Top 10 Most Romantic Broadway Songs

In a musical full of tragic figures, Éponine is one of the saddest. Her act two number, “On My Own,” almost instantly became one of“Les Miz’s” signature moments.The poor, unfortunate daughter of thieving innkeepers, Éponine is in love with the young and handsome revolutionary, Marius. He’s in love with someone else. Even if he wasn’t, he probably still wouldn’t see her. Anyone who’s ever been on the losing end of an unrequited crush is sure to hang on every word of her show stopping anthem to longing and that hopeless, head-over-heels kind of love.

In this epic musical, the Phantom begins enacting a reign of terror on the Paris Opera. Christine Daaé, the soprano with whom he is obsessed, flees to the scenic roof of the building, where her enamored childhood sweetheart, Raoul, finds her. A fever pitch of emotion follows, set to one of the musical’s grandest melodies. Christine and Raoul make their loving requests to one another, promising to be each other’s light in a world full of murderous phantoms and screaming prima donnas. The song builds to a brilliant and overwhelming crescendo as they kiss, hit some near-impossible notes, and bring it in for an equally impossibly soft landing.

This science fiction musical concerns plant store employee Seymour Krelborn making a Faustian bargain with a carnivorous plant from outer space. Audrey is the bombshell he’s in love with, but whose taste in men betrays a disturbingly negative self-image. In “Suddenly Seymour,” she realizes the soft spoken Seymour may be the man she’s been looking for, and he realizes she actually loves him back. Finally coming together, their duet is almost rapturous. You almost forget he’s just fed her repugnant and sadistic boyfriend to the plant he named after her. Love forgives a lot of sins.

This is a true classic of the musical theatre. Carnival barker Billy Bigelow and millworker Julie Jordan have only just met, but their attraction is growing. They’re unable to come out and say how they feel about each other, so “If I Loved You” is full of timid hypothetical situations. What would it actually feel like if they were in love? Between their moments of honesty, they sing about the weather instead. When “Carousel” was revived on Broadway a few years back, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical generated considerable controversy, and with good reason. Billy and Julie are not exactly couple goals. But on its own, the song is one of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s very best.

In a total 180, this love song near the end of act one finds Professor Tom Collins and Angel Dumott Schunard confessing their love. Full of sweet harmonies and earnest feeling, the duet takes the form of a promise, and a clever reappropriation of the show’s title and themes. The two know more than most how precious life is. With whatever time is left on the lease of their lives, they’ll be each other’s comfort and peace. If it doesn’t make you cry the first time, the second act reprise of the song is another story. Collins vows to keep his promise, even if Angel is gone.

One of the most acclaimed Broadway musicals is also one of the darkest - and yet still one of the most romantic. Anthony, the idealistic young sailor, is struck by the image of Johanna at her window. She’s a caged bird, and he is smitten by her and instantly realizes he must save her. Singing this ode to Johanna’s golden hair, Anthony promises he will take her away from the cruel and oppressive Judge Turpin. Until then, though, he assures that he will be with her in spirit. Much like the rest of the show, his song for her is equal parts creepy and gorgeous.

Cole Porter is well known for his sophisticated wit and jaunty melodies, but he’s equally at home with songs of unrequited love, like this standard from “Kiss Me, Kate.” The musical centers around the personal lives and troubles of a group of actors putting on a production of “The Taming of the Shrew.” Sung by the actress Lilli Vanessi to her ex-husband, Fred, it’s a plea wrapped in a declaration of love. She’s so in love with him that it’s torturous and cruel. The number’s reprise in the second act finds Fred singing it back to her. It's intense, vulnerable, and earnest in a way that only the greatest love songs are.

A musical based on “Romeo and Juliet” wouldn’t be much of a success if it didn’t have one of the most romantic scores of all time. “Somewhere” is a crowd pleaser, but you could argue it doesn’t necessarily have to be about romantic love. Not so with “One Hand, One Heart.” The two star-crossed lovers’ vows to each other as they imagine what their wedding might look like. Composer Leonard Bernstein had actually composed the melody for another show, but loved it so much he found a place for it in “West Side Story.” It’s clear why he couldn’t let it go. It’s a breathtaking piece of music.

Wedding playlists were never the same after “The Music Man” dropped this one on the world. Simple, elegant, and brimming with feeling, librarian Marian Paroo’s confession of love for the grifter, Harold Hill, is the definition of romance. The lyrics tell of Marian’s shift in perspective since meeting Harold. Birds sing. Bells ring. The world is full of beauty she didn’t see or hear until he awakened it in her. Okay, well, if that’s not a declaration of love, what is? This one was so irresistible even the Beatles themselves got in on the action.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“What More Can I Say?” “Falsettos”
Marvin Ponders His Love for Whizzer

“Loving You,” “Passion”
Fosca Admits That Her Love for Giorgio Is Her Entire Purpose for Living

“On the Street Where You Live,” “My Fair Lady”
Freddy’s So in Love, He’ll Wait for Eliza All Night If He Has To

“Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered,” “Pal Joey”
An Ode to How Love Makes You a Little Crazy

“Unexpected Song,” “Song and Dance”
A Soaring Andrew Lloyd Webber Ballad Famously Performed by Bernadette Peters

In this Rodgers and Hammerstein song, Emile de Becque woos Nellie Forbush with poetic imagery of strangers meeting in crowded rooms and hearing her laugh in his dreams. “Some Enchanted Evening” moves with such ease that it almost feels effortlessly written. Of course, that’s the trick. It’s a perfect encapsulation of how the most stirring songs can be so simple. Andrew Lloyd Webber himself cites the song as the best ever written for a musical. Countless covers by stars as varied as Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan, Barbra Streisand, and The Temptations is proof that the song’s beauty can stand on its own.

What Broadway song makes you believe in love? Tell us in the comments.