There may be no quicker way to start an argument among music lovers than to ask them to name the greatest R&B song of all time.

And trust us, we saw your quips, your questions and the thoughtful banter. We saw the songs you swore should’ve been higher, the artists you couldn’t believe didn’t make the cut and, of course, the very strong opinions about what actually qualifies as one of the greatest R&B songs ever made. We expected nothing less.

Because here’s the thing: narrowing decades of R&B down to just 50 songs was never going to be easy—or completely objective. This wasn’t a matter of pulling chart positions, streaming numbers or sales figures and letting the data decide. The ESSENCE editorial team approached the list as music lovers first, thinking about the records that have not only defined R&B across generations, but have become part of the fabric of Black life.

We considered vocal performance and songwriting, of course, but also cultural impact, longevity and influence. Did the song shift the sound of R&B? Has it survived well beyond the era in which it was released? Is it still being played at weddings, cookouts and family reunions? Can the first few seconds send an entire room into a collective sing-along? And perhaps most importantly: does it still make you feel something?

But we weren’t only considering individual songs. We were also thinking about the artists behind them and the larger bodies of work that helped shape R&B as we know it. When you’re talking about catalogs belonging to Stevie Wonder, Prince, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé and so many others, choosing a single record becomes an exercise in understanding what that song represents within a much larger legacy. We considered an artist’s overall contribution to the genre, the sounds and vocal styles they helped introduce or perfect, the generations they influenced and the cultural footprint their music has left behind.

In other words, a great R&B song doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Some records became the blueprint. Others pushed against it. Some introduced an entirely new sound, while others simply took everything R&B already did well—storytelling, musicianship, vocals, harmony, vulnerability—and did it exceptionally.

And then there are the songs that became ours.

For every person who believes Stevie Wonder’s “As” is as close to perfection as music gets, there’s someone ready to make the case for Prince’s “Adore.” Put on the opening notes of Tevin Campbell’s “Can We Talk” in the right room and you may not hear another word of the song over everybody singing along. And there are certain records—Frankie Beverly & Maze’s “Before I Let Go” chief among them—that have become so embedded in Black life that calling them simply “songs” almost feels inadequate.

So when the ESSENCE content team set out to name the 50 greatest R&B songs ever made, we knew two things: everybody wasn’t going to agree, and that was part of the fun.

What emerged is a list that stretches across generations, from the soul records that helped define the genre to the songs that shaped the ‘80s and ‘90s golden age of R&B and the artists carrying its traditions forward today. More than anything, it is a reminder of just how expansive R&B has always been.

Take our No. 1 selection, Stevie Wonder’s “As.” Released on his landmark 1976 album, Songs in the Key of Life, the record manages to make a promise of everlasting love feel almost cosmic. Nearly 50 years later, it still sounds as sincere and expansive as it did then. That timelessness became one of the qualities we returned to again and again while building this list.

You can hear it in Anita Baker’s “Sweet Love,” Luther Vandross’ “Never Too Much” and Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together.” You can certainly hear it in Donny Hathaway’s rendition of “A Song for You.” These are records that have survived changing radio formats, technology, trends and generations because the feeling at their center never gets old.

But R&B isn’t only about romantic love at its most beautiful. Some of its greatest records live in everything that happens when love gets complicated.

Mary J. Blige made heartbreak feel communal on “Not Gon’ Cry.” Toni Braxton brought a depth and maturity well beyond her years to “Love Should Have Brought You Home.” Keyshia Cole turned one word—“Love”—into one of the most recognizable cries of 2000s R&B. Brandy’s “Have You Ever” captured the ache of wanting someone who may never want you quite the same way. And Mariah Carey’s “We Belong Together” made longing sound like an emergency.

That emotional candor is part of R&B’s staying power. These songs gave us language for desire, heartbreak, devotion, loneliness and the complicated space in between.

Then, of course, there are the voices.

Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” remains a masterclass in what happens when extraordinary vocal ability meets the right song. Patti LaBelle’s “If Only You Knew” builds patiently before giving way to the kind of vocal release that has made the record a standard. SWV’s “Weak,” Jodeci’s “Forever My Lady,” Xscape’s “Who Can I Run To” and En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go (Love)” remind us of an era when harmonies mattered just as much as the person singing lead.

And R&B has never stopped evolving.

Erykah Badu’s “On & On” helped usher neo-soul into the mainstream. Aaliyah and Timbaland’s “One in a Million” sounded like the future when it arrived and, remarkably, still does. Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You” helped redefine what contemporary R&B could sound and feel like for a new generation. Ari Lennox’s “New Apartment” found freedom in solitude, while Kehlani’s “Folded” proves that even as production and listening habits change, the genre’s greatest currency remains the same: feeling.

There are 50 songs here, but there could easily have been 100 more.

That may be the clearest takeaway from putting this list together. R&B has given us wedding songs and breakup songs, cookout records and quiet-storm staples, songs to slow dance to and songs to scream from the driver’s seat. These records have soundtracked first loves, last loves, family reunions, Saturday mornings and late nights.

So yes, debate the rankings. Tell us what should have been higher. Tell us what we missed. Defend your favorite with your whole chest. That’s part of loving R&B, too.

1. Stevie Wonder – As 
2. Tevin Campbell- Can We Talk
3. Whitney Houston – I Have Nothing 
4. Prince – Adore 
5. Frankie Beverly & Maze – Before I Let Go
6. Donny Hathaway – A Song For You
7. Luther Vandross- Never Too Much 
8. SWV – Weak
9. Earth, Wind & Fire- Reasons 
10. Lauryn Hill & D’Angelo – Nothing Even Matters 
11. Anita Baker – Sweet Love 
12. Mariah Carey – We Belong Together 
13. Sade – No Ordinary Love 
14. Teddy Pendergrass- Love TKO
15. Fantasia – When I See You
16. Tony Toni Tone- Anniversary
17. Mary J. Blige – Not Gon’ Cry
18. Janet Jackson – I Get So Lonely 
19. Jodeci – Forever My Lady
20. Michael Jackson – Heave Can Wait 
21. Al Green- Let’s Stay Together
22. Beyoncé – Dangerously In Love 2 
23. LTD- Love Ballad
24. Lenny Williams – Because I Love You
25. Marvin Gaye – Sexual Healing  
26. Erykah Badu – On & On 
27. BabyFace- Whip Appeal
28. New Edition –  Can You Stand The Rain
29. Brandy – Have You Ever 
30. Usher – Superstar
31. Patti LaBelle – If Only You Knew 
32. Isley Brothers- For The Love of You
33. Toni Braxton – Love Should Have Brought You Home Last Night 
34. Dru Hill – We’re Not Making Love 
35. Jill Scott – The Way 
36. Faith Evans- Soon As I Get Home 
37. Zapp – Computer Love 
38. Aaliyah- One In A Million 
39. Monica – Why I Love You So Much 
40. Keyshia Cole – Love 
41. Frank Ocean – Thinkin Bout You 
42. Ari Lennox- New Apartment
43. The Deele – Two Occasions
44.  En Vogue – Don’t Let Go (Love)
45. Keke Wyatt & Avant – Nothing In This World 
46. Ginuwine – So Anxious
47. Xscape – Who Can I Run To
48. Kehlani- Folded
49. Groove Theory- Tell Me
50. You- Jesse Powell