A Look Back at the Most Popular Wedding Songs by Year

Despite countless classics that top the charts, there are several songs that get etched in history as romantic masterpieces. Think back to the first time you heard Aerosmith's "Don't Want to Miss a Thing" or how you felt when Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" first played on the radio. These records not only represent an era of timeless hits, but also sparked a generation of unforgettable wedding music we all know and love. Today, romantic tracks have moved past the formula of soft ballads, and can now be heard in a variety of genres like indie, pop, and more upbeat R&B tunes. Regardless of the song's tempo, though, it's the lyrics that truly make a song memorable and worthy to be played on a couple's special day. Just look at the last 62 years of hits, and you'll find evidence of lyrics of love sprinkled throughout almost every wedding day celebration.

Whether it's for your first dance or a special moment at the reception, there are hundreds of tracks to choose from when selecting a wedding-worthy record. So ahead, here's a list of the top wedding songs—from 1960 to 2022—that will tug at your heartstring and make for an unforgettable night.

2022: "Late Night Talking," by Harry Styles

Lyrics of Love: "We've been doin' all this late night talkin'/'Bout anythin' you want until the mornin'/Now you're in my life/I can't get you off my mind"

2021: "10,000 Hours," by Justin Bieber and Dan + Shay

Lyrics of Love: "I'd spend ten thousand hours and ten thousand more/Oh, if that's what it takes to learn that sweet heart of yours/And I might never get there, but I'm gonna try"

2020: "Conversations in the Dark," by John Legend and Lindsey Stirling

Lyrics of Love: "When no one seems to notice/And your days, they seem so hard/My darling, you should know this/My love is everywhere you are"

2019: "Sucker," by Jonas Brothers

Lyrics of Love: "We go together/Better than birds of a feather, you and me/We change the weather, yeah"

2018: "Speechless," by Dan + Shay

Lyrics of Love: "Starin' at you, standin' there, in that dress/What it's doin' to me, ain't a secret/'Cause watchin' you is all that I can do/And I'm speechless"

2017: "Perfect," by Ed Sheeran

Lyrics of Love: "I found a love for me/Oh darling, just dive right in and follow my lead/Well, I found a girl, beautiful and sweet/Oh, I never knew you were the someone waiting for me"

2016: "Can't Stop the Feeling!," by Justin Timberlake

Lyrics of Love: "Ooh, it's something magical/It's in the air, it's in my blood, it's rushin' on (rushin' on)"

2015: "Sugar," by Maroon 5

Lyrics of Love: "Yeah you show me good loving, make it alright/Need a little sweetness in my life"

2014: "Thinking Out Loud," by Ed Sheeran

Lyrics of Love: "And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70/And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23"

2013: "All of Me," by John Legend

Lyrics of Love: "Cause all of me/Loves all of you/Love your curves and all your edges/All your perfect imperfections"

2012: "Ho Hey," by The Lumineers

Lyrics of Love: "I belong with you, you belong with me/You're my sweetheart"

2011: “A Thousand Years,” by Christina Perri

Lyrics of Love: "I have loved you for a thousand years/I'll love you for a thousand more"

2010: "Just the Way You Are," by Bruno Mars

Lyrics of Love: "When I see your face/There's not a thing that I would change/'Cause you're amazing/Just the way you are"

2009: "I Gotta Feeling," by The Black Eyed Peas

Lyrics of Love: "Tonight's the night (hey), let's live it up (let's live it up)"

2008: "I'm Yours," by Jason Mraz

Lyrics of Love: "But I won't hesitate no more, no more/It cannot wait, I'm yours"

2007: “Everything,” by Michael Bublé

Lyrics of Love: "It's you, it's you, you make me sing/You're every line, you're every word, you're everything"

2006: "For You I Will (Confidence)," by Teddy Geiger

Lyrics of Love: "Oh, I'm gonna muster every ounce of confidence I have/And cannonball into the water/I'm gonna muster every ounce of confidence I have/For you, I will"

2005: "We Belong Together," by Mariah Carey

Lyrics of Love: "When you left I lost a part of me/It’s still so hard to believe/Come back baby, please/Cause we belong together"

2004: "If I Ain't Got You," by Alicia Keys

Lyrics of Love: "Some people want it all/But I don't want nothing at all/If it ain't you, baby"

2003: "Crazy in Love," by Beyoncé and Jay Z

Lyrics of Love: "I look and stare so deep in your eyes/I touch on you more and more every time"

2002: "A Moment Like This," by Kelly Clarkson

Lyrics of Love: "Can't we make this dream last forever?/And I'll cherish all the love we share"

2001: "Hero," by Enrique Iglesias

Lyrics of Love: "I can be your hero, baby/I can kiss away the pain/I will stand by you forever/You can take my very breath away"

2000: "By Your Side," by Sade

Lyrics of Love: "Oh, when you're cold/I'll be there/Hold you tight to me/Oh, when/you're low/I'll be there/By your side, baby"

1999: "Amazed," by Lonestar

Lyrics of Love: "Baby, when you touch me/I can feel how much you love me/And it just blows me away"

1998: "Don't Want to Miss a Thing," by Aerosmith

Lyrics of Love: "I could spend my life in this sweet surrender/I could stay lost in this moment forever/Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure"

1997: "I'll Be," by Edwin McCain

Lyrics of Love: "And tell me that we belong together/And dress it up with the trappings of love"

1996: "Because You Loved Me," by Celine Dion

Lyrics of Love: "You were always there for me/The tender wind that carried me/A light in the dark shining your love into my life"

1995: "Kiss from a Rose," by Seal

Lyrics of Love: "Yes, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the gray/Ooh, the more I get of you, the stranger it feels, yeah"

1994: "Endless Love," by Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey

Lyrics of Love: "I want to share/All my love with you/No one else will do"

1993: "The Power of Love," by Celine Dion

Lyrics of Love: "Lost is how I'm feeling lying in your arms/When the world outside's too much to take/That all ends when I'm with you"

1992: "I Will Always Love You," by Whitney Houston

Lyrics of Love: "Darling, I love you/I'll always love you"

1991: "Save the Best for Last," by Vanessa Williams

Lyrics of Love: "And now we're standing face to face/Isn't this world a crazy place?"

1990: "More Than Words," by Extreme

Lyrics of Love: "All you have to do is close your eyes/And just reach out your hands/And touch me/Hold me close don't ever let me go"

1989: "If You Asked Me To," by Patti LaBelle

Lyrics of Love: "To you baby/I need you now/Ask me to and I'll do anything/For you baby"

1988: "Giving You the Best That I Got," by Anita Baker

Lyrics of Love: "I hope you see that you can lean on me/And together we can calm a stormy sea"

1987: "(I've Had) The Time of My Life," by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes

Lyrics of Love: "I've been waiting for so long/Now I've finally found someone"

1986: "Greatest Love of All," by Whitney Houston

Lyrics of Love: "Because the greatest love of all/Is happening to me"

1985: "You Are My Lady," by Freddie Jackson

Lyrics of Love: "Everything I need and more/You are my lady/You're all I'm living for/You are my lady (my love)/You're everything I need/You are my lady/You're all I'm living for"

1984: "I Want to Know What Love Is," by Foreigner

Lyrics of Love: "I wanna know what love is/I want you to show me/I wanna feel what love is/I know you can show me"

1983: "Stuck on You," by Lionel Richie

Lyrics of Love: "I'm stuck on you/I've got this feeling down deep in my soul that I just can't lose"

1982: "Up Where We Belong," by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes

Lyrics of Love: "Love lifts us up where we belong/Far from the world below/Up where the clear winds blow"

1981: "Endless Love," by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross

Lyrics of Love: "Two hearts/Two hearts that beat as one/Our lives have just begun"

1980: “The Biggest Part of Me,” by Ambrosia

Lyrics of Love: "You changed my life/You made it bright/And I'll be a savior to you/For the rest of my life"

1979: "You're the Only One," by Dolly Parton

Lyrics of Love: "You're the only one darlin'/They'll never be anyone else but you/I love you so much/You are my love, you've become my life"

1978: "Three Times a Lady," by Commodores

Lyrics of Love: "When we are together, the moments I cherish/With every beat of my heart/To touch you, to hold you, to feel you, to need you/There's nothing to keep us apart"

1977: "Wonderful Tonight," by Eric Clapton

Lyrics of Love: "I feel wonderful/Because I see the love light in your eyes/And the wonder of it all/Is that you just don't realize how much I love you"

1976: "Always and Forever," by Heatwave

Lyrics of Love: "Always and forever/Each moment with you/Is just like a dream to me/That somehow came true, yeah"

1975: "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)," by Natalie Cole

Lyrics of Love: "Loving you is some kind of wonderful/Because you showed me just how much you care"

1974: "You Are So Beautiful," by Joe Cocker

Lyrics of Love: "You're everything I hoped for/You're everything I need/You are so beautiful/To me"

1973: "Just You 'n' Me," by Chicago

Lyrics of Love: "Just you and me/Simple and free/Baby you're everything I've ever dreamed of"

1972: "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," by Stevie Wonder

Lyrics of Love: "You are the sunshine of my life/That's why I'll always stay around/You are the apple of my eye/Forever you'll stay in my heart"

1971: "I Feel the Earth Move," by Carole King

Lyrics of Love: "I feel the earth/Move/Under my feet/I feel the sky tumbling down/I feel my heart start to trembling/Whenever (you're around)"

1970: "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)," by Stevie Wonder

Lyrics of Love: "Ooh baby, here I am/Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours"

1969: "The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face," by Roberta Flack

Lyrics of Love: "The first time ever I saw your face/I thought the sun rose in your eyes"

1968: "You're All I Need to Get By," by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

Lyrics of Love: "You're all I need to get by/Like the sweet morning dew, I took one look at you/And it was plain to see/You were my destiny"

1967: "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

Lyrics of Love: "You're just too good to be true/Can't take my eyes off of you/You'd be like Heaven to touch/I wanna hold you so much"

1966: "When a Man Loves a Woman," by Percy Sledge

Lyrics of Love: "When a man loves a woman/Can't keep his mind on nothin' else/He'd trade the world/For the good thing he's found"

1965: "Unchained Melody," by The Righteous Brothers

Lyrics of Love: "Woah, my love, my darling/I've hungered for your touch/A long, lonely time"

1964: "Be My Baby," by The Ronettes

Lyrics of Love: "I'll make you happy, baby, just wait and see/For every kiss you give me, I'll give you three"

1963: "Do You Want to Know a Secret," by The Beatles

Lyrics of Love: "You'll never know how much I really love you/You'll never know how much I really care"

1962: "Bring It on Home to Me," by Sam Cooke

Lyrics of Love: "Baby, bring it to me/Bring your sweet loving/Bring it on home to me"

1961: "Can't Help Falling in Love," by Elvis Presley

Lyrics of Love: "Take my hand/Take my whole life too/For I can't help falling in love with you"

1960: "At Last," by Etta James

Lyrics of Love: "At last/My love has come along/My lonely days are over/And life is like a song"