonder recorded it the same summer his marriage to Syreeta Wright ended. | |
| Midnight Train to Georgia | Gladys Knight & the Pips | 1973 | 49 | Yes | It began life as Midnight Plane to Houston, with a one-take vocal, two weeks at number one and a Grammy. | |
| Annie's Song | John Denver | 1974 | 25 | Yes | John Denver wrote it in about ten minutes on an Aspen ski lift, and it spent two weeks at number one. | |
| I Honestly Love You | Olivia Newton-John | 1974 | 97 | Yes | Olivia Newton-John's first number one, for two weeks in October 1974. | |
| Mandy | Barry Manilow | 1975 | 36 | Yes | A little-known 1972 song called Brandy became Barry Manilow's first number one, for one week in January 1975. | |
| Best of My Love | Eagles | 1975 | 13 | Yes | The Eagles' first number one in 1975, a soft country ballad the band and their own label almost buried. | |
| Lovin' You | Minnie Riperton | 1975 | 14 | Yes | Minnie Riperton's one week at number one in April 1975 was the only Top 40 hit of her career. | |
| Kiss and Say Goodbye | The Manhattans | 1976 | 6 | Yes | The Manhattans' first number one, for two weeks in July 1976. | |
| Love Hangover | Diana Ross | 1976 | 15 | Yes | Two weeks at number one, and Diana Ross's second number one of 1976. | |
| If You Leave Me Now | Chicago | 1976 | 48 | Yes | Chicago's first number one, for two weeks in October 1976. | |
| Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born) | Barbra Streisand | 1977 | 4 | Yes | The love theme from A Star Is Born spent three weeks at number one in 1977. | |
| When I Need You | Leo Sayer | 1977 | 24 | Yes | Leo Sayer's second number one of 1977, for one week in May. | |
| I Just Want to Be Your Everything | Andy Gibb | 1977 | 2 | Yes | Andy Gibb's first number one and four weeks on top in 1977. | |
| How Deep Is Your Love | Bee Gees | 1978 | 6 | Yes | The Bee Gees wrote it with Yvonne Elliman in mind, and it reached number one on Christmas Eve 1977. | |
| You Light Up My Life | Debby Boone | 1978 | 3 | Yes | Ten straight weeks at number one starting in October 1977, the longest run of the decade. | |
| Three Times a Lady | Commodores | 1978 | 10 | Yes | The Commodores' first number one, for two weeks in August 1978. | |
| Hopelessly Devoted to You | Olivia Newton-John | 1978 | 35 | No | John Farrar wrote it mid-shoot for Grease, and it peaked at number three and lost the Oscar. | |
| Too Much Heaven | Bee Gees | 1979 | 11 | Yes | It knocked Le Freak off number one for two weeks in January 1979, and the Bee Gees gave all of the proceeds to UNICEF. | |
| Reunited | Peaches & Herb | 1979 | 5 | Yes | Peaches & Herb's first number one, for four straight weeks in May 1979. |
Song titles in gold link to a full story on this site.
Year is the year-end Hot 100 the song appears on, and Year-End Rank is its place on that list.
The #1 Hit column is flagged from the weekly Billboard Hot 100 number ones, not from year-end rank.
Prefer a hands-off listen? Open the same songs on Listen Now and let the jukebox run.
The Short Answer: What Makes a 70s Love Song
A 70s love song is a Billboard Hot 100 hit from 1970 to 1979 whose subject is wanting, keeping or losing someone.
That covers more than slow dances.
It takes in tender soft rock, soul ballads, film themes and a few songs that argue the other side.
The decade's chart rewarded all of them, and 27 of the 30 on this page reached number one.
Here is what the list shows at a glance:
- The earliest song on the list charted in 1970, and the latest reached number one in 1979.
- 1973 has the most songs on the list, with five.
- The longest run at number one belongs to one song: ten straight weeks.
- Three songs missed number one, and each has a story of its own further down.
70s Love Songs Were Not Always Soft
The list holds quiet piano ballads, but it also holds a lover's plea over a rhythm section.
"Let's Get It On" and "Kiss and Say Goodbye" are both love songs in the decade's terms.
One asks for closeness and the other says a hard goodbye.
So the label here follows the lyric's subject, not the tempo.
How These 70s Love Songs Were Chosen
The starting pool came from this site's own song data, not from a critic's mood board.
It holds 1,000 year-end Hot 100 songs for 1970 to 1979, and each one carries a mood tag.
227 of them are tagged romantic and have a YouTube video on record.
From that pool, 30 made the list on three tests:
- The song is a love song in its lyric, not just in its title.
- Its chart facts can be checked against the weekly or year-end Billboard data on this site.
- Its story line can be backed by this site's own Songs pages or by a source named at the bottom of the page.
That is why the list leans toward big chart hits.
A song with a great reputation but no checkable chart record did not make the cut.
Where the Year-End Rank on These 70s Love Songs Comes From
The Year-End Rank column is a position on that year's Billboard year-end list.
It is not the song's weekly peak.
"I Honestly Love You" sits at 97 for 1974, even though it reached number one.
A year-end rank measures a song's whole run on that year's chart, not how high it climbed.
Not sure which of the 30 fits your night? The Mood Song Matcher works from this site's own mood tags.
The Longest Runs at Number One
Staying power at the top is the clearest sign a love song landed.
These eight songs held number one longest among the 30.
| Song | Artist | Weeks at #1 | Year-End List |
|---|---|---|---|
| You Light Up My Life | Debby Boone | 10 | 1978 |
| The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face | Roberta Flack | 6 | 1972 |
| I'll Be There | The Jackson 5 | 5 | 1970 |
| It's Too Late / I Feel the Earth Move | Carole King | 5 | 1971 |
| Killing Me Softly with His Song | Roberta Flack | 5 | 1973 |
| I Just Want to Be Your Everything | Andy Gibb | 4 | 1977 |
| Reunited | Peaches & Herb | 4 | 1979 |
| (They Long to Be) Close to You | The Carpenters | 4 | 1970 |
The eight longest runs at number one on the list, in weeks.
Chart: Music of the 70s, from this site's weekly Billboard Hot 100 data.
Ten Weeks for Debby Boone
"You Light Up My Life" went to number one in October 1977 and stayed for ten straight weeks.
That is the longest run of the whole decade, not just among love songs.
It ranked third on the 1978 year-end list.
It is also on this site's 70s one hit wonders list, since it was Boone's only Top 40 hit.
Roberta Flack Owns Two Slots
Roberta Flack appears twice in the top five longest runs.
"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" held six weeks in 1972, the longest unbroken run of that year.
"Killing Me Softly with His Song" followed with five non-consecutive weeks in 1973.
That five-week total made it the longest-running number one of its year.
First Number Ones: Acts That Broke Through With a Love Song
A love song was often the one that finally put an act on top.
These acts reached number one for the first time with a song on this list:
- The Carpenters, "(They Long to Be) Close to You," 1970.
- Al Green, "Let's Stay Together," 1972.
- Gladys Knight & the Pips, "Midnight Train to Georgia," 1973.
- Olivia Newton-John, "I Honestly Love You," 1974.
- Barry Manilow, "Mandy," 1975.
- The Eagles, "Best of My Love," 1975.
- The Manhattans, "Kiss and Say Goodbye," 1976.
- Chicago, "If You Leave Me Now," 1976.
- Andy Gibb, "I Just Want to Be Your Everything," 1977.
- The Commodores, "Three Times a Lady," 1978.
- Peaches & Herb, "Reunited," 1979.
For several of these acts, the love song became the song they were known for.
The Carpenters, Al Green and the Eagles all have fuller pages here, including Carpenters songs.
Bread and Minnie Riperton Hit the Top Early
Bread reached number one with its first Hot 100 entry, "Make It with You," in August 1970.
Minnie Riperton took "Lovin' You" to number one in April 1975.
It remained the only Top 40 hit of her career.
Love Songs That Stopped Short of Number One
Three songs on the list never topped the Hot 100.
Each one is here because the chart does not tell the whole story.
"We've Only Just Begun" Started as a Bank Ad
Paul Williams and Roger Nichols wrote it in a single afternoon, for a bank commercial.
Richard Carpenter heard it on TV and asked for more.
The Carpenters released it on August 21, 1970, and it stopped at number two.
The full story is on the We've Only Just Begun page.
"Tired of Being Alone" Took Five Tries
Al Green wrote it in about half an hour, the morning after a show in Detroit.
Four other singles from the same album came out first, and none cracked the pop chart's upper half.
When this one reached radio in June 1971, it climbed to number 11.
It also reached number four in Britain.
"Hopelessly Devoted to You" Lost the Oscar
John Farrar wrote it for Sandy in Grease, partway through the shoot.
It peaked at number three on the Hot 100.
It also lost the Oscar.
The Hopelessly Devoted to You page has the rest.
Year by Year: When the Love Songs Landed
Counting the 30 songs by the year-end Hot 100 each one appears on.
| Year-End List | Songs on this list | Reached #1 |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 4 | 3 |
| 1971 | 2 | 1 |
| 1972 | 2 | 2 |
| 1973 | 5 | 5 |
| 1974 | 2 | 2 |
| 1975 | 3 | 3 |
| 1976 | 3 | 3 |
| 1977 | 3 | 3 |
| 1978 | 4 | 3 |
| 1979 | 2 | 2 |
1973 Is the Peak Year
Five songs from 1973 made the list, and every one of them reached number one.
That year gave us "Killing Me Softly with His Song," "Let's Get It On," "Touch Me in the Morning," "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" and "Midnight Train to Georgia."
It was also the year of Stevie Wonder's second number one of the year, after "Superstition."
The Decade Ends on the Bee Gees
"Too Much Heaven" knocked "Le Freak" off the top for two weeks in January 1979.
The Bee Gees gave all of the proceeds to UNICEF.
For the rest of the decade's chart story, start at Music of the 70s, then see the 70s number one hits page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best 70s love songs?
The best 70s love songs on this site's list include The Carpenters' "(They Long to Be) Close to You," Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On," and Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now." All 30 are verified against Billboard chart data and can be played from the table at the top of the page.
What is the number one love song of the 70s?
Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life" had the longest run at number one of any love song on this list. It spent ten straight weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 starting in October 1977, the longest run of the decade. Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is next, with six weeks.
Which 70s love songs were written for someone else?
Several 70s love songs began with another singer or purpose. "How Deep Is Your Love" was written with Yvonne Elliman in mind, not the Bee Gees themselves. "Midnight Train to Georgia" began life as "Midnight Plane to Houston," and "We've Only Just Begun" started as music for a bank commercial before the Carpenters recorded it.
Did every 70s love song on this list reach number one?
No, 27 of the 30 love songs on this list reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun" stopped at number two, Olivia Newton-John's "Hopelessly Devoted to You" peaked at number three, and Al Green's "Tired of Being Alone" reached number 11.
Where can I listen to 70s love songs?
You can play all 30 70s love songs from the table at the top of this page, one after another, with no sign-in. Press Play on any row and the list continues song after song until you press Stop. You can also open the same songs on Listen Now, this site's 70s music player.
Want a surprise from the same decade?
Spin the Random 70s Song Generator and see what comes up.
Related Posts
70s Number One Hits
Every Billboard number one of the decade, from the same chart data as this page.
Read post
Best Songs of the 70s
The decade's greatest records, ranked with the chart data behind each pick.
Read post
70s One Hit Wonders
147 verified acts with one chart hit each, including two of the love songs on this page.
Read postSources
- Billboard Hot 100, Wikipedia, for how the weekly chart used for number one runs works.
- We've Only Just Begun, Wikipedia, for the bank commercial origin and the number two peak.
- Tired of Being Alone, Wikipedia, for the 1971 release and the number 11 peak.
- Hopelessly Devoted to You, Wikipedia, for the number three peak and the Oscar nomination.
- List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 1977, Wikipedia, for the ten-week run of "You Light Up My Life."