The ultimate sexy Valentine's playlist

Music may very well be the food of love, but it’s also – more deliciously – the food of loving. Because we know our readers have an appetite like no other, we present to you the connoisseur’s best sex songs playlist. From silkiest, best RnB love songs to floor-shaking best house music songs, these are the 20 sexiest songs on the planet. To be clear: These aren’t necessarily songs about the act of love (though many of them are pretty detailed); rather, they’re songs to do it to. The best party songs for a party of two. Now let us begin!

1. 'Wicked Game' by Chris Isaak

Ear porn. Actually, the video for 'Wicked Game' is visually titillating too, featuring Isaak romping on the beach with topless supermodel Helena Christensen – but sonically, this 1990 hit exudes lust from hypnotic start to finish. With its velvety guitar melody, silky coolness and sensual, oh-so-soft vocals, no other song about doomed love has fueled more steamy sexxions. And that dreamy last line? Congratulations, Mr. Isaak: 'Wicked Game' is a winner.

2. 'Untitled (How Does It Feel?)' by D’Angelo

Coupled with soul man D’Angelo’s extraordinary songwriting chops and an exquisitely chiseled body, the video for 'Untitled' is almost too much to watch; the singer is naked as far as the eye can see, and he licks his lips as he sings the song’s refrain (he was thinking of his grandma’s home cooking, he maintains). Besides winning sexiest video on this list, the song also is a contender for most delicious, unbearable musical climax. Press play, and you’ll see what we mean.

3. 'No Diggity' by Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre

A song so powerful it inspired a new come-on in the RnB world, this smooth Bill Withers–sampling ‘90s classic kicks off with Dr. Dre's self-assured 'It’s going down' over a throaty 'mmhmm' hook. Story goes, the veteran West Coast rapper is obsessed with his New York shortie – he can’t stop fantasizing about her, until he has to hop on a plane back to her 'to bag it up.' Mmhmm.

4. 'Need You Tonight' by INXS

Crowds screamed for INXS front man Michael Hutchence, who was associated with a bevvy of famous beauties in his 1980s heyday. Hutchence’s allure is in the way he sings – 100 percent – like he means it. On the Aussie rocker’s finest moment, 'Need You Tonight,' he begins the song sighing, 'All we’ve got is this moment,' as if the world really is about to end. And then: 'There’s something about you girl, that makes me sweat.'Ladies, take a deep breath.

5. 'I'm on Fire' by Bruce Springsteen

For this 1985 slow-burner, the Boss stops working on his hot rod long enough to pine after a married lady (or, as the video suggests, maybe it's her car he's really into). Here we have Bruce at the peak of his blue-collar pre-middle-age sex appeal, all grease-covered hands and sweaty brow trying to get a look under the hood.

6. 'Lay Lady Lay' by Bob Dylan

By the mid-aughts, ol' Bobby Zimmerman was calling out his crushes (including future 'Empire State of Mind' songbird Alicia Keys) by name; back in ’69, though, he still favored cozy anonymity. 'Lay Lady Lay' ranks as one of the most languid come-ons of all time – 'Stay, lady, stay / Stay with your man a while' – but it works, thanks to Dylan's uncharacteristically supple croon, Kenny Buttrey's clip-clop percussion and Pete Drake's pedal-steel work, which drips over the arrangement like sinful honey.

7. 'Fade Into You' by Mazzy Star

From the opening bars, lazy Dylanesque strumming and slide-guitar moans suggest a warm, lazy summer afternoon. Then Hope Sandoval starts singing, her breathy insinuation suggestive and vulnerable at once. The music curls and stretches, and all you can think about is merging with your object of desire.

8. 'Do You Mind' by the xx

Lifted from the xx's debut EP, Islands (2009), 'Do You Mind' finds the chic Brit indie trio in stunningly sensual form. Originally a bubblegum dance track by Crazy Cousinz featuring Kyla, the tune gets the xx treatment – and then some. With Jamie Smith's slow, pounding beats and Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim's winding guitar riffs and smoky voices, part of the charm of 'Do You Mind' is how polite its lyrics sound, given the fluid ease of the song. To answer that question, we don't mind…at all.

9. 'Sexy MF' by Prince

Prince's credentials as the King of Hump were a thing of public record long before he uncorked this sultry scorcher of a track in 1992. The lyrics and delivery epitomize Prince's libidinous swagger, and the rapped vocals are among his least embarrassing hip-hop attempts; best of all is a killer groove that assures you Prince can keep it up all night long.

10. 'Video Phone' by Beyoncé

If you’ve ever dreamed of Lady B paying a visit to your chamber, switch on this I Am... Sasha Fierce single, in which the singer laces her firm come-ons with plentiful coital oohs and ahhs. Let them inspire your own chorus of moans.

11. 'Lady Marmalade' by Labelle

Few songs have thrown a spotlight on streetwalking the way this chart-topping 1974 smash did…and none made you want to get down (or learn to speak French) more. Cover versions have proliferated, but only Patti, Sarah and Nona deliver the real goods. All together now: 'Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?'

12. 'Do Right Woman, Do Right Man' by Aretha Franklin

Has the Queen of Soul ever sounded more desirable than when she opens this ballad with the eternal couplet, 'Take me to heart / And I'll always love you.' Over the kind of slow-burn groove that has inspired bedroom moves for decades, Aretha sings of intense desire…but don't you dare forget to respect her while you work your moves

13. 'Love to Love You Baby' by Donna Summer

When Eurodisco pioneer Giorgio Moroder famously asked Donna Summer to simulate throes of ecstasy for this trendsetting 1975 slab of taboo, the devoutly churchy singer initially demurred, then faked an estimated 22 orgasms for the track, inspiring millions to follow her lead. Time promptly dubbed her 'the Queen of Love'; nowadays, we'd surely be less discreet

14. 'Climax' by Usher

One thing you can count on with Usher is consistency: Two decades into his career, the slick singer is still releasing songs as titillating as, say, 'Bad Girl.' 'Climax' dropped on Valentine’s Day 2012, and it's as surefire a soundtrack for horizontal listening as his previous hits; according to Diplo, Usher proposed the idea of 'tak[ing] the strip club to the stadium' with its production. And with that dead-sexy falsetto and wax-melting grooves, you can hear it.

15. '212' by Azealia Banks

People say that the modern era lacks subtlety, and to an extent they’re right. But what Harlem rapper Azealia Banks’s filthy anthem lacks in sophistication, it more than makes up for in out-and-out joy. While Banks starts out suggesting you lick her plum in the evening, the song builds to its climax, with the MC declaring, 'I guess that c**t gettin’ eaten!'

16. 'I Just Wanna Make Love to You' by Etta James

Issued on her 1961 debut album, At Last!, Etta James’s impossibly honest blues tune revealed a lot about her spirit: swinging, slinky and sassy. It also showed that she was a woman who knew what she wanted. Upon its release, the song immediately shot to the top of the charts; we can only imagine that the soul diva got exactly what she wanted in the bedroom, too.

17. 'Lollipop' by Lil Wayne

The New Orleans MC mashes together rap, rock and an ascending electronic pulse for this characteristically grimy love ballad. Wayne’s gruff, sporadically Autotuned voice is perfectly suited for this kind of romantic boasting. We’re apt to take him for his word.

18. 'You Really Got Me' by the Kinks

The Kinks’ 1964 breakthrough hit is a visceral ode to lust: 'Girl, you really got me goin’ / You got me so I don't know what I’m doin’ / Yeah, you really got me now / You got me so I can't sleep at night.' More than anything, this most primal track throbs with hot-blooded teenage urgency and will remind you of not being able to keep your hands off your high-school flame. And that’s a good thing.

19. 'I Feel You' by Depeche Mode

For a band that often sang about the kinkier side of sex – both 'Master and Servant' and 'Strangelove' embrace S&M elements – this 1993 track is fairly tame. But the combination of front man Dave Gahan’s deep, sultry baritone and the propulsive backing track makes it sound far dirtier (and therefore hotter) than any of the band’s previous work.

20. 'I Want Your Sex' by George Michael

After George Michael quit squeaky clean ‘80s boyband Wham!, he went on a sexual rampage with 'School’s out forever!'-style zeal and enthusiasm. The album Faith (1987) featured Michael sniffing his own armpit and opened with this funky gem – which finds Michael’s signature growl at its peak: 'C – c – c- c’mon!' He also makes his request in the plainest possible terms, 'Have sex with me!' – which we appreciate.

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