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Songs About Love at First Sight is a list of special songs about people falling in love at first site that includes songs from all decades. It has been known to happen. Love at first sight when two people meet each other is one of those moments that feel magical. Movies are written about it, poetry and songs are written about it, and so are stage plays. William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet simply didn’t earn its popularity because a brilliant writer created the story. It became his most popular piece because it was a classic love at first sight tale that ended in tragedy.

The feeling of one person unable to go on without the other is profound and history is loaded with tales of couples becoming so inseparable they seemed to have taken the “death do us part” just as seriously as the rest of the wedding vows. Heartbreaks are real and they do happen. For people that have experienced love at first sight and made good on that experience as a couple, it is rare for them to fall out of love for as long as they take the commitment to each other seriously enough. Falling in love is the easy part while staying in love is another matter.

Among couples that mutually experienced love at first sight and recognized it for what it is, their success rate to spend the rest of their lives together has a history trail of standing the test of time longer than any other romantic relationship there is. Love at first sight, according to Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” love is a second-hand emotion. Love at first sight among people who know better will not agree with that line. For them, love at first sight went from myth to reality the moment they experienced this for themselves.

Sometimes, love at first sight happens to just one person while the individual they fell in love with doesn’t seem to share the same feeling. This isn’t uncommon either. Sometimes, the love interest will come around, perhaps realizing it was love at first sight for them too but failed to see it at first. It also isn’t uncommon for a person to run away from the love-at-first-sight scenario as they’re taken too off-guard to understand what they’re dealing with.

History has also demonstrated one-sided love stories that has one person so deeply infected with the love at first sight condition face incredible heartache when it’s realized that same powerful feeling isn’t shared at all by the person whom they fell in love with. Most of the time they learn to deal with it and move on while there has been the odd occasion of incidents taking place that share the same tragic ending as Shakespeare’s most popular love story.

Love at first sight makes great songwriting material and is among the most popular subjects to tell a story about. Scores of musical artists have recorded and released some of the best hit singles ever to grace the Billboard charts, as well as clutter up the jukebox. Most weddings will have that special love song a newlywed couple will dance to in a manner that will shed tears of joy for all who get caught up in the moment. As awesome as it is to dance to a power ballad that best describes what love at first sight is like, there are also some faster, heavier hitting love songs that rightfully deserve a place as some of the best love songs ever performed. Most of these have been listed in chronological order.

1950s & 1960s Songs About Love at First Sight

#1 – Sea of Love

In 1959, Phil Phillips released the first recording of “Sea of Love” as a romantic R&B single of a man reminiscing with his love interest how they met and knew they were meant for each other at first sight. On the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, “Sea of Love” peaked at number one. It was a number two hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and later became a certified gold hit by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The popularity of this song was covered at least a few times over. Marty Wilde turned it into a number three hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1959, followed by a moderate chart success release by Del Shannon in 1981. In 1984, Robert Plant and his group, The Honeydrippers, performed what most fans will consider is the best version of “Sea of Love” overall. On the American and Canadian adult contemporary charts, their cover of this single peaked at number one.

It was a number three hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and a number five hit on Australia’s Kent Music Report. In the UK, “Sea of Love” charted at number fifty-six. With the original from Phillips, “Sea of Love” is a smooth R&B classic. With the version from The Honeydrippers, it’s almost a beach-style version of what love at first sight feels like.

# 2 – Book of Love

“Book of Love” was a doo-wop rock song that was recorded by the Monotones in 1957, then released later in the year by a small record company that couldn’t cope with its popularity. As a result, it was reissued via Chess Records’ subsidiary label, Argo, in 1958. It became a number five hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and a number three hit on the US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It was also popular enough to peak at number five in Australia. The song itself challenged what are the official ground rules when it comes to love, especially when it’s at first sight. This popular song inspired a series of artists to record their own versions, including the rock revival group, Sha Na Na, as they performed it at the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival.

# 3 – The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face

“The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” started off as a 1957 folk song that was written by Ewan MacColl as a real-life experience of falling in love at first sight with Peggy Seeger, who became the singer of this song. At the time, he was still married to his second wife but became so smitten with Seeger, as well as she with him, that she became his third wife after he divorced. Ever since this powerful ballad was first recorded, it has been covered by a number of folk singers throughout the 1960s.

Then, 1972 and Roberta Flack catapulted “The First Time I Ever Saw You Face” into an international hit that topped several music charts, including the US Billboard Hot 100, the US Billboard Adult Contemporary, and the Canada RPM Top Singles chart. It also became a number one hit in Australia and was at least a top twenty hit among the nations of the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK. Roberta Flack earned a 1973 Grammy Award for Record of the Year, as well as Song of the Year. This breathtaking ballad has never been performed as powerfully as Roberta Flack’s version, which she actually recorded in 1969. It wasn’t used until 1971’s Clint Eastwood film, Play Misty for Me. Flack’s slow and sensual version beautifully highlighted the love scene between Eastwood’s character and his co-star, Donna Mills.

# 4 – I Only Have Eyes for You

Originally recorded in 1934, “I Only Have Eyes for You” realized its peak popularity when The Flamingos released it as a single in 1959. Recorded as a doo-wop adaptation in 1958, it peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and at number eleven on the US Billboard Hot 100. As far as the music industry is concerned, this was a genre-defining hit that remains as a frequently used song in many movie and television productions. The love at first sight is defined at is best through “I Only Have Eyes for You.” If there was ever that one song that not only does its magic as a love at first song but as a loving trip down memory lane, “I Only Have Eyes for You” would be it.

# 5 – Unchained Melody

In 1965, the Righteous Brothers recorded and released one of the most beloved love at first sight ballads, “Unchained Melody.” It is rare for such a song to dive into the depths of how powerful the butterfly feeling gets simply by one person hungering for their love interest’s touch. In the 1990 movie, Ghost, “Unchained Melody” was played during the love scene between the two star characters before they were separated by tragedy.

To this day, “Unchained Melody” remains as one of the favorite wedding and anniversary songs that is played by fans that seem to have fallen in love with it at first sight. Technically, “Unchained Melody” was the theme music for the 1955 motion picture, Unchained. Todd Duncan was the original vocalist behind this beautiful ballad but it was the Righteous Brothers that made it become a cult favorite. This song has been recorded by hundreds of artists and in multiple languages since it was first released. However, it is the version by the Righteous Brothers that has served as the jukebox standard and is the most recognized.

Their recording of “Unchained Melody” became a number four hit on the US Billboard in 1994, then a number thirteen hit on the same chart in 1990, thanks to the resurged popularity from Ghost. 1990’s chart performance of “Unchained Melody” saw it become a number one hit among many nations around the globe including Australia, Austria, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the UK. Among the nations of Australia, Japan, the UK, and the USA, it also became certified platinum. It was certified gold in Austria, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

# 6 – I Saw Her Standing There

1963’s “I Saw Her Standing There” by the Beatles was the opening track from their debut albums, Please Please Me in the UK and Introducing… The Beatles in the US. This was one of the two big singles that blew the minds away of young fans, especially the girls. The fast-paced declaration of love at first sight, simply by seeing that special girl for the first time, caused many to swoon over the song and the group.

On the US Billboard Hot 100, “I Saw Her Standing There” peaked as high as number fourteen. It was the “B” side song to the record that had “I Want to Hold Your Hand” on the “A” side. When the Beatles began their British Wave run, it was love at first sight by the fans. Paul McCartney’s declaration of a seventeen year old teen falling head over heels for that special someone who also did the same with him remains as an all-time favorite among romantics that know some of the best love songs doesn’t always have to be a ballad.

# 7 – Something

“Something” was a romantic 1969 ballad written by George Harrison as a love song to his first wife, Pattie Boyd. Through it, the expression of falling for someone at first sight, was brilliantly performed by George Harrison with harmonies by Paul McCartney through their vocals as they voiced the very feeling the narrator had each time he encountered his love interest after he first met her.

On the US Billboard Hot 100, “Something” became a number one hit and became a double-platinum seller with the RIAA, as well as silver with the UK’s British Phonographic Industry (BPI). It also topped the music charts belonging to Australia, Canada, Germany, and New Zealand. In the UK, “Something” peaked at number four. In 1969, “Something” earned the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. Since its original release in 1969, the inspiration behind this love song gave several other artists cause to cover it for their own albums. These artists include Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, James Brown, and Smokey Robinson, just to name a few.

# 8 – Pretty Woman

In 1964, Roy Orbison sang about a “Pretty Woman” that caught his eye while walking on the street. For him, it was love at sight, hoping as he’s addressing her in the song to win her over. It spent three weeks at the top spot of the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as on the UK Singles Chart. It was also certified gold by the UK’s BPI and the USA’s RIAA. Van Halen’s 1982 version saw an edgier version to Orbison’s original that became a number one hit on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

The 1990 movie, Pretty Woman, as well as the 2018 Broadway musical, used “Pretty Woman” classic by Orbison. In 1991, he posthumously won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his live recording that was titled “Oh Pretty Woman.” As of May 14, 2008, this song has been selected for National Recording Registry’s preservation collection by the Library of Congress.

# 9 – This Magic Moment

On the US Billboard Hot 100, “This Magic Moment” peaked at number sixteen after it was first released by Ben E. King and The Drifters in 1960. Eight years later, Jay and the Americans take this love at first sight single to the height of its success with their performance. On the US Billboard Hot 100 it peaked at number six and it was a number one hit in Canada.

Their version also saw “This Magic Moment” peak at number eleven on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, as well as earn a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In this lyrical story, the magical love at first sight moment came after the couple shared their first kiss as the two realized they were about to embark on a new journey together the narrator hoped will last forever. While the 1960 version is the smoothest for that romantic first couples’ dance, the 1968 version is somewhat jazzier, literally.

# 10 – God Only Knows

From the 1966 album, Pet Sounds, “God Only Knows” was a love at first sight single performed by the Beach Boys that used the innovation of pop-style harmony to express itself for what it was designed to be. This beach-style love song perfectly laid out how the love at first sight feeling is so profound that logic sometimes goes out the window as the need to be, and stay, together becomes top priority.

In 2004, “God Only Knows” was included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll. At the time “God Only Knows” was released, it became a number thirty-nine hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was a top ten hit among the nations of Canada, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, and the UK. There have been additional versions of “God Only Knows” as this inspirational love story saw chart appearances again with The Vogues’ 1970 cover, Marilyn Scott’s 1977 version, and the BBC version in 2014.

# 11- Be My Baby

“Be My Baby” was a smash hit by the Ronettes that made its debut during the summer of 1963. As a love at first sight song, this became an instant favorite among the fans, and still holds the test of time as a favorite love song loved by music fans of all ages. Since its 1963 release,”Be My Baby” has inspired a flurry of artists to record versions of this song for their own albums. On the US Billboard Hot 100,

“Be My Baby” peaked at number two and was regarded as one of the best songs of the 1960s by publications like Time Magazine. In 1999, “Be My Baby” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, followed by a 2006 registry by the Library of Congress to the United States National Recording Industry. Despite the multitude of recorded versions performed by other artists, the version from the Ronettes remains as the all-time cult favorite. The love at first sight feeling was at its best as the narrator expressed her feelings to her loved one, hoping he will cave into the embrace of a romance that promised to be epic.

1970s, 1980s, and 1990s Songs About Love at First Sight

# 12 – Isn’t She Lovely

In 1976, Stevie Wonder released the hit single, “Isn’t She Lovely” from his album, Songs in the Key of Life. The celebration revolved around his daughter, Aisha. Love at first sight isn’t always about a couple connecting as with the butterflies overtaking the stomach. Sometimes, love at first sight comes from a parent seeing their child for the first time. Upon the release of “Isn’t She Lovely,” it became a number twenty-three hit on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and has since become a jazz and pop standard that has been covered by many artists.

# 13 – Love Hangover

Motown’s darling, Diana Ross, experienced a 1975 “Love Hangover” as she expressed her love at first sight experience and the decision to not seek a cure for it. The single was released in 1976 and became a number one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and on the US Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart. This sensual approach to soft disco made it, as well as Diana Ross, a solid favorite that earned her the role as a disco diva.

# 14 – I Will Always Love You

“I Will Always Love You” was a 1973 powerful ballad of love by Dolly Parton. Although the tale of the song saw a relationship having to come to an end due to circumstance, the declaration of love by Dolly Parton as the narrator admitted she fell for her special someone at first sight. The sad realization the romance must come to an end was a heartbreaking performance was also covered in 1992 by Whitney Houston for the movie, The Bodyguard.

Both of these versions became a number one hit for the artists. For Dolly Parton, it peaked the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart not once but twice. Houston’s version topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and set a record at the time as the best-selling single of all time. “I Will Always Love You” remains as one of the favorite songs to cover by a number of artists that are in agreement this is a love at first sight classic. “I Will Always Love You” won several music awards, including the 1994 Grammy for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for Houston’s version. In 2020, “I Will Always Love You” was registered for preservation by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.

# 15 – Love at First Sight

In 1988, Kylie Minogue recorded the song, “Love at First Sight” for her self-titled album. It is not the same as her 2002 version as the content and the lyrics are different from each other. It does, however, still address the issue of falling for someone at first sight. In 2001, a jazz version by Michael Buble sparked a hint of new life to this song for the 2001 comedy film, Totally Blonde. The celebration of love at first sight by Minogue approached this topic with a playful, bubblegum-style that’s often shared by the young and the young-at-heart.

# 16 – Never Tear Us Apart

In 1988, “Never Tear Us Apart” from INXS was a single that stemmed from the group’s sixth studio album, Kick. Rich with orchestral-style instrumental as the narrator sang about his love at first sight experience, he also expressed the determination to stay with his loved one no matter what. Bluesy with rock and jazz fusion, “Never Tear Us Apart” was, and still is, a great love song of a couple that not only takes love at first sight seriously but how they intend to keep the love alive by staying true to each other.

On the US Billboard Hot 100, “Never Tear Us Apart” peaked as high as number seven and was at least a top forty hit among the nations of Australia, Belgium, Canada, and the Netherlands. Since its release, there have been a number of cover versions that have been recorded by a number of artists, a few of them also earning chart success, namely for Tom Jones and his 1999 version and Paloma Faith’s 2012 version.

# 17 – Crazy for You

From Madonna’s 1985 album, Vision Quest, “Crazy for You” was a single that featured her singing her heart out to her love interest how crazy she is for someone whom she first met as a stranger. The innuendos suggested that spark between a couple as they’re about to take their relationship to the next level lyrically come through loud and clear with this single.

It became a number one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, as well as on the UK Singles Chart, and in Australia and Canada. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it was a number six hit. Globally, “Crazy for You” was, and still is, a very popular love song that deservedly gave Madonna several accolades, as well as her first Grammy Award nomination Best Female Pop Vocal Performance but that win went to Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love for You.”

# 18 – The Lady in Red

Released in 1986, Chris de Burgh’s “The Lady in Red” was a song that made reference to his wife, Diane. From the album, Into the Light, this served as a memory song from de Burgh that portrayed what the love of his life wore when he first met her. Even his own wife admitted how impressed she was he’d remember such a detail as men normally don’t make a habit of remembering what their wives wore the day they met. On the US Billboard Hot 100, “The Lady in Red” became a number three hit and it was a number two hit on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary Songs chart. In the UK, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Norway, and South Africa, it was a number one hit. It was a perfect song for romantics that still has a loyal fan following today.

# 19 – Hit

In 1991, The Sugarcubes’ Bjork admitted her love at first sight moment was an accidental fall for someone that seemed to “Hit” her out of the blue. This lyrical admittance of love dished out a bit of anguish from the narrator as it was not her intent to fall in love, especially not at first sight. “Hit” was released at the end of 1991 as the lead single from the group’s album, Stick Around for Joy. In 1992, it peaked on the US Billboard Modern Tracks chart at number one and was a number seventeen hit on the UK Singles Chart.

# 20 – I Like It, I Love It

Tim McGraw’s “I Like It, I Love It” was all about making good use out of his love at first sight moment by going all-out for his love interest. Released during the summer of 1995 from his album, All I Want, not only did this single top the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and the RPM Canadian Country Tracks chart but it also peaked at number twenty-five on the US Billboard Hot 100 as a crossover hit. This rockabilly tale of McGraw’s experience as a young man head over heels in love for the first time remains as a solid favorite among music fans that couldn’t care less what genre “I Like It, I Love It” technically belongs to as they seem to love it too much.

# 21 – Love at First Sight

In 1991, Styx’s “Love at First Sight” was the third single released from their 1990 album, Edge of the Century. It served as the final top forty hit for the group at it peaked at number twenty five on the US Billboard Hot 100. On the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart it peaked at number thirteen. On the RPM Canadian Singles Chart, “Love at First Sight” climbed as high as number twenty. When Styx shared the love at first sight feeling, it began with the eyes locking for the first time, stirring up a passion the two felt strongly enough to make the most of this golden opportunity.

# 22 – I Knew I Loved You

“I Knew I Loved You” was a 1999 hit single brought forth by Savage Garden which seemed to become iconic at a record pace among the hearts of fans who fell for the love at first sight theme. The brilliance of this powerful ballad made the suggestion the love interest must have been dreamt into life was that one line that perfectly illustrated what causes the love at first sight experience to happen. It’s not always about looks but how that one split moment between kindred souls can make an impression that will last a lifetime.

When capitalized on it and treated with the respect it deserves, that love at first sight moment becomes the starting point of true love that only grows stronger for as long as the couple works together to make what they know is beautiful last a lifetime. From the 1999 album, Affirmation, “I Knew I Loved You” became a number one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and on the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40.

Globally, it was also a number one hit in Canada and Romania, and a top ten hit in Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the UK. As a seller, “I Knew I Loved You’ became certified silver in the UK, gold in the US, and platinum in Australia and Sweden.

# 23 – Vision of Love

Mariah Carey’s “Vision of Love” was a powerful ballad brilliantly sung out by a narrator that seemed giddy with love. Although the song focused on the power of love shared between herself and the love interest, she also admitted she knew she’d see love when she first saw it. In the case of “Vision of Love,” she did. The power behind this ballad earned Carey a 1991 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, as well as Best Female R&B/Soul Singer from the 1991 Soul Train Music Awards.

It was a number one hit the US Billboard Hot 100, the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and among the nations of Canada and New Zealand. Otherwise, it was a top ten hit on the official music charts belonging to Australia, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the UK. “Vision of Love” also became certified platinum by the RIAA and certified gold in Australia and New Zealand.

21st Century Songs About Love at First Sight

# 24 – Love @ 1st Sight

Together, Mary J. Blige and Method Man shared this R&B meets pop and rap version of what love at first sight was like through “Love @ 1st Sight” as a single. This song was built around the 1992 sample of “Hot Sex” by A Tribe Called Quest. In the song, Blige’s narration wondered about her attraction to a stranger she fell for on sight. On the US Billboard Hot 100, “Love @ 1st Sight” became a number twenty-two hit while on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart it peaked at number ten. Globally, it was a top forty hit that still remains as a dance club favorite, especially among those that specialize in retro hits.

# 25 – Love at First Sight

2002’s “Love at First Sight” has no relation to Kylie Minogue’s 1988 “Love at First Sight.” The 2002 version is designed as a dance-pop tale of falling n love at first site as a belief that deserves its merit. From her 2001 album, Fever, became a number one hit on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart, as well as on the music charts belonging to the nations of Australia, Belgium, and Greece. On the US Billboard Hot 100 it peaked at number twenty-three. “Love at First Sight” earned Minogue her first Grammy Award nomination, namely for Best Dance Recording, but that win went to Days Go By by Dirty Vegas.

# 26 – Love Me like You Do

2015’s “Love Me like You Do” by Ellie Goulding came from the soundtrack, Fifty Shades of Grey. It is also on her third studio album, Delirium. This electro-pop power ballad dealt with the uncontrollable sensation of falling in love at such a level that it can become a painful experience. The common cliche suggesting love is blind definitely applies here as love purposely overlooked a situation most people consider unhealthy.

The impact of “Love Me like You Do” earned a pair of Grammy Award nominations, namely for Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Song Written for Visual Media. Although it didn’t earn any wins, the real success story was in the Billboard charts as it was a number one hit among the nations of Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.

It was also a number one hit on the US Billboard Adult Top 40, the US Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay, and the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 charts. On the US Billboard Hot 100, “Love Me like You Do” peaked at number three. On a commercial level, this single became multi-platinum among fourteen nations, including the RIAA, and has so far sold nearly thirteen million copies and downloads worldwide.

# 27 – Say You Won’t Let Go

On September 9, 2016, “Say You Won’t Let Go” was a digital download single performed by James Arthur. His incredibly fragile plea to his love interest, whom he fell for at first sight, to not let go of what they have together was so powerful that it topped a number of official music charts at a global level. On the US Billboard Adult Top 40, it peaked at number one and did the same on the UK Singles Chart. Australia, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, and Sweden all saw “Say You Won’t Let Go” reach the top of their respective charts. In addition to achieving global success on the charts, it also became a multi-platinum seller among the nations of Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the US.

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