Music is the perfect mood-setter, and no holiday is moodier than Valentine’s Day. Whether you plan on enjoying a night out (or in) with your long-time partner or going out on a limb on a first date (on Valentine’s Day—bold!), music can be the difference between an early night and a nightcap, feeling awkward and feeling good, “God, when will this night ever end?” and “God, I hope it never does.”
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Of course, picking the right music is a delicate balance. While we don’t doubt some people have found ways to make “Cherry Pie” by Warrant romantic in their own special way, some “sexy” songs are so on the nose that it makes you feel bashful. Conversely, some are so subtle that you don’t even pick up on the romantic subtext.
These six intimate, sexy songs are the best of both worlds and are the perfect tracks to set the mood for a Valentine’s Day nightcap.
“Help Me Make It Through the Night” by Kris Kristofferson
If you’re ever curious about how much sexual tension Kris Kristofferson’s wistful country ballad, “Help Me Make It Through the Night”, can produce, just watch this live performance between Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge. Just maybe not at work?
In a true testament to Kristofferson’s skills as a songwriter, he managed to craft a country song that was sexy without being hokey and intimate without being obscene. Moreover, the 1970 track boasts all of the romance but none of the desperate cling. “Yesterday is dead and gone, and tomorrow’s out of sight / It’s sad to be alone, help me make it through the night.”
“Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star
There’s a reason people have been putting Mazzy Star’s 1993 classic, “Fade Into You”, on makeout playlists and mix CDs since, well, 1993. The So Tonight That I Might See track is beautiful and delicate on the surface, but its lyrics pack a big punch. What’s more intimate than telling someone you “want to hold the hand inside you”?
Another Valentine’s Day point in this song’s favor is that it’s a solid five minutes long, which means you’ll have plenty of time to get lost in your date’s eyes—or the ambient instrumentation with Hope Sandoval’s vulnerable, commanding voice, depending on how the date’s going.
“Crazy On You” by Heart
Classic rock can be a tricky genre for finding sexy, intimate Valentine’s Day songs that aren’t incredibly cheesy. Not even Heart is immune to this cheese factor—looking at you, “All I Want to Do Is Make Love to You”. (Though, to Heart’s credit, they didn’t like that one either.)
If you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day playlist addition with a 1970s rock ‘n’ roll vibe, free of overt innuendo and cringey one-liners, “Crazy On You” is a good place to start. What better love song for the 2020s than one that says “people are crazy, the world is crazy, and all we can do about it is love each other.”
“Use Me” by Bill Withers
We’ll entertain the argument that a song by Marvin Gaye might have been the obviously sexier choice when it comes to soul artists of the 1970s. But we’d also counter that there’s something so alluringly self-sacrificing about Bill Withers’ “Use Me” that we couldn’t not put it on this sexy, intimate Valentine’s Day list.
From its funky instrumentation to Withers’ impassioned vocal delivery, he somehow makes a song about someone being bad for you sound like a good thing. We certainly don’t condone the behavior of the woman Withers is singing about, but based on how much he still wants her to “use him up,” we’d say he didn’t really care all that much.
“You Can Leave Your Hat On” by Etta James
“You Can Leave Your Hat On” is a perfect Valentine’s Day nightcap playlist addition, no matter which version you choose, but we’re especially fond of Etta James’ rendition. The song originally appeared on Randy Newman’s 1972 album, Sail Away. Joe Cocker also has a notable version. But how can anyone compete with James’ soul?
One of the best parts about Valentine’s Day is an excuse to lean into hopeless romanticism, even if it’s just in a musical context. Maybe you wouldn’t be so quick to tell a situationship, “You give me reason to live.” But on Valentine’s Day, you’re just celebrating a holiday.
“Crimson and Clover” by Prince
Closing out our list of sexy, intimate Valentine’s Day songs is a track similar to “You Can Leave Your Hat On” in that there are countless versions that all have their own merit. For the sake of a Valentine’s Day nightcap, though, few renditions of “Crimson and Clover” are quite as hot as the one Prince released in 2009 on his triple album Lotusflow3r.
And like “Fade Into You”, this song is such a classic that you and your date will be able to vibe and sing along to it, even if you’re not really feeling “that” way toward them. But if you are, there isn’t a mood-setter in musical history quite like Prince.
Photo by NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
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