The 20 Best Songs About Finding New Love, Ranked By Hopeless Romantics

Genre: Jazz-pop

What It’s About: This lighthearted serenade was written about the simplicity of love. Sam Cooke riffs on how, despite all the things he doesn’t know - including history, biology, geography, and algebra - he's still certain he’s in love. 

He co-wrote the song with hitmakers Herb Alpert and Lou Adler, but when they released it in 1960, they used the pseudonym "Barbara Campbell," based on the name of Cooke’s high school sweetheart, cutely tying in with the school subjects Cooke rattles off in the song. 

Standout Lyric: 

I do know one and one is two

And if this one could be with you

What a wonderful world this would be

Genre: Soul blues

What It’s About: A soulful song about the euphoria of true love, “At Last” by Etta James was an instant classic after its 1960 release - and over the decades has been covered by many singers, including Beyoncé, Jason Mraz, Celine Dion, and Cyndi Lauper. And its lyrics, speaking to the longing and anticipation of a love finally fulfilled, are universally relatable. James delivers a powerful, passionate performance that has helped the song stand the test of time.

According to James’s memoir Rage to Survive, some of that fire came from the desire to prove herself as an adult artist: “I was no longer a teenager. I was 22 and sophisticated. Or at least I wanted to be sophisticated…Because of the way I phrased it, some people started calling me a jazz singer.”

Standout Lyric: 

At last

My love has come along

My lonely days are over

And life is like a song

Genre: Rock ‘n’ roll

What It’s About: This timeless ballad is one of Elvis Presley’s most famous and captures the gentle bliss of falling uncontrollably in love. But it almost didn’t make the cut – reportedly, Presley had to fight for its inclusion on his 1961 album Blue Hawaii, because producers didn’t think it was good enough. Thankfully, Presley persisted, and the song has now been covered by more than 220 other artists.

Practically made for a beautiful oceanside sunset with its island-inspired tones and velvety harmonies, the song reveals Presley at his most pure as he reflects on his willing surrender to love’s embrace.

Standout Lyric:

Take my hand

Take my whole life, too

For I can’t help 

Falling in love with you 

Genre: Soft rock

What It’s About: Penned by Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones, “I Want to Know What Love Is” went on to become the band’s biggest hit after its 1984 release. Featuring classic 1980s synths and a heart-stirring chorus, the power ballad expresses a deep desire to understand love, while recognizing that one must often be patient to find it. 

Of the inspiration, Jones said he felt like the track was actually written by a "higher force" that captured the universal feeling of “searching for something that could really endure.” As he further explained, “I realized suddenly that I’d written almost a spiritual song, almost a gospel song…Sometimes you feel like you had nothing to do with it... You’re just putting it down on paper, or coming up with a melody that will bring the meaning of the song out, bring the emotion out in the song.”

Standout Lyric: 

In my life, there’s been heartache and pain

I don’t know if I can face it again

Can’t stop now, I’ve traveled so far

To change this lonely life

I wanna know what love is….

Genre: Jazz pop 

What It’s About: A glistening orchestral arrangement and Nat King Cole’s soulful delivery melt together in this 1956 rendition of “When I Fall In Love.” Adapted from an earlier version recorded by Doris Day, the song expresses the sentiment that love is both all-consuming yet mysterious, comparing it to the moon and the sun alike. It also describes the feeling of anticipation for the moment someone learns their feelings are reciprocated.

In 1996, Nat King Cole's daughter Natalie Cole re-recorded the song, singing along with the voice of her late father, who passed in 1965. The pair earned two Grammy Awards for the unique collaboration. 

Standout Lyric: 

When I give my heart

It will be completely

Or I’ll never give my heart

And the moment I can feel that 

You feel that way too

Is when I’ll fall in love with you

Genre: Rock 

What It’s About: Known for releasing some of the greatest breakup songs of all time, Fleetwood Mac often got their inspiration close to home - they’re famous for intra-band flings that created drama in and out of the studio. “You Make Loving Fun” in 1977 was no different, written by vocalist/keyboardist Christine McVie about her affair with the band’s married lighting director, Curry Grant, following the end of her marriage to bandmate John McVie. 

Marked by expressive vocals and a catchy chorus, the track tells the hopeful tale of someone who stopped believing in love, but finally met someone who might make them change their mind.

Standout Lyric: 

Don’t break the spell

It would be different and you know it will

You, you make loving fun

And I don’t have to tell you but you’re the only one