The 50 sexiest songs: By Marvin Gaye, the xx, Frank Ocean and more

"Ball and Biscuit" by the White Stripes

Dear Jack: You may have blotted your card recently, what with storming off the stage at Radio City and all. And sure, some of your style choices over the years have been questionable (that Zorro mustache). But we will never, ever question the fact that this cut, from 2003 breakthrough album Elephant, is one of the sexiest songs committed to vinyl. That slow, thumping beat, those tantalizing, scratchy guitar licks and of course, those lyrics, dripping with innuendo: “I’ll let you see it if you want to…” For this most masculine siren call, we offer our humblest, hottest thanks.—Sophie Harris

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"I Just Wanna Make Love to You" by Etta James

Issued on her 1961 debut album, At Last!, Etta James’s impossibly honest blues tune revealed a lot about her spirit: swinging, slinky and sassy. It also showed that she was a woman who knew what she wanted. Upon its release, the song immediately shot to the top of the charts; we can only imagine that the soul diva got exactly what she wanted in the bedroom, too.—Marley Lynch

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"Shut It Down" by Drake featuring The-Dream

"I feel like when she moves, the time doesn't," raps Drake in the middle of this seven-minute prog-soul opus, perfectly summing up the track's mind-warping slow burn. The song features a voyeur-style description of a woman suiting up for a night out, but it seems better suited to a snail-paced undressing.—Hank Shteamer

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"Climax" by Usher

One thing you can count on with Usher is consistency: Two decades into his career, the slick singer is still releasing songs as titillating as, say, “Bad Girl.” His recent single “Climax” dropped on Valentine’s Day 2012, and it's as surefire a soundtrack for horizontal listening as his earlier hits; according to Diplo, Usher proposed the idea of "tak[ing] the strip club to the stadium" with its production. And with that dead-sexy falsetto and wax-melting grooves, you can hear it.—Marley Lynch

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"The Sweetest Taboo" by Sade

In her 1984 hit "The Sweetest Taboo," Sade innocently sings, "Sometimes I think you're just too good for me/Every day is Christmas, and every night is New Year's Eve." Sade, just give it up. We all know what "New Year's" in this scenario entails. Between the English songstress's sultry voice and the sexy, Spanish-influenced melody, "The Sweetest Taboo" is a serious no-brainer when it comes to having a heart-thumping, sizzlingly hot time.—Rachel Sonis

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"Love to Love You Baby" by Donna Summer

When Eurodisco pioneer Giorgio Moroder famously asked Donna Summer to simulate throes of ecstasy for this trendsetting 1975 slab of taboo, the devoutly churchy singer initially demurred—then faked an estimated 22 orgasms for the track, inspiring millions to follow her lead. Time promptly dubbed her "the Queen of Love"; nowadays we'd surely be less discreet.—Steve Smith

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"Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" by Aretha Franklin

Has the Queen of Soul ever sounded more desirable than when she opens this ballad with the eternal couplet, "Take me to heart/And I'll always love you." Over the kind of slow-burn groove that has inspired bedroom moves for decades, Aretha sings of intense desire…but don't you dare forget to respect her while you work your moves.—Steve Smith

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"Closer" by Nine Inch Nails

You might remember it as a vintage-industrial keepsake, but Trent Reznor's 1994 hit is actually an X-rated funk masterpiece in disguise. That infamous "I want to fuck you like an animal" chorus flies only because the beat underneath it—famously simulated by a pumping heart in the video—feels so stubbornly sensual.—Hank Shteamer

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"Lady Marmalade" by Labelle

Few songs have thrown a spotlight on streetwalking the way this chart-topping 1974 smash did…and none made you want to get down (or learn to speak French) more. Cover versions have proliferated, but only Patti, Sarah and Nona deliver the real goods. All together now: "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?"—Steve Smith

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"Video Phone" by Beyoncé

If you’ve ever dreamed of Lady B paying a visit to your chamber, switch on this I Am... Sasha Fierce single, in which the singer laces her firm come-ons with plentiful coital oohs and ahhs. Let them inspire your own chorus of moans.—Adam Feldman

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Watch the video for "Video Phone" by Beyoncé