Skip to main content

Want something to happen on happn? Try sending your match ‘Hello’ by Lionel Ritchie

If you can’t say it in words (and pictures get real racy real fast), the next best option when it comes to impressing a potential date may be sending a song. In a day and age where swipes constitute sideways glances and flirting is done via a Wi-Fi connection, our mating rituals are becoming more and more creative, and recently, dating app happn integrated Spotify onto its platform. This allows users of the app to connect with people they’ve crossed paths with and send their matches a musical message. According to its data, there are a few industry standards when it comes to sultry songs that get the message across pretty well.

Happn examined the top songs that users have sent to one another since the app introduced the Spotify integration, and found that some classics are classics for a reason. More than two decades after its release, Lionel Richie’s “Hello” is the most frequently sent song by both men and women for happn users across the world. American men in particular are also partial to the ballad, with Richie’s 1984 hit taking the top spot among most popular songs sent by men in the U.S. No. 2 on the global lists is also a venerable love jam: “You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate, first released in 1975, is the second most popular song sent by both men and women around the globe.

Recommended Videos

Indeed, when it comes to international trends, happn’s musical data suggests a skew toward the older classics — the Billboard Top 50 aren’t as prevalent when it comes to users outside of the U.S. In fact, three out of the top five songs sent by either men or women globally were released significantly more than 10 years ago — “Hello,” “You Sexy Thing,” Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” (No. 3 for men) and Jennifer Paige’s “Crush” (No. 4 for women).

Popular songs among American women were a bit more contemporary, with tunes like “We Are Young,” “Trap Queen,” and “Cool for the Summer” being sent frequently to their matches. “Can’t Feel My Face” and “Thinking Out Loud” also appeared a couple times across multiple lists, confirming the indiscriminate appeal of artists like The Weeknd and Ed Sheeran. The full lists for all demographics appear below:

Top Songs Men Send (Global)

  1. “Hello” by Lionel Richie
  2. “You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate
  3. “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye
  4. “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran
  5. “Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd

Top Songs Women Send (Global)

  1. “Hello” by Lionel Richie
  2. “You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate
  3. “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen
  4. “Crush” by Jennifer Paige
  5. “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran

Top Songs Men Send (U.S.)

  1. “Hello” by Lionel Richie
  2. “You Got It (The Right Stuff)” by New Kids on the Block
  3. “Gooey” by Glass Animals
  4. “The Most Beautiful Girl” Flight of the Conchords
  5. “Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd

Top Songs Women Send (U.S.)

  1. “We Are Young” by Fun. featuring Janelle Monae
  2. “Trap Queen” by Fetty Wap
  3. “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)” by Rubert Holmes
  4. “Cool for the Summer” by Demi Lovato
  5. “You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate

So if you’re looking for a suave way to send a message, you may want to consider a musical rendition via happn. After all, who knows what may happen as a result?

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
How to download music from SoundCloud on desktop and mobile
Soundcloud Interface on a Macbook.

If you're a die-hard music fan, you probably keep a curated library of playlists packed with your favorite artists and albums on Spotify, Apple Music, or whatever your favorite music streaming app is. But how do you discover the best indie artists today? Some music-streaming platforms are better than others at celebrating the ‘unsung gem’ acts, but one of the most reliable forums for new, off-the-grid tunes is SoundCloud.

Founded in 2007, SoundCloud has always prioritized music that’s a bit under the radar. With over 320 million tracks in its library, the platform will even let you download a majority of its songs and albums.

Read more
The best kids headphones of 2025: for fun, safety, and sound
Two kids using the Puro Sound PuroQuiet Plus to watch something on a tablet.

Kid-friendly consumer tech is all the rage these days, so it’s no surprise that there’s an entire market of headphones designed exclusively for young ones. But when we think “kid-friendly,” sometimes we imagine products that are built to be a bit more throwaway than their adult counterparts. That’s not the case with the products on our list of the best headphones for kids, though.

We want our child-tailored headphones to include parental-controlled volume limiters, to ensure our children aren’t harming their eardrums. Pretty much every entry on our list checks this vital box, but we also wanted to point you and yours toward products that offer exceptional noise-canceling, built-in mics for phone and video calls, and long-lasting batteries for schooldays or a long flight.

Read more
How to master your equalizer settings for the perfect sound
An equalizer from eqMac.

While most people will simply flip on the radio or load up Spotify to listen to music, audiophiles like to dig a bit deeper and customize their experience. This often comes in the form of adjustments to the equalizer, which offers the freedom to tweak every aspect of the sound booming out of headphones or speakers. Even some streaming services now have built-in EQs, giving you more ways than ever to play with your music and find something that best fits your ears.

Tinkering with the equalizer can be daunting to newcomers, as there are tons of cryptic settings you can manipulate. And if you mess with the wrong one, your sound quality might take a nasty hit. Thankfully, learning the basics isn't too difficult.

Read more