Amapiano might have a chokehold on South Africans’ hearts for the rest of the year, but when it comes to Valentine’s Day, it’s the classics that are getting us all choked up!
Data shared by streaming giant Spotify ahead of Valentine’s Day shows that South Africans are adding iconic love songs by artists like John Legend, Ed Sheeran, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey to their playlists to express their feelings. Their tastes also don’t differ much from global favourites, with many of these same artists featuring in the global top 10 love songs added to playlists going into Valentine’s Day.
Legend’s emotional All of Me is the most added love song both in South Africa and globally. British pop star Sheeran occupies two spots among South Africa’s favourite love songs with Perfect and Thinking Out Loud, which is no surprise given that globally, he occupies the top artist spot when it comes to love songs.
Soundtracks to romantic movies also feature strongly among South Africa’s most playlisted love songs- with Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You, featured in The Bodyguard, Bryan Adams’ Everything I do (I do it for You) from the 1991 movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Christina Perri’s Twilight theme song, A Thousand Years, all ranking in the top 10 most playlisted tracks.
A number of South Africa’s favourite love songs are also deeply nostalgic with half of the top ten songs being more than 20 years old. Houston’s version of I Will Always Love You was released in 1992, although the original, by Dolly Parton, dates back to the 70s. Mariah Carey’s Always be My Baby is 28 years old, while Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You, turns 20 this year. The oldest song however is the Elvis Presley classic, Can’t Help Falling in Love, which was released in 1961 and is enjoying a resurgence due to the recent release of a biopic of his life.
The list of artists that South Africans are adding to their playlists has a bit more current appeal- with recent Grammy winners Beyonce and Taylor Swift and this year’s Super Bowl halftime artist, Rihanna all ranking in the top 10. And it seems when it comes to love – women say it best as six of South Africa’s 10 most playlisted artists are women.
And while there are no South African artists ranking in the top 10, Spotify EQUAL alumni Elaine is tugging on South Africans’ heartstrings. Her track You’re The One, is the literal one, as the top ranked South African love song.
See below for the full lists of most playlisted love songs on Spotify both in South Africa and globally.
The ten most playlisted songs on Spotify in South Africa are:
¦ All of me – John Legend
¦ Perfect – Ed Sheeran
¦ Thinking out loud – Ed Sheran
¦ I will always love you – Whitney Houston
¦ If I ain’t got you – Alicia Keys
¦ Just the way you are – Bruno Mars
¦ Everything I do (I do it for you) – Bryan Adams
¦ A thousand years – Christina Perri
¦ Always be my baby – Mariah Carey
¦ Can’t help falling in love with you – Elvis
