London - The orchestrated pleadings of Marvin Gaye and the crescendo of Ravel's Boléro are the true sounds of seduction, a new study has confirmed. But there is no place for Bohemian Rhapsody in the bedroom.
Soul legend Gaye's reputation as the “boudoir king” is justified by the mood-enhancing combination of earthy vocals and lush, circular melodies, argues Dr Daniel Müllensiefen, music psychologist at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Dr Müllensiefen analysed the results of a Spotify survey of 2,000 music fans, which identified the songs most likely to form the playlist for an amorous encounter.
Ravel's Boléro proved one of the most popular accompaniments to the act itself, along with the entire soundtrack to the 1980s film Dirty Dancing - a sign that women are more likely to control the soundtrack in the bedroom. The film's storyline provides a romantic fantasy for many women and the collection of 1950s hits culminates with the ideal post-coital outcome, (I've Had) The Time of My Life.
Marvin Gaye's Sexual Healing and Let's Get It On were the songs most likely to help a couple to get “in the mood”.
“The tracks that get us in the mood all possess the same qualities, including a greater dynamic range, more use of the high chest voice, more raspiness in the voice, and less use of vocal vibrato,” said Dr Müllensiefen, co-director of the Masters programme in music, mind and brain at Goldsmiths. “These specific attributes are strongly evident in the Marvin Gaye tracks Sexual Healing and Let's Get It On.”
The Gaye songs are “smooth and have no distracting orchestration. They possess a circular and emotional quality which goes really well with the voice, which conveys passion and emotion. It's very well suited to the bedroom.”
Dr Müllensiefen admitted he was initially surprised by the popularity of Boléro as a musical aphrodisiac. “But it makes sense,” he said. “It's 17 minutes long, the right length for a sex episode, and it builds in dynamics constantly to a huge crescendo. Rhythmically it is repetitive and features two melodies which spiral over and over.”
The popularity of Boléro as seduction soundtrack can be traced to its appearance in the 1979 film 10, as the backdrop to a scene in which Bo Derek makes love to Dudley Moore, rather than its more familiar guise as the soundtrack to Torvill and Dean's gold-medal winning ice dance at the 1984 Winter Olympics.
Men are more likely to defer to their partners when choosing a soundtrack. “Much depends on taste,” Dr Müllensiefen said. “If a woman doesn't like rock music then it's best to avoid anything with loud guitars.”
Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody topped the list of songs least likely to become a bedroom soundtrack. “Anything that is distracting or demands attention, or has elements of the unexpected, is not so good for romance,” the psychology lecturer said.
“Bohemian Rhapsody' has too many different parts and breaks. It breaks the concentration. These unexpected turning points do create strong emotional feelings, however, which can be positive in other contexts.”
HITS AND MISSES: THE SURVEY RESULTS
Top five songs to play during sex…
1 Dirty Dancing - Anything from the soundtrack
2 Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing
3 Ravel - Boléro
4 Berlin - Take My Breath Away
5 Barry White - Anything from his collection
…and the bottom five
1 Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
2 Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire
3 Robbie Williams - Angels
4 Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell
5 Bon Jovi - Livin' on a Prayer - The Independent