Some people treat a bedroom playlist like a sacred text. Others throw on whatever algorithmic slow jam wanders into the room and hope for the best. A new survey suggests a lot of Americans still want a soundtrack to sexy time, and many of them are leaning on songs that have been doing this job for years.
According to a Talker Research survey of 2,000 sexually active Americans, commissioned by LELO, 39% said they have a dedicated bedroom playlist.
The survey also found that the media keeps meddling in people’s sex lives in a very direct way. Sixty-eight percent said a sexy song or steamy scene can put them in the mood, 60% of partnered respondents said a sexy movie or TV scene can lead to real-life intimacy, and 45% said explicit songs can do the same. That’s funny, because half of the respondents also said music gives a realistic picture of intimacy, which feels generous considering how many of these tracks were clearly built for fantasy first, logistics second.
There’s also something very comforting about how little the formula has changed. The list mixes old-school seduction staples, obvious wedding slow dances, and songs so blunt they may as well arrive with satin sheets and a dimmer switch. Americans, as ever, contain multitudes. Some want Marvin Gaye. Some want Ginuwine. Some apparently want “Careless Whisper,” sax solo and all.
LELO chief marketing officer Luka Matutinovic told New York Post, “It’s fascinating to see how classic on-screen moments, from the passionate blindfolded food tasting scene of ‘9 1/2 Weeks’ to modern, boundary-pushing shows like ‘Sex Education’ have clearly cemented themselves in the public imagination, helping to form classic portrayals of intimacy.”
He added that these moments “stick with us and serve as an important cultural touchstone for understanding and exploring our desires.” He’s talking about screens there, but the same principle applies to songs people keep dragging into bed year after year. Pop culture gets into your head, then into your playlists, then into your relationship, whether you planned for that or not.
Here are the top 10 songs respondents named for the perfect bedroom playlist
- “Slow” by Jamie Foxx
- “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran
- “Earned It” by The Weeknd
- “Pony” by Ginuwine
- “Birthday Sex” by Jeremih
- “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye
- “Adorn” by Miguel
- “I’ll Make Love to You” by Boyz II Men
- “Bedroom Boom” by Ying Yang Twins featuring Avant
- “Between the Sheets” by Ron Isley
There’s a reason people keep making playlists for sex. They offer a little structure, a little fantasy, and a generous amount of borrowed swagger.
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