The Favorite Love Song Of Celebrities - Brief Article

Ebony, Feb, 2000

MAYBE it triggers that special moment when you asked your spouse to marry you. Maybe it reminds you of your first high school romance. Or could it be the song the two of you hum or pantomime or sing along when it comes on the radio?

We all have our favorite love songs and often they trigger a special moment or memory that brings a smile to the face and warmth to the heart. In keeping with the romantic spirit that makes February a special month for lovers, we asked celebrities to share with us their favorite love song, that is to say, the favorite love song they didn't write or record.

Several of those featured here say they love a particular song because of the lyrics while others were inspired by a romantic memory invoked. What is your favorite love song, and why? Here is what some of your favorite celebrities had to say:

Whitney Houston

"I'm Coming Back' by Lalah Hathaway. That's the song Bobby played for me when we first met and were dating."

Sean (Puffy) Combs

"My favorite love songs are `Always And Forever' by Heatwave and `Love You Like I Did' by 112. I love the depth of the passion and the lyrical content in those songs."

Eric Benet

"My favorite love song is `These Three Words' by Stevie Wonder, which appeared on the Jungle Fever soundtrack. This song is about more than man-woman love. It's about the confusion and resistance that people go through learning how to love each other. It's all very simple; it's about `These Three Words.'"

Faith Evans

"`I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston. People can really relate to that song ... because it has a lot of depth and intensity when it talks about love."

Yolanda Adams

"`In You' by Glenn Jones. My husband [Tim Crawford Jr.] sang this song to me as I walked down the aisle on our wedding day. He has such a great voice that all the women at the wedding were oohing and aahing. I felt like a real princess on her way to marry her prince. The words are so awesome. They describe our love to a tee. We always say, `We're not perfect, but we're perfect for each other.' Tim is my perfect love."

Gerald Levert, with Eddie Levert

"`Let Me Make Love' by the O'Jays, I have seen that song performed hundreds of times by the O'Jays, and the reaction from the women in the audience is the same every time. They melt, scream, shout, plead--all of the above. I wish it was always that easy to get what you want from a woman."

Monica

"`I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston. I love it so much because it's universal. When I hear it, I think of so many people in my life."

T-Boz (Tionne Watkins) of TLC

"I Want You' by Marvin Gaye. I've always wanted someone to sing that song to, and for them to sing it to me."

Montell Jordan

"`Ready or Not' by After Seven. The words symbolize the love I share with my wife."

Ramsey Lewis

"My favorite love song is `At Last.' Nat King Cole did it originally, and the Temptations recorded an arrangement of it in recent years. I've always loved that song. My band, without me, of course, played it at our wedding. My wife Jan and I danced to it."

Donell Jones

"`Lady In My Life' by Michael Jackson. It's real music. It sounds like old Mike ... the new Mike. It's true R&B. I love it."

Ginuwine

"`Diamonds & Pearls' [by The Artist.] I love the lyrical content of `Diamonds & Pearls.' It speaks to all people about love, romance and what everyone should have in their lives--a diamond-shaped heart and the pearls of life."

OTHER SONGS MENTIONED BY CELEBRITIES WERE:

* "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole

* "Chances Are" by Johnny Mathis

* "Here and Now" by Luther Vandross

* "Turn Off the Lights" by Teddy Pendergrass

* "You're the First, the Last, My Everything" by Barry White

* "My Girl" by The Temptations

* "Ooh, Baby, Baby" by Smokey Robinson

* "A Whole New World" by Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle

* "On Bended Knee" by Boyz II Men

* "Tonight I Celebrate My Love" by Roberta Flack & Peabo Bryson

* "You and I" by Stevie Wonder

* "For the Love of You" by The Isley Brothers