How Black Artists Shaped the Modern Love Song and Redefined Romance in Pop Music

As Black History Month meets Valentine’s Day each February, it’s the perfect time to celebrate Black artists whose music continues to define love playlists around the world. Beginning in the 1950s, these songs have molded how generations express and celebrate love.

. 1950s: You Send Me by Sam Cooke

Originally a gospel artist, this was Cooke’s debut song outside of the genre, which went on to pave the way for his success. Coming out in 1957, Cooke incorporated his inspiration and knowledge from gospel music into pop music in a way that the public had not heard before. Replacing Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” at #1 on the Billboard 100, Cooke broke records by being one of the first artists to sit at the top of the Billboard 100 and on top of R&B’s Billboard 100 at the same time, while also introducing the pop world to new sounds and paving the way for soul music to come. Cooke’s “You Send Me” helped begin the shift from more formal romance in love songs to a more vulnerable confession of passion and love. 

. 1960s: My Girl by The Temptations

Released in 1964, The Temptations gained their first #1 hit from this song. Written by Smokey Robinson for the group specifically, he played a huge hand in the success of this song, group, and the Motown sound. With both Smokey and The Temptations being a part of Motown’s record label, the Motown founder himself (Berry Gordy) told Robinson, “You’ve got a smash hit!” and predicted that it would top charts—and that is exactly what it did. Covered by famous artists for decades, this song brought Motown into the pop world successfully and went on to be not only Motown’s first male group to hit #1 but also Motown’s first Grammy nomination. Additionally, it was later inducted into the 1998 Grammy Hall of Fame. Robinson was called “America’s greatest living poet” by Bob Dylan, emphasizing the song’s significance, which is still alive and well today, seeing as My Girl has over one billion streams on Spotify.

. 1970s: Let’s Get It On by Marvin Gaye

Coming out in 1973, “Let’s Get It On” solidified Marvin Gaye’s reputation as the love icon of Motown. Gaye was and is a huge name in romantic music, and in the ’70s, he showed the world what funk music could really be. By combining the sounds of soul and funk, Gaye rose to the top of the charts, sitting at #1 on the pop Billboard 100 for two weeks and soul for eight weeks, but staying on the Billboard charts for over a year. This song had a huge impact on soul and pop music, leading to the transition into a smoother, more seductive sound in love songs. This was the second most successful song of the year and was Motown’s most successful release in the United States ever! Written after he met Janis Hunter, the woman who would go on to be his wife, this song really shows the true power of love in music.

. 1980s: Never Too Much by Luther Vandross

Vandross’ name was alive at the 68th annual Grammy Awards, which just goes to show how impactful his legacy to the music industry really is. Vandross debuted his first solo single, “Never Too Much,” in 1981 and went straight to the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B Billboard 100, where he sat at the top for two weeks. Continuing what Marvin Gaye introduced, Vandross incorporated the sound of funk music into a blended song of R&B, soul, and pop, giving it a unique and alluring sound. This song is ranked #466 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2021, and according to Cher at the 2026 Grammys, “The Grammy goes to Luther Vandross!”

. 1990s: I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston

With truly a once-in-a-lifetime kind of voice, it is no surprise that Whitney Houston makes this list. Although this song was originally Dolly Parton’s, Houston took it and turned it into one of the most iconic power ballads of all time. The first time Parton heard Houston sing her song, she described it as “one of the most overwhelming feelings I have ever had to hear it done so well…she just took it and made it so much more than it would have ever been.” Her reliance on raw passion in her voice made this soulful rendition of the song into a pop hit. Houston made history with this being the best-selling single of all time by a female artist. Sitting on top of the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 consecutive weeks and going on to win two Grammys, there is no denying the impact of her vulnerably powerful presence in the music industry.

2000s: Crazy in Love by Beyoncé ft. Jay-Z

Building on the influence of powerful Black female artists, Beyoncé’s debut solo single marked a turning point for how love songs would go on to be performed and produced. “Crazy in Love” was released in 2003 and sat at the top of the Billboard charts for eight weeks, and helped pave the way for the new sound of pop-R&B music by combining a ’70s soul track with a modern hip-hop production. Through its high energy and unshaken confidence, Beyoncé inspired pop music with an openly amorous expression of romance, which contributed to the redefinition of how women sang and performed songs of passionate romance.

. 2010s: Best Part by Daniel Caesar and H.E.R.

Daniel Caesar and H.E.R., two powerful forces in the R&B scene, brought back the softer sounds of love with the song “Best Part,” released in 2017. This song reached #1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart, which made Caesar the first male artist in history to have his first two commercial singles (“Get You” being the other) take that spot. H.E.R. attributes part of her inspiration to artists like Lauryn Hill, and she used that inspiration to bring a ’90s neo-soul vibe to the vocals, helping to re-popularize past sounds of soul into pop music. “Best Part” romanticizes the small moments in a romantic relationship, making it different from past love songs where lyrics once focused on physical affection and grand gestures.

. 2020s: Kill Bill by SZA

Not all love songs are happy ones, and despite the upbeat sound, this song sings of heartache and vengeance. For everyone spending Valentine’s Day without a partner, this stands as an anthem for a love gone bad. “Kill Bill” was released in 2022 as part of her SOS album and immediately became all the rage. SZA gained her first #1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 and cleared the path for a new trend of chaotic storytelling in love songs. SZA inspired her audience to unpack the complexity of toxic relationships through her honesty in her music, reminding us that even chart-topping artists struggle with real-life emotions like messy breakups.

For hundreds of years in American history, Black Americans have influenced nearly all aspects of this nation’s culture, with music being a huge part of that. Black artists did more than just play a role in the evolution of romantic music; they helped shape the expression of love, identity, and culture, spreading across generations. Today, their influence continues to shape charts and conversations, reminding us that their legacy lives on through the music shared every day. As new artists gain traction, they build on the knowledge and influence of those before them, confirming that Black innovation and inspiration still have a place in the heart of American culture.

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