Old-school love-makers used to blast Al Green and Barry White between the sheets, but in 2020, sexytime songs have had a pop and R&B makeover.
Curious about the tunes couples like to backtrack their sexcapades to, lingerie brand Pour Moi analysed Spotify data from 300,000 songs on curated playlists designed especially for intimacy and sexual encounters, some of which were called ‘sex playlist’, ‘baby-making’ and ‘shagging’.
In all categories, be it solo sex or couple sex, The Weeknd came out on top. Songs like Earned It, Often and Wicked Games landed in the top 10 songs for seduction, but the most popular song for couples was actually found to be All The Time by Jeremih. Released in 2013, featuring Lil Wayne and Natasha Mosley, the track “is slow, sultry and extremely explicit”, says Pour Moi.
Top 10 songs for couple sex
- All The Time, Jeremih
- Often, The Weeknd
- Earned It, The Weeknd
- Birthday Sex, Jeremih
- Neighbors Know My Name, Trey Songz
- Don’t, Bryson Tiller
- Wicked Games, The Weeknd
- Slow Motion, Trey Songz
- Pony, Ginuwine
- The Hills, The Weeknd and Call Out My Name, The Weeknd (equal)
Artist-wise, it’s no surprise that The Weeknd was found to be the most-played artist during couple encounters. Songs by Abel Tesfaye (his actual name), were nearly twice as likely to appear on a sexy playlist as Trey Songz, the next most-popular artist. Other notable faves included Drake, Usher and female artists Beyoncé and Rihanna.
Top 10 artists for sex
- The Weeknd
- Trey Songz
- Usher
- Drake
- Jeremih
- Rihanna
- Beyoncé
- Miguel
- Two Feet
- PARTYNEXTDOOR
And when it came to single play and solo sex, the formula changed slightly. Sure, artists like The Weeknd and Rihanna were still found as popular backing vocals to masturbation, but the data showed people stretched their tastes a little, perhaps to accommodate their own tastes more. In addition, many of the tracks carried themes about self-love.
Top 10 songs for masturbation
- I Touch Myself, Divinyls
- Sex With Me, Rihanna
- Love Myself, Hailee Steinfeld
- Call Out My Name, The Weeknd and Often, The Weeknd (equal)
- Slow Dancing in the Dark, Joji
- Get You (feat. Kali Uchis), Daniel Caesar
- Earned It, The Weeknd
- Take on Me, a-ha and Everybody Wants To Rule The World, Tears For Fears (equal)
- Under the Bridge, Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Feeling Myself, Nicki Minaj
You can check out the full data breakdown on the Pour Moi site here, plus access curated playlists of top songs for your next session in the sheets.
Want more still? Try our nine-hour-long sex playlist.