Some people dread it, some people count down the days like it's Christmas. Here at Hot Press, we're not here to judge whichever way you feel about Valentine's Day, we're just here to provide you with the best musical content to get you through the next 24 (or so) hours.

To that end, we've curated a playlist full of exultant love anthems, bluesy heartbreak numbers, and some genuinely moving songs of affection from every spectrum of the music world.

We pay tribute to the Irish contingent who've redefined love songs over the years. Sinead O'Connor's 'Nothing Compares 2 U' stands up as one of the most powerful heartbreak songs ever recorded, while The Cranberries' 'Linger' is a pristine work about love and regret, delivered by the band's incomparable, still-missed-to-this-day lead singer Dolores O'Riordan.

Throwbacks for the day include that '90s-teen-movie-earworm, 'Kiss Me', by Six Pence None The Richer; Johnny Cash's timeless ode to his wife with 'I Promise You'; Christina Aguilera's 'Beautiful', from when she was truly at her RnB/pop zenith; and the mahogany vocals of Frank Sinatra on 'The Way You Look Tonight'.

For those from an age slightly younger than that, we feature some of the artists penning love songs for a new generation. Ariana Grande has redefined the way we listen to, and consume music, with her heart-on-sleeve lyrics; her song 'imagine', which we've included here, deals with love in the digital age. Elsewhere, Kacey Musgraves has enlivened the country genre with her Grammy Award-winning album Golden Hour, meaning that her standout track 'Love Is A Wild Thing' deserves an inclusion.

We've also included some tracks from a few Irish bleeding hearts not doing too badly for themselves these days, including Messrs. Hozier and Picture This...

Listen to the playlist in full here:

Valentines Day ♥️

A playlist featuring BØRNS, Johnny Cash, Paolo Nutini, and others