Forget algorithm-led playlists and Gen Z heartbreak anthems. When it comes to love, intimacy and that elusive moment when the kids are finally asleep, London Mums readers have very specific musical tastes. In the run-up to Valentine’s Day, London Mums Magazine conducted its own (entirely unscientific but deeply revealing) study across its community of readers, contributors and reporters. The question was simple:
What songs would you choose for love, sex and romance, if nobody was judging and the door was firmly locked?
The answers were loud, passionate, nostalgic and unapologetically grown-up.
The London Mums Valentine Music Study 2026
Sample size: 1,200 London Mums readers, contributors and editors
Age range: 30–55
Method: Email replies, WhatsApp confessions and late-night voice notes.
Key finding: Romance peaks between 9.37pm and 11.14pm, usually accompanied by wine, rock ballads and a refusal to feel embarrassed about it.
The Big Results
Rock ballads dominate love-making playlists
90s and early 2000s nostalgia is considered an aphrodisiac
Lyrics matter, but emotion matters more
Playlists skew towards “slow burn” rather than “TikTok tempo”
Sade is universally accepted as foreplay
In short: London Mums want music with feeling, history and a bit of drama.
The Ultimate London Mums Valentine Playlist
50 Songs for Love, Lust & Long Evenings
Modern Emotional Classics
LP – Lost On You
Lana Del Rey – Young and Beautiful
Arctic Monkeys – I Wanna Be Yours
Adele – Love in the Dark
The National – Slow Show
Rock Ballads we refuse to apologise for
Guns N’ Roses – November Rain
Bon Jovi – Always
Aerosmith – I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing
Scorpions – Holiday
Scorpions – Still Loving You
Whitesnake – Is This Love
Foreigner – I Want to Know What Love Is
Bryan Adams – Heaven
Journey – Open Arms
Sophisticated Seduction (aka Sade Territory)
Sade – No Ordinary Love
Sade – By Your Side
Sade – Smooth Operator
Sade – Kiss of Life
90s Passion & Bedroom Drama
Massive Attack – Teardrop
Portishead – Glory Box
Jeff Buckley – Lover, You Should’ve Come Over
Chris Isaak – Wicked Game
U2 – With or Without You
Slow Dancing in the Kitchen (Wine Optional)
Seal – Kiss From a Rose
Simply Red – Holding Back the Years
George Michael – Careless Whisper
Lionel Richie – Hello
Roxette – It Must Have Been Love
Confident, Grown-Up Desire
Prince – The Most Beautiful Girl in the World
Prince – Purple Rain
INXS – Never Tear Us Apart
R.E.M. – Nightswimming
Duran Duran – Ordinary World
Love After Life Experience (Very London Mums)
Fleetwood Mac – Dreams
Elton John – Your Song
Sting – Fields of Gold
Tracy Chapman – Baby Can I Hold You
Annie Lennox – Why
Closing Tracks (Because Nobody Wants a Jarring Ending)
Coldplay – Fix You
Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars
Norah Jones – Come Away With Me
Eva Cassidy – Songbird
Leonard Cohen – Dance Me to the End of Love
The “Turn It Back On” Section
Depeche Mode – Enjoy the Silence
The Cure – Lovesong
Radiohead – True Love Waits
Bruce Springsteen – I’m On Fire
UB40 – Red Red Wine
The Final Word
Elvis Presley – Can’t Help Falling in Love
Bonnie Tyler – Total Eclipse of the Heart
What this tells us about London Mums & Love
London Mums don’t want novelty.
They want connection.
They want music that’s survived heartbreak, mortgages, childcare and WhatsApp groups.
This Valentine’s Day, our readers aren’t chasing trends. They’re pressing play on memories, passion and songs that mean something.
Because love doesn’t need to be cool.
It just needs to be real.
Happy Valentine’s Day from London Mums Magazine!
Monica Costa founded London Mums in September 2006 after her son Diego’s birth together with a group of mothers who felt the need of meeting up regularly to share the challenges and joys of motherhood in metropolitan and multicultural London. London Mums is the FREE and independent peer support group for mums and mumpreneurs based in London https://www.londonmumsmagazine.com and you can connect on Twitter @londonmums
