On Monday, I discussed the dangers of our current sexualized music. Turn on the radio or check the music trends, and you’ll find that many of today’s songs are full of explicit descriptions and words about sex. They often convey a completely different view of sex than what God desires us to have.

But today, I want to get practical. If we shouldn’t listen to music that cheapens sex (see Philippians 4:8; Psalm 101:3; and Proverbs 4:23-24), can we listen to any music about sex?

I think we can. There is nothing sordid about God-honoring lovemaking in marriage, and a little background music can set the stage for physical intimacy. I trolled my own playlist and did some research to come up with a suggested intimacy playlist for married couples. Some of what I came up with is simply romantic, and other tunes are more obviously about sex.

Several things to keep in mind as you peruse the suggestions below:

• I divided songs into categories, knowing that some of you wouldn’t listen to a country (R&B/classical/etc.) song even if you were stranded on Gilligan’s Island and it was the only station the Professor’s radio could get. But you might be surprised to find something you and your spouse would like a category you don’t normally enjoy, so try to keep an open mind.
• By highlighting a song here, I am not condoning other music from these artists or even the videos that accompany these tunes. Use your own standards and common sense when deciding which music to purchase.
• The criterion for inclusion is that the lyrics are appropriate and can be construed to talk about a married couple. That does not mean that the composer and lyricist had that in mind when writing the song, but these songs do not obviously violate Christian ethics.
• While these songs are appropriate for me and hubby in the bedroom, that does not mean that they are all okay to be on my kid’s MP3 player. Adults are ready for some details, especially in the marital context, that children are not ready for. Use your parental noggin for when and where it’s appropriate to play your marital intimacy music.
• Tastes vary. Quite honestly, I’d happily make love to Toccata & Fugue in D minor by Bach, but since this is an unusual choice, I left it out. Still, consider your own tastes when you come up with a playlist. Hey, if you and your honey enjoy gettin’ it on to Mustang Sally, who am I to argue? Don’t slow that Mustang down!
• As you pull together a playlist of your own, think about programming. That is, vary the rhythm and mood. For a marital intimacy playlist, you may want to start with something slow or easygoing (invitation), build up to faster or more intense songs (foreplay & climax), and then finish with something relaxing (afterglow).

With the fabulous help of some Facebook friends, here are some songs you might want to play while lovemaking with your spouse.

Classical
Blue Danube Waltz by Johann Strauss II
Bolero by Maurice Ravel (For those old enough to recall, this was the classical song played in the movie “10.”)
Cello suite No.1 Prelude in G Major by Johann Sebastian Bach
Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy
Liebestraum No 3 in A flat by Franz Liszt
Piano Concerto No 21 in C, 2nd movement (Elvira Madigan) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Variation 18) by Sergei Rachmaninoff
Romeo and Juliet (Fantasy Overture: Love Theme) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (You’ll recognize it.)

Country
Breathe by Faith Hill
It’s Your Love by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
Let’s Make Love by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
More Than Everything by Rhett Atkins (attributes love to God)
Me and You by Kenny Chesney
Then by Brad Paisley
Your Man by Josh Turner

Oldies (but Goodies)
Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
I Love How You Love Me by The Paris Sisters
I Only Have Eyes for You by The Flamingos
I Want You, I Love You, I Need You by Elvis Presley
Unchained Melody by Righteous Brothers

Pop
All for You by Imelda May (or really jazz) – my new sassy fave!
Annie’s Song by John Denver
Have You Really Ever Loved a Woman? by Bryan Adams
I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith
Let’s Make a Night to Remember by Bryan Adams
Longer by Dan Fogelberg
Truly, Madly, Deeply by Savage Garden
Underneath Your Clothes by Shakira
Wanted by Hunter Hayes
Your Body Is a Wonderland by John Mayer (By the way, “damn” is used once.)

R&B
Close the Door by Teddy Pendergrass
Feel Like Makin’ Love to You by Roberta Flack
I’ll Make Love to You by Boyz II Men
Let’s Get It On by Marvin Gaye
Loving Me for Me by Christina Aguilera
Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin
Nobody by Keith Sweat and Athena Gage
That’s the Way Love Goes by Janet Jackson
Tonight I Celebrate My Love by Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack

Rock
Baby, I Love Your Way by Peter Frampton
Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen – No!!! Don’t you dare play this for your wife. Just checking to see if you’re still paying attention.
Feel Like Making Love by Bad Company
Lay, Lady, Lay by Bob Dylan (If you’re among those who don’t like Dylan’s unique voice, Duran Duran and Magnet have covers of this song.)
Light My Fire by the Doors
Love of a Lifetime by Firehouse

Standards
Kiss by Dean Martin (and pretty much anything else by him. LOVE Dean Martin. Can you tell?)
Misty by Ella Fitzgerald
Teach Me Tonight by Dinah Washington
Unforgettable by Nat King Cole
You Give Me Fever by Peggy Lee (or try the version from Michael Buble or Bette Midler)
You Go to My Head by Frank Sinatra or Sarah Vaughan

Vocal/Jazz
All for You by Imelda May
Do That to Me One More Time by Captain & Tenille
I Want to Make Love to You by Janis Siegel
Paradise by Ana Laan
You and I by Michael Buble

I also found this gem that I wanted to share from Christian Matt Maher, Set Me as a Seal:

By the way, regarding Barry White. Yes, he has quite a few songs that would set the mood for lovemaking. I’m not crazy about his talking instead of singing so much, so I didn’t put him on the list. But feel free to go through his music and see if you find anything you like. You can try out a lot of his tunes on YouTube or iTunes.

And for the uber-brave, there’s always The Beatles’ “Why Don’t We Do It in the Road?”

Floor’s open. What would you add? Please keep it to songs that we Christians can mostly agree would be beneficial for the marriage bed. And if you want to hear the songs listed above, head to my Facebook page where I’ve provided the playlists for Spotify.

“Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3

(If you know of any problems with the songs here, let me know. I filtered, but it’s a lot of music so I might have missed something.)

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