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Sexy Songs of the 1970s: Funk, Disco, Soul, Rock, and Slow Jams

Sexy songs of the 1970s came from almost every corner of popular music. Soul singers whispered, disco stars turned the dance floor into a heat lamp, rock bands leaned into innuendo, and country-pop occasionally raised an eyebrow while pretending to be polite.

This list is not about chart rank alone. These are 1970s songs remembered for mood, groove, double meanings, romantic tension, dance-floor heat, and the kind of lyrics that sound innocent until an adult hears a child singing them in the back seat.

The 1970s were especially good at making sexy music sound smooth, funny, dramatic, or completely shameless. Marvin Gaye, Donna Summer, Barry White, Teddy Pendergrass, Rod Stewart, Prince, Labelle, Queen, and KC & The Sunshine Band all found different ways to say, “Maybe dim the lights.” Some used velvet. Some used disco balls. Some used a dashboard.

The 10 Sexiest Songs of the 1970s

  1. Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye

    Marvin Gaye turned romantic invitation into one of soul music’s most recognizable records. Smooth, warm, and direct, this is the song that politely knocks before kicking the door open.

  2. Love to Love You Baby – Donna Summer

    Donna Summer helped push disco into more sensual territory with this Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte production. It was hypnotic, controversial, and impossible to confuse with a church picnic.

  3. I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby – Barry White

    Barry White did not need to rush. His voice alone sounded like low lighting, a velvet couch, and a bass line that had already made dinner reservations.

  4. Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) – Rod Stewart

    Rod Stewart leaned fully into the seductive soft-rock lane here. The song was romantic, suggestive, and very confident in its own candle budget.

  5. You Sexy Thing – Hot Chocolate

    This is one of the happiest sexy songs of the decade. Funky, playful, and instantly recognizable, it sounds less like a secret and more like a celebration.

  6. Hot Stuff – Donna Summer

    Donna Summer moved from dreamy disco sensuality into a stronger, rock-edged dance record. It is desire with a bigger beat and better shoes.

  7. Paradise by the Dashboard Light – Meat Loaf

    Few sexy songs are this theatrical, funny, and overstuffed in the best possible way. It turns teenage lust into a full rock opera with play-by-play commentary.

  8. Kiss You All Over – Exile

    This soft-rock favorite is slow, slick, and very clear about its intentions. It is the musical equivalent of polyester trying to behave.

  9. Lady Marmalade – Labelle

    Bold, funky, and unforgettable, Lady Marmalade brought New Orleans-flavored attitude and a famous French phrase into mainstream pop culture.

  10. Close the Door – Teddy Pendergrass

    Teddy Pendergrass made quiet-storm soul feel intimate, grown, and confident. The title alone does half the work.

1970s Soul and R&B Slow Jams

When people think of sexy 1970s soul songs, they usually land somewhere between Marvin Gaye, Barry White, Al Green, Teddy Pendergrass, Bill Withers, and Roberta Flack. This was music built around voice, groove, mood, and patience.

  • Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye
  • I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby – Barry White
  • Love Serenade – Barry White
  • Pillow Talk – Sylvia
  • Me and Mrs. Jones – Billy Paul
  • Use Me – Bill Withers
  • Close the Door – Teddy Pendergrass
  • Turn Off the Lights – Teddy Pendergrass
  • Feel Like Makin’ Love – Roberta Flack
  • Love and Happiness – Al Green
  • Let’s Stay Together – Al Green
  • Tell Me Something Good – Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
  • Somebody’s Gettin’ It – Johnnie Taylor
  • Let’s Go Somewhere and Make Love – Jackie Moore
  • I Want’a Do Something Freaky to You – Leon Haywood

Disco Songs That Turned Up the Heat

Disco gave sexy 1970s songs a bigger beat, brighter lights, and a dance floor. Donna Summer became the queen of the lane, but Diana Ross, Anita Ward, Musique, Andrea True Connection, and KC & The Sunshine Band all added their own sparkle.

  • Love to Love You Baby – Donna Summer
  • Hot Stuff – Donna Summer
  • Bad Girls – Donna Summer
  • I Feel Love – Donna Summer
  • Dim All the Lights – Donna Summer
  • Love Hangover – Diana Ross
  • Ring My Bell – Anita Ward
  • More, More, More – Andrea True Connection
  • In the Bush – Musique
  • Get Down Tonight – KC & The Sunshine Band
  • Love Machine – The Miracles
  • Do Ya Think I’m Sexy? – Rod Stewart

Sexy 1970s Rock Songs

Rock songs in the 1970s were not always subtle. Sometimes they were romantic. Sometimes they were funny. Sometimes they were just standing in the middle of the room, wearing tight pants and hoping nobody asked too many questions.

  • Paradise by the Dashboard Light – Meat Loaf
  • Bang a Gong (Get It On) – T. Rex
  • Go All the Way – The Raspberries
  • Feel Like Makin’ Love – Bad Company
  • Big Ten Inch Record – Aerosmith
  • Tush – ZZ Top
  • Fat Bottomed Girls – Queen
  • Cat Scratch Fever – Ted Nugent
  • Love Is the Drug – Roxy Music
  • Big Balls – AC/DC
  • I Just Want to Make Love to You – Foghat
  • Good Girls Don’t – The Knack
  • Only the Good Die Young – Billy Joel
  • Night Moves – Bob Seger
  • Burning Love – Elvis Presley

Funk, Groove, and Dance-Floor Heat

Funk brought the swagger. These songs were built on bass lines, rhythm sections, horns, and grooves that did not need to explain themselves.

  • Brick House – The Commodores
  • Skin Tight – Ohio Players
  • Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine – James Brown
  • Do It (’Til You’re Satisfied) – B.T. Express
  • Do Your Thing – Isaac Hayes
  • Hot to Trot – Wild Cherry
  • Fantasy – Earth, Wind & Fire
  • Groove Me – King Floyd
  • Jungle Fever – The Chakachas
  • Soft and Wet – Prince
  • I Wanna Be Your Lover – Prince

Funny, Naughty, and Double-Meaning 1970s Songs

Some sexy songs are smooth. Others walk in wearing a fake mustache and carrying a whoopee cushion. The 1970s had plenty of funny, naughty, and double-meaning records that were playful enough for radio but clear enough for adults to get the joke.

  • Afternoon Delight – Starland Vocal Band
  • Brand New Key – Melanie
  • Telephone Man – Meri Wilson
  • My Ding-a-Ling – Chuck Berry
  • Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me – The Rocky Horror Picture Show Cast
  • If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me – The Bellamy Brothers
  • Reelin’ and Rockin’ – Chuck Berry

Country, Pop, and Soft-Rock Seduction Songs

Not every sexy 1970s song came from soul, disco, funk, or rock. Pop, country-pop, and soft rock also had their share of romantic, suggestive, or eyebrow-raising moments.

  • Do That to Me One More Time – Captain & Tennille
  • Make It with You – Bread
  • If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me – The Bellamy Brothers
  • Miracles – Jefferson Starship
  • Stir It Up – Bob Marley & The Wailers
  • Love Is the Drug – Roxy Music
  • Burning Love – Elvis Presley
  • Kiss You All Over – Exile

Artist Spotlight: Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On became one of the defining sensual soul records of the 1970s. It was released in 1973 and helped move Gaye from socially conscious soul into a warmer, more intimate sound without losing his musical sophistication.

The song works because it feels romantic rather than cartoonish. Marvin did not need a wink and a neon sign. He had tone, timing, and one of the smoothest grooves of the decade.

Artist Spotlight: Donna Summer

Donna Summer owned a major part of the 1970s sexy-song conversation. Love to Love You Baby, Hot Stuff, Bad Girls, I Feel Love, and Dim All the Lights show how easily she moved between sensual disco, electronic innovation, and pop-radio power.

Her work with Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte helped shape the future of disco and electronic dance music. The beat was not just hot; it had a passport.

Artist Spotlight: Barry White

Barry White turned the spoken intro into an event. His records were not just songs; they were slow-motion entrances with strings, bass, and a voice that sounded like it had its own velvet rope.

I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby and Love Serenade made him one of the decade’s essential romantic soul figures. If the 1970s had a dimmer switch, Barry White probably installed it.

Artist Spotlight: Teddy Pendergrass

Teddy Pendergrass brought a powerful, grown-up soul presence to late-1970s romantic music. Close the Door and Turn Off the Lights were direct, intimate, and built around a voice that did not need to over-explain.

His solo work helped define the quiet-storm side of R&B. It was smooth, serious, and very much not background music.

Artist Spotlight: Prince

Prince arrived at the end of the 1970s with a sound that was already playful, funky, and boldly sensual. Soft and Wet and I Wanna Be Your Lover pointed toward the much larger artistic explosion that would come in the 1980s.

Even early on, Prince sounded like he had read the rulebook, laughed, and rewrote it in purple ink.

Full List of Sexy 1970s Songs

This full 1970s sexy songs list keeps the original spirit of the old page while cleaning up titles, artists, punctuation, and duplicates.

    1. Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye
    2. Tonight’s the Night (Gonna Be Alright) – Rod Stewart
    3. Love to Love You Baby – Donna Summer
    4. I’m Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby – Barry White
    5. You Sexy Thing – Hot Chocolate
    6. Hot Stuff – Donna Summer
    7. Paradise by the Dashboard Light – Meat Loaf
    8. Kiss You All Over – Exile
    9. Burning Love – Elvis Presley
    10. Brand New Key – Melanie
    11. Bad Girls – Donna Summer
    12. Afternoon Delight – Starland Vocal Band
    13. Jungle Fever – The Chakachas
    14. Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? – Rod Stewart
    15. In the Bush – Musique
    16. Do That to Me One More Time – Captain & Tennille
    17. Tell Me Something Good – Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
    18. Brick House – Commodores
    19. Love Serenade – Barry White
    20. Pillow Talk – Sylvia
    21. Me and Mrs. Jones – Billy Paul
    22. Use Me – Bill Withers
    23. Night Moves – Bob Seger
    24. Lady Marmalade – Labelle
    25. I Wanna Be Your Lover – Prince
    26. Ring My Bell – Anita Ward
    27. Close the Door – Teddy Pendergrass
    28. Love Hangover – Diana Ross
    29. Groove Me – King Floyd
    30. Get Down Tonight – KC & The Sunshine Band
    31. Go All the Way – Raspberries
    32. Make It with You – Bread
    33. Fantasy – Earth, Wind & Fire
    34. Let’s Stay Together – Al Green
    35. Turn Off the Lights – Teddy Pendergrass
    36. If I Said You Had a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me – The Bellamy Brothers
    37. More, More, More – Andrea True Connection
    38. Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me – The Rocky Horror Picture Show Cast
    39. I Feel Love – Donna Summer
    40. Love Machine – The Miracles
    41. Bang a Gong (Get It On) – T. Rex
    42. Telephone Man – Meri Wilson
    43. Feel Like Makin’ Love – Roberta Flack
    44. Feel Like Makin’ Love – Bad Company
    45. Only the Good Die Young – Billy Joel
    46. Good Girls Don’t – The Knack
    47. Reelin’ and Rockin’ – Chuck Berry
    48. Hot to Trot – Wild Cherry
    49. Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine – James Brown
    50. Stir It Up – Bob Marley & The Wailers
    51. I Want’a Do Something Freaky to You – Leon Haywood
    52. Soft and Wet – Prince
    53. Love and Happiness – Al Green
    54. Dim All the Lights – Donna Summer
    55. Skin Tight – Ohio Players
    56. Miracles – Jefferson Starship
    57. Big Ten Inch Record – Aerosmith
    58. Do It (’Til You’re Satisfied) – B.T. Express
    59. Do Your Thing – Isaac Hayes
    60. Big Balls – AC/DC
    61. I Just Want to Make Love to You – Foghat
    62. Somebody’s Gettin’ It – Johnnie Taylor
    63. Let’s Go Somewhere and Make Love – Jackie Moore
    64. Love Is the Drug – Roxy Music
    65. Tush – ZZ Top
    66. My Ding-a-Ling – Chuck Berry
    67. Fat Bottomed Girls – Queen
    68. Cat Scratch Fever – Ted Nugent
  1. Foxy Lady – Jimi Hendrix Experience

Sexy 1970s Songs Trivia

  • Let’s Get It On was released in 1973 and became one of Marvin Gaye’s signature songs.
  • Love to Love You Baby helped establish Donna Summer as a major disco figure and became one of the decade’s most famous sensual dance records.
  • Big Ten Inch Record was not originally an Aerosmith song. Their 1975 version covered a much older jump-blues record by Bull Moose Jackson.
  • Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me came from *The Rocky Horror Picture Show*, which turned camp, rock, and sexual comedy into a midnight-movie phenomenon.
  • Brand New Key by Melanie has long been discussed as a possible double entendre song, though Melanie herself has offered more innocent explanations over the years.

Why Sexy Songs of the 1970s Still Work

Sexy songs of the 1970s still work because the decade had so many different ways to build mood. Soul gave the decade warmth, disco gave it motion, funk gave it swagger, rock gave it nerve, and soft pop gave it a wink.

The range is the fun part. Let’s Get It On, Love to Love You Baby, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Afternoon Delight, Lady Marmalade, Brick House, Close the Door, and Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? all live under the same broad umbrella, but they do not sound remotely alike.

The 1970s did not invent sexy songs, but the decade gave them bass lines, orchestral strings, disco lights, funk grooves, rock guitars, and a lot of confidence. Some songs were romantic. Some were funny. Some were barely wearing a metaphor. Together, they remain one of the most entertaining corners of 1970s pop culture.