Top 30 Love Songs By Grammy Winning Black Music Artists
By Bridget Bland
Posted Feb 11th 2011 5:05PM
R&B singers have put their Midas Touch on an array of love songs. Some sang ‘I Can’t Get Enough of You’ ballads, while others got straight on down to the Nitty Gritty. Some even bid farewell to their only true loved one on wax. There’s a long history of songs that have inspired generations to emulate the lyrics of what the singer is singing.
For Valentine’s Day, we enlisted a brain trust (if you will) to help select and rank love songs that were recorded by the Grammy Awards. BlackVoices.com compiled a mix of old and new.
A true mix of the latest and greatest, here is our ranking of picks Top 30 Love Songs and the Black Grammy Award winners who recorded them. Don’t expect the obvious. You may be surprised who’s #1.
Top 30 Love SongsVarious31 photos Soul singers have put their Midas touch on a variety of love songs. Some sang ‘I Can’t Get Enough of You’ ballads, while others bid farewell to their only true love. In celebration of the Grammy Awards, Black History Month and Valentine’s Day, BlackVoices.com compiled a mix of old and new. Here are our picks for the Top 30 Love Songs and the Grammy winners who sang them.
30. India Arie ‘Brown Skin’
Never afraid to embrace her ethnicity, India Arie decided to sing about all that is beautiful about the rich hue of African Americans. The second single from her 2001 debut ‘Acoustic Soul’ failed to earn a Grammy Award or make noise on the Billboard charts, but with lyrics that compared chocolate perfection to “Hershey’s kiss,” “licorice” and “Almond Joy,” she earned critical acclaim for unabashedly letting the world know that her love lies with black men everywhere – no matter their complexion.
29. Monica — ‘Angel of Mine’
Monica’s cover of ‘Angel of Mine’ was a stark contract from the in-your-face, rugged R&B tracks she was known for. The Atlanta native has had her fair share of “I’ve been wronged” songs, but this one showed a gentler Monica admitting to knowing love at first sight (“when I first saw you I already knew”) and finally discovering that true love exists (“something I thought that I would never find”). The third single from 1998’s ‘The Boy is Mine’ topped the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.
28. Mary J. Blige — ‘Everything’
Though the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul is one of the few modern-day acts who can revitalize an old-school jam with the use of a heavy sample, soul music enthusiasts appreciate her nod to the original version of this song by The Stylistics in the 1970s. This lush mid-tempo ballad, in which Mary J. professes her love to her “king” and “trusted friend,” was crafted by R&B superproducers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and premiered on Blige’s critically acclaimed 1997 ‘Share My World’ opus.
27. Barry White – ‘Ecstasy When You’re Lying Next to Me’
Eighties babies are familiar with Mary J. Blige’s 1994 single ‘You Bring Me Joy,’ but the song is no original. It samples White’s ‘Ecstasy,’ in which the smooth-talking baritone assured his woman, “I got to make sure you don’t get away.” The pop hit from his 1977 album ‘Barry White Sings for Someone You Love’ spent five weeks on top of the R&B singles chart and landed at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
26. Jill Scott – ‘The Way’
Jilly from Philly’s talent lies in her storytelling. This track, cut from her 2000 debut ‘Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1,’ takes listeners through normal rituals such as “cleaning up her place” and making some “toast, two scrambled eggs” before she lets it be known that her man’s loving gets all the credit for her perky demeanor. Most women can relate to the ‘Why Did I Get Married’ star’s telling her girlfriends she can’t hit the club because she has a freaky engagement waiting for her at home. Take a listen
25. Beyonce — ‘Dangerously in Love’
Jay-Z’s other half introduced this song on Destiny’s Child’s 2001 ‘Survivor’ album shortly after meeting her future husband. The ‘Dreamgirls’ star loved the Grammy Award-winning song so much that she named her solo debut after the track. We can speculate that lyrics like “I see myself being your wife” were inspired by Hov, but this ballad can serve as inspiration for any crazy-in-love person.
24. Anita Baker — ‘Sweet Love’
When you finally found a love you’ve been waiting for all of your life, the song to play is Anita Baker’s classic ‘Sweet Love.’ When Baker hits the bridge of her 1986 hit and croons “so sweet, so sweet, so sweet,” we can tell that this Detroit alto knows what love is all about. Mary J. Blige auditioned for her Uptown Records contract singing Baker, and most recently Beyonce reworked the Grammy-winning song in a live medley, along with ‘Beautiful Nightmare’ and ‘Dangerously in Love.’
23. Sade – ‘Sweetest Taboo’
From the start, the percussion highlights that this is a different kind of love song. In this mid-tempo declaration, Sade sings about the early days of romance when “every day is Christmas and every night is New Year’s Eve.” In this 1985 single from Sade’s sophomore LP ‘Promise,’ which was also her second consecutive No. 1 album on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart, the raspy-voiced chanteuse opts for sultry lyrics to declare her love.
22. Marvin Gaye – ‘Just to Keep You Satisfied’
He’s one of the most prolific songwriters and soul singers of our time, and he definitely let down his guard in one of the sexiest breakup records of all-time. ‘Just to Keep You Satisfied’ begins as a loving ode to Gaye’s better half, but the B-side track to this Motown artist’s 1974 hit, ‘You Sure Love to Ball,’ and final single from his 1973 album ‘Let’s Get it On’ quickly evolved into a sweet farewell — complete with “I’ll never love nobody like I loved you baby” and an admission of “it’s too late for you and me.”
