The online music service Spotify recently ran a survey to discover people’s favourite songs for creating a romantic atmosphere. The results make for an eclectic top 20 list, which showcases that we all have our own individual tastes when it comes to the romantic mood. Here they are:

1.   Patrick Swayze and Wendy Fraser – ‘She’s Like The Wind’
2.   Marvin Gaye – ‘Sexual Healing’
3.   Ravel – ‘Bolero’
4.   Berlin – ‘Take My Breath Away’
5.   Barry White – ‘You See The Trouble With Me’
6.   Marvin Gaye – ‘Let’s Get It On’
7.   The Righteous Brothers – ‘Unchained Melody’
8.   Celine Dion – ‘My Heart Will Go On’
9.   Serge Gainsbourg – ‘Je T’aime…Moi Non Plus’
10.   Whitney Houston – ‘I Will Always Love You’
11.   Aerosmith – ‘I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’
12.   Kings Of Leon – ‘Sex On Fire’
13.   Mary Martin- ‘The Sound Of Music’
14.   Tchaikovsky – ‘1812 Overture Op.49’
15.   Olivia Newton-John – ‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’
16.   Donna Summer – ‘I Feel Love’
17.   Boyz II Men – ‘I’ll Make Love To You’
18.   Abba – ‘Mamma Mia’
19.   Tom Jones – ‘Sex Bomb’
20.   John Williams – ‘Main Theme From Star Wars – Instrumental’

It struck me, looking through the list, how many songs relate to seminal romantic scenes in popular culture. Here are some reminders for you, along with links to videos in case you fancy a few minutes of romantic, misty-eyed escapism:

• The number one song, ‘She’s Like the Wind’, is of course ever synonymous with Dirty Dancing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU9p1WRfA9w
• ‘Bolero’, for me, will always call to mind Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean dancing on ice at the Olympics to achieve a legendary perfect score. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8obUdxnTlc
• Berlin’s ‘Take My Breath Away’ is the theme song to Top Gun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEOem7U2LPE
• Ghost and that memorable pottery scene – to the music of ‘Unchained Melody’. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXfxUVjHFl0
• Who can think of Titanic without seeing Celine singing ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at the bough of the boat? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saalGKY7ifU
• Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’, that chart-busting sensation, was of course the title track to The Bodyguard. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JWTaaS7LdU
• ‘I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing’ was the theme song to Armageddon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo_0UXRY_rY
• Olivia Newton-John – ‘Hopelessly Devoted To You’, from the classic movie Grease. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W237aCixRj8
• And finally, the Star Wars theme music, whose appearance in the chart I have to confess mystifies me a little! But then listening to this clip, I see the beauty: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFcuT4Nbcb8

I wonder why so many of the films featured here are not current – the 1980s features predominantly. Do they not make films with movie soundtracks as they used to? I also wonder why so many favourite songs have this popular culture link. I think it is because we connect more with music when we’ve been told a story that goes beyond the notes – a compelling, passionate love story. Now someone just needs to invent book soundtracks. I can just imagine how fiery the Burning Embers theme song would be…