# These 4 Soul Songs Have a Knack for Putting Love Into Words

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/these-4-soul-songs-have-a-knack-for-putting-love-into-words/
- Published: 2026-11-05T18:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T19:53:16+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/these-4-soul-songs-have-a-knack-for-putting-love-into-words/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Four soul songs put love into words.
- Two versions of “When a Man Loves a Woman” reached number one.
- “I Say a Little Prayer” reflected the Vietnam War era.

## Summary

The article highlights four soul songs as memorable expressions of love: “My Girl” by the Temptations, Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman”, Aretha Franklin’s “I Say a Little Prayer” and Nat King Cole’s “L-O-V-E”. It presents them as songs that capture different forms of romance, from devoted affection to longing.

Smokey Robinson and Ronald White wrote “My Girl”; the article says it may have been inspired by Robinson’s wife, Claudette. Sledge’s recording of “When a Man Loves a Woman” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, as did Michael Bolton’s 1991 version. “I Say a Little Prayer” was written from the perspective of a woman praying for a partner serving in the Vietnam War, while “L-O-V-E” is noted for spelling out its central theme.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.