40 Old-School Love Songs That Will Bring Some Nostalgia to Your Wedding

Today's musicians are still singing about falling in love, but there's just something about romantic songs of a bygone era. It's no wonder that these old-school love songs, crooned by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Etta James, and Elvis, still make it onto today's wedding playlists: They appeal to multiple generations, evoke feelings of nostalgia with their heartfelt lyrics and captivating medleys, and never fail to get everyone out of their seats and onto the dance floor. “These songs have stood the test of time because of the purity,” says DJ Keenan Daniels. “Today's music doesn't leave much to the imagination. However, songs from what I consider to be 'back in the day' definitely contain a sense of innocence, sweetness, romance, and purity when it came to singing about love.”

From "Unchained Melody" by The Righteous Brothers to "Just the Two of Us" by Bill Withers and "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole, there's an array of timeless hits to choose from that will pull at the heartstrings of everyone at your celebration. These tracks are also a great choice for the father-daughter or mother-son dance, especially if your parents refer to old-school love songs as their favorite type of music.

Ahead, we put together a list of the best old-school love songs that range from enduring 1940s favorites to nostalgic 1990s hits; all are sure to help you create unforgettable memories at your wedding.

An Introduction to Old-School Love Songs

What songs can we definitively classify into this timeless category? According to Daniels, that's up for interpretation. “An old-school love song can be defined by anything that was popular when you were growing up,” he explains. “A throwback song to me at the age of 42 is completely different than to a person who [is] in their 60s or 70s, or someone who is in their 20s!” Simply put, as people get older, the idea of what’s considered “old school” can change.

With that in mind, however, some artists are universally accepted as “old school,” regardless of the decade you were born in or where you grew up. According to Daniels, artists like The Temptations, The Righteous Brothers, Earth Wind & Fire, Hall & Oates, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson “will forever remain evergreen,” and will always hit at any wedding.  

Historical and Cultural Context of Old-School Love Songs 

Though this genre of music only exists when you look back in time, if you pay attention to the type of music that’s popular today, it’s evident that these songs have served as the inspiration for many modern artists. More specifically, the melodies and arrangements of old-school love songs have been sampled and incorporated into new tracks across every genre, from pop and R&B to rock and hip-hop. Interested in adding a few old-school love songs to your must-play list? Ahead, here are a handful of tracks that Daniels says will resonate with people across every generation.