Kiss Me: 25 Songs that Celebrate International Kissing Day

Every April, the world puckers up for International Kissing Day. To celebrate one of our favorite days to do with love, we’ve made a Spotify® playlist full of the best ever songs about kissing − from classic romantic tracks to upbeat songs that make you want to have a happy smooch, these 25 tunes are S.W.A.K.!

1. Kiss Me − Sixpence None the Richer
Cute kissing lyric: Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight/Lead me out on the moonlit floor
Anyone who watched Dawson’s Creek will know this tune right from the opening notes. But, even if you are not a connoisseur of late 90s TV theme tunes, you can appreciate this song: it’s cute, catchy, and made for kissing!

2. This Kiss − Faith Hill
Cute kissing lyric: Kiss me in sweet slow motion/Let’s let everything slide
Sometimes you get kissed and feel happy right down to your toes. This Kiss is that feeling in song form. Cheesy? Sure – but so is International Kissing Day: that’s part of the charm!

3. Kiss from a Rose − Seal
There used to be a graying tower alone on the sea/You became the light on the dark side of me
The lyrics to Kiss from a Rose are metaphor heavy to the extent that they are nigh on incomprehensible. But this doesn’t stop us from belting this track out every International Kissing Day. All together now: ‘BABY, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey!’

Read more: Feeling inspired to pucker up? Try our expert tips on how to kiss

4. Kiss − Prince
Ain’t no particular sign I’m more compatible with/I just want your extra time & your kiss
Prince’s Kiss adds a bit of sex appeal to this playlist. Unlike some kissing songs that focus on the sugar-sweet factor, Prince is ready to spice things up – and the funk-laden baseline is on hand to emphasize his point.

5. Give Him a Great Big Kiss − The Shangri-Las
Cute kissing lyric: Gonna walk right up to him/Give him a great big kiss, mwah!
Looking for pure, unadulterated, 60s girl-group pop? The Shangri-Las have it in spades. The hand-clapping, the call-and-response gossip, the exuberant lyrics – this is the kissing song to listen to when you want to relive the best of your teenage years.

6. A Kiss to Build a Dream On − Louis Armstrong
Cute kissing lyric: Sweetheart, I ask no more than this/A kiss to build a dream on
Kissing. They lean in, you lean in, and suddenly the world is alive with possibility, Here, all Armstrong needs is just such a magic kiss: a moment that will help him stoke the fires of hope.

Read more: Want to feel that sense of hope? Here’s how to start dating again

7. Kiss Me, Baby − The Beach Boys
Cute kissing lyric: Woah, baby, kiss me, baby/Woah, baby, love to hold you, tight
International Kissing Day isn’t just about 1st kisses. Here, The Beach Boys are all about make-up kisses: those lovely moments when suddenly you know everything between you will be OK.

8. Kisses Sweeter Than Wine − Jimmie Rodgers
Cute kissing lyric: She had, mmm, mmm, kisses sweeter than wine
This kissing song follows the entire history of a couple – they meet, marry, have children and grandchildren and have a whole life’s worth of living, loving, and a little strife. But throughout it all, the singer is head over heels for his wife’s sweet kisses. Talk about couple goals!

9. Kissin’ in the Back Row of the Movies − The Drifters
Cute lyric: We could stay forever, you & I/Huggin’ & a kissin’ in the back row of the movies
Another song about kissing that recalls a more innocent time, the sheer joy of this tune makes it incredibly catchy. Sure, enthusiastic kissing at the movies is a bit of an etiquette faux-pas – but this song is cute enough to give them a pass.

Read more: Want some romantic movies to kiss to? Here are America’s favorite rom-coms

10. Kiss You All Over − Exile
Sexy kissing lyric: I wanna kiss you all over/Till the night closes in
And so we go from innocent teen dreams to a dose of 1970s seduction. Here, Exile have turned the lights down low, lit some candles, and put their best flirting faces on. It’s no wonder this came in at #9 on Billboard’s ‘50 Sexiest Songs of All Time‘ list.¹

11. Kiss Me Quick − Elvis Presley
Cute lyric: Kiss me quick because I love you so/Kiss me quick and make my heart go crazy
An ode to making the most of the time you have, Kiss Me Quick is a song that makes you want to dance: preferably with a partner, and preferably stopping every now and then for a smooch.

12. Kiss on My List − Hall and Oates
Cute kissing lyric: Because your kiss is on my list of the best things in life
It’s funny that Darryl Hall calls this an ‘anti-love song’² as the joyful sounding lyrics and happy guitar riffs make it sound nothing but romantic. We choose the latter interpretation: if this song was on a list, it would be one of love songs!

Read more: Looking for a great love song list? These are the 100 best love songs of all time

13. The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss) − Cher
Cute kissing lyric: If you want to know if he loves you so/It’s in his kiss
Not sure if that person likes you back? This International Kissing Day, why not take some very appropriate advice from the one and only Cher? Hug em, squeeze em tight – you’ll find out what you want to know!

14. Toothpaste Kisses − The Maccabees
Cute kissing lyric: With late night kisses divine
It’s funny just how many songs about kissing hark back to the singer’s teenage years. Perhaps it’s because in your teens, kissing was all you could hope for. Whatever the reason, the songs that result are routinely lovely. Toothpaste Kisses is no exception.

15. Then He Kissed Me − The Crystals
He kissed me in a way that I’ve never been kissed before/In a way that I want to be kissed forever more
In this famous Crystals track, kisses chart the moments of a relationship. From the first kiss, to the kiss when you first say I love you, to the smooch you share after a major event like getting engaged, these are kisses as memories, and it is lovely.

Read more: Planning a big surprise? We’ve found the world’s best places to propose!

16. It Started with a Kiss − Hot Chocolate
Bittersweet kissing lyric: It started with a kiss, I never thought it would come to this
Kissing songs run the gamut, from joyful tracks about falling in love to more bittersweet tunes about love lost. Hot Chocolate’s contribution is the latter – a tribute to a childhood love lost. It’s sad – but so catchy.

17. Knock Me A Kiss − Ella Fitzgerald
Cute kissing lyric: This ain’t no jam; the jam can scram/Baby, come on and knock me a kiss
Ever been so into someone that all else pales in comparison? Fitzgerald sympathizes. Here, she realizes that kisses from the right person are sweeter than just about any sweet treat.

18. Your Kiss is Sweet − Syreeta
Kissing lyric: Your kiss is sweet, sweet as candy/But honey beat your kisses by a million miles
Hot Chocolate might face lost love with sadness, but Syreeta prefers indignation. Here, her ex has come crawling back – but she’s realized she’s better off without him. He can take those sweet lips and keep on walking!

Read more: Ready to get over your ex? These expert tips will show you how to move on

19. Till I Kissed You − The Everly Brothers
Cute kissing lyric: Never knew what I missed until I kissed you, uh-huh
Jangly guitar and bouncy percussion make the ideal accompaniments to this adorable song about kissing someone and being hit by the lightning-bolt of love. We should all be so lucky.

20. Kiss Me, Honey Honey, Kiss Me − Shirley Bassey
Cute kissing lyric: Kiss me, honey, honey, kiss me/Thrill me, honey, honey, thrill me
Shirley Bassey (The Queen of Bond Themes) is on fine form here with a kissing song all about showing your partner what you truly want. As lyrics go, these were ahead of their time!

21. Paper Kisses − Alma Cogan
Cute kissing lyric: Paper kisses say I care/ with all of my loving heart
Alma Cogan was often called ‘The Girl with the Giggle in Her Voice’ and her charming, smiling singing is on full display here. It’s the perfect song to listen to if you’ve got a long-distance love: just follow Cogan’s advice and shorten the distance with a love letter.

Read more: Need more advice? Try our guide to writing the perfect love letter

22. Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me − She & Him
Cute kissing lyric: So kiss me, kiss me, make me tell you I’m in love with you
It might have been made famous by Mel Carter in the 60s, but this tune seems like it was designed for Zooey Deschanel: her winsome voice fits the waltzy beat like a dream.

23. Prelude to a Kiss − Billie Holiday
Cute kissing lyric: That was my heart serenading you/My prelude to a kiss
They don’t make many kissing songs that are this romantic. Prelude to a Kiss is a jazz standard has been performed by everyone from Sarah Vaughan to Ella Fitzgerald, but there’s something about Billie Holiday’s crooning that makes it magical.

24. Kiss − Dean Martin
Cute kissing lyric: Kiss, kiss me say you’ll miss, miss me/ kiss me love with heavenly affection
Yes, it’s the one and only Dean Martin. But here’s he’s a lot gentler than normal – there’s less rat pack swagger and more slow-dance charm. Tinkling piano seals the dreamy deal.

25. Give Me Your Kisses (I’ll Give You my Heart) − Louis Armstrong
Cute kissing lyric: Give me your kisses, I’m willing to start/And I’ll give you my heart
We end this International Kissing Day playlist on a joyful note. Here, Armstrong isn’t scared about promising himself to love – he’s facing the future with nothing but joy, and even the saxophone sounds happy for him.

Read more: Looking to keep the music going? Here are the best songs about falling in love

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No matter how you choose to celebrate this International Kissing Day, we at EliteSingles wish you a happy one. From all of us – xxxx!

EliteSingles Editorial April 2018

About the author: Sophie Watson

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