30. Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse, "Valerie" (2007)

 

Mark who? This is an old song, and technically this is Ronson's version, but Winehouse just struts away with it. Her catalog has a lot of "done me wrong" songs, but this one is just so pleading, so pure, that it stands out like a beehive hairdo in a sea of crewcuts. Amy, you were one of a kind. — A.H.     

 

29. The Doors, "Light My Fire" (1967)

This song hardly needs an explanation. Jim Morrison is ablaze with sexual desire and, presumably, drugs, which was confirmed when Ed Sullivan wouldn’t allow him to sing the suggestive and inflammatory line “Girl, we couldn’t get much higher.” But Morrison did it anyway, solidifying himself as a bad boy just looking for a light. Given the opportunity, I would be more than happy to oblige. — Carrie Dennis  

 

28. Rolling Stones, "Let’s Spend the Night Together" (1967)

He claims he’s in no hurry, and not to worry about what’s on my mind, but then in the same breath he tells me about all these physical discomforts I’m causing; his mouth is getting dry, he’s getting tongue tied, and you know what? He wants me. So I’m feeling pretty powerful. And then he drops the bomb: let’s spend the night together. Done and done. — C.D.   

 

27. T. Rex, "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" (1971)

Marc Bolan might have looked something like a little glam rock elf, but the monstrous swagger of this song, combined with come-ons like "You dance when you walk" make me think he was probably as good between the sheets as he was with a guitar. — D.B.     

 

26. Fiona Apple, "Criminal" (1998)

It's practically impossible to separate the audio of this track from that uber-sexy video. All Apple wants is to be redeemed for whatever sins she may have committed against her last guy, but the road to redemption is apparently paved with a lot of dirty, sexy stones. After all, she's been a bad, bad girl. — C.D.   

 

25. Wilson Pickett, "In the Midnight Hour" (1965)

 

Most seduction songs are concerned with the here and now, but Pickett's all about building a mood, and to great effect: nothing's as good as anticipation. Well, maybe the thing you're anticipating, but you get my drift. — A.H.  

 

24. Derek and the Dominos (Eric Clapton),"Layla" (1970)

"Layla" is a perfect tone poem and the pinnacle of longing. Clapton's desire for this unattainable woman (Patti Boyd in real life, who was at the time George Harrison's wife) is palpable as the song builds into one of the most unforgettable guitar riffs before seamlessly transitioning to that beautiful second movement. Martin Scorsese got it wrong in Goodfellas — the first half of this song is the dark, kind of scary part, and the second is all soft focus and satin sheets. — C.D.   

 

23. Peter Gabriel, "Sledgehammer" (1986)

The litany of sexual innuendos dropped in “Sledgehammer” is about as subtle as a... well, you get the idea. Gabriel turns everything from roller coasters to fruit cakes into a metaphor for “feeding the rhythm,” and punches them all up with the sultry rhythms of a synthesized flute. Come on, let me be your honey bee.  — Jeremy Popkin

 

22. Sly & the Family Stone, "Just Like a Baby" (1971)

This is what late nights and wrinkled sheets sound like. — A.H.    

 

21. Bob Dylan, "I Want You" (1966)

Who doesn't want to be wanted? Who hasn't felt so crushed-out and excitable that they'd like to tell the object of their affection repeatedly how much they want them? The rest of the song is one of Dylan's surrealistic jaunts through a world entirely of his creation, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter, because all he wants out of it is you. — A.M.