How to Craft the Best Sex Playlist — Plus, 30+ Songs to Get You Started

How to Craft the Best Sex Playlist — Plus, Sex Playlist Songs Everyone Will Find Hot , Close up of passionate couple having sex on bed.
How to Craft the Best Sex Playlist — Plus, Sex Playlist Songs Everyone Will Find Hot , Close up of passionate couple having sex on bed.

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No matter what genre or decade, music and sex have always gone together like peanut butter and jelly. While some songs like "WAP" by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion don't beat around the bush (pun!) and get straight to the point, other sex-related songs seduce you, tantalize you, and make you raise an eyebrow at certain lyrics. Then, when the song is over, you realize you've just listened to a four-minute ode to sex.

The thing is, not all sexy songs make for great sex music. When it comes to crafting the perfect sex playlist, you need sex playlist songs that will set the mood and feel sexy and sensual — but don't necessarily need to be explicitly dropping lines about "king cobras" and doing a "kegel when it's inside." Read on for the best sex playlist songs, how to pick them, and a complete sex playlist ready for you to enjoy, all straight from sex experts.

The Science of Sex Playlists

Even before you toss in the oxytocin (aka the mood-boosting "bonding hormone") that's released when you have sex, music, on its own, makes you feel good. Research has found that when you listen to songs you enjoy, dopamine (a neurotransmitter involved in pleasure, motivation, learning, and memory) is released into your system. It doesn't matter if it's Taylor Swift, Neutral Milk Hotel, or AC/DC, if it's music you love, it positively affects you: from relaxing you, to inspiring you, to even getting you in the mood. In addition to what's happening physiologically, listening to music during sex can also transport you mentally and even make you feel less inhibited. (Related: 11 Health Benefits of Sex That Have Nothing to Do with an Orgasm)

"The thing I like to point out about sex playlists is that they can be great for getting us out of our heads," says Carol Queen, Ph.D., the staff sexologist at iconic sex shop Good Vibrations and the author of The Sex & Pleasure Book: Good Vibrations Guide to Great Sex for Everyone (Buy It, $25, amazon.com). "Especially, if we spend too much time [in our head] and it interferes with getting into the erotic space we'd like to enter. Instead of getting balled up with shyness, focus on music you find erotically inspiring and let it help bring you out of your shell."

But the type of music that's going to get someone's head in the sex game is going to depend not just on what type of music someone likes, but their general mood.

"Music can help you keep a good rhythm by following the beat of the music," says Katie Lasson, sexologist and relationship advisor. "The type of music you pick for your sex playlist will depend on the mood you're aiming for. Are you aiming for slow and mellow, or fast and furious?"

For example, if you're looking to take it nice and slow, but keep it sexy, Lasson suggests "Damage" by H.E.R, "Do I Wanna Know x Woman," the Arctic Monkeys and Harry Styles mashup, (note: I never heard this song before, but holy hell is it hot!), and "Come Away with Me" by Norah Jones. If you want fast and maybe something to inspire some tying up or spanking action, Lasson recommends "Danger High Voltage" by Electric Six and "I'm A Slave 4 U" by Britney Spears.

While I'm sure there are some people out there who already have these songs on their sex playlist or are now inspired to start a playlist of their own thanks to these suggestions, when it comes to songs that people want to have sex to there's another factor to consider: BPM, or beats per minute, which is what sets the tempo of a song.

And there appears to be one particular BPM that has made itself the most popular speed for which to have sex: 119BPM. A U.K. supplement company called Supplement Place conducted the research by compiling a list of 60,000 songs that people said they prefer to have sex to. What they found was that, of those tens of thousands of songs, the average BPM was 119. Can't think of a song that's 119BPM? Here, let me help you: "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey. Yep, that's 119BPM. But if you prefer to not be reminded of that final scene in The Sopranos, Lady Gaga saves the day with "Bad Romance," which clocks in at 119BPM, too.

Of course, it's important to take into consideration that just because 119BPM is the average, it doesn't mean that when crafting the best sex playlist, every song needs to be 119BPM. (My personal list has "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on it and "Talk Show Host" by Radiohead which have BPMs of 120 and 89, respectively.) Ultimately, when creating the best sex playlist, what it comes down to more than anything is the mood you want to convey and the type of music that complements the type of sex you want to have.

"A very good way to find the songs that will enhance your sexytime experience is to close your eyes and imagine situations...what do you imagine with this song? How does your body vibrate, where does it take you? One song can very easily invite you to do a strip tease, another to make love in a romantic way, another to have sex against the wall, another to pamper and caress, and so on," says Mariela Tesler, sex coach, author of The Science of Seduction (Buy It, $10, amazon.com) and who, for the record, has a pretty 🔥 sex playlist on her own Spotify channel. "The music that sensitizes you, transports you, and makes your sensual and sexual imagination fly is the one that you should choose."

It also helps, if you're in a relationship, to make the list together. If your partner doesn't like The Beatles and all of a sudden the list goes from Harry Styles' "Watermelon Sugar" to "Got to Get You Into My Life," you'll have a major mood-killer on your hands. Building the ideal sex playlist is an art, and should be treated as such!

30+ Sex Playlist Songs to Get You Started

Not sure where to start with your best sex playlist? Here are some songs — courtesy of the experts above, plus relationship expert and psychologist Tatyana Dyachenko — to get you started.

  1. "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" by Lil' Nas X

  2. "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak

  3. "Red Light Special" by TLC

  4. "Shut Up and Kiss Me" by Angel Olsen

  5. "Criminal" by Fiona Apple

  6. "Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby" by Cigarettes After Sex

  7. "Often" by The Weeknd

  8. "Love Is a Bitch" by Two Feet

  9. "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)" by The Weeknd

  10. "I Feel You" by Depeche Mode

  11. "Sex Boy" by Air

  12. "Oh, Baby" by LCD Soundsystem

  13. "Bad Things" by Jace Everett

  14. "Dirrty" by Christina Aguilera

  15. "Love Me Like You Do" by Ellie Goulding

  16. "Pony" by Ginuwine

  17. "Wild Side" by Normani

  18. "Damage" by H.E.R.

  19. "The Hills" by The Weeknd

  20. "Do I Wanna Know x Woman" by Arctic Monkeys and Harry Styles

  21. "Danger High Voltage" by Electric Six

  22. "I'm A Slave 4 U" by Britney Spears

  23. "Desperado" by Rihanna

  24. "I Feel Like I'm Drowning" by Two Feet

  25. "Wicked Games" by The Weeknd

  26. "Come Through and Chill" by Miguel

  27. "Fall In Line" by Christina Aguilera and Demi Lovato

  28. "Put It On Me" by Matt Maeson

  29. "Legendary" by Welshly Arms

  30. "Love on the Brain" by Rihanna

  31. "Come Away with Me" by Norah Jones

A Ready-to-Go Sex Playlist for Your Enjoyment