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Home • ESSENCE Black Women in Music

Get Ready To Sway! Here Are 20 Of The Most Iconic R&B And Soul Songs Of Our Time

Take a trip down memory lane and add these R&B songs to your next playlist.
Get Ready To Sway! Here Are 20 Of The Most Iconic R&B And Soul Songs Of Our Time
By Kimberly Wilson · Updated October 23, 2020
There’s nothing like a good R&B song—You know that one song that can make you remember the best of times (your first crush) or the worst of times (your first breakup)? And while there are an infinite number of songs that evoke the emotions you may have felt way back when, there are only a few that stand the test of time. No top R&B list would be complete without Whitney, Anita, or Luther, but who else measures up? We’ve compiled some of our favorite R&B songs from the past few decades that will have you feeling nostalgic, but also leave you wanting to sing along. Take a trip down memory lane and add each of these songs to your next playlist.
01
D’Angelo – Untitled (How Does It Feel)
02
Soul For Real – Candy Rain
03
Ginuwine – Pony
04
Deborah Cox – Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here
05
MAJOR. – Why I Love You
06
Barry White – Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love
07
Commodores – Three Times A Lady
08
Shai – If I Ever Fall In Love
09
Boys II Men – I’ll Make Love To You
10
KeKe Wyatt feat. Avant – Nothing In This World
11
K-Ci & JoJo – All My Life
12
Babyface – Every Time I Close My Eyes
13
Mary J. Blige – Not Gon’ Cry
14
New Edition – Can You Stand The Rain
15
Jackson 5 – I’ll Be There
16
Sade – No Ordinary Love
17
Luther Vandross – Here And Now
18
Whitney Houston – I Will Always Love You
19
SWV – Weak
20
Eric Benet and Tamia – Spend My Life With You