When it comes to a romantic evening, music can be an important part of setting the scene.

In order to find out which tunes get people in the mood for romance, HMV asked their 2,000 staff to short list songs from a selection of popular classics and modern day love songs.

This list was then voted on by the public via a Twitter poll.

The comments received on the social networking site revealed very clearly that people became emotionally attached to the songs that soundtrack their lives, with their wedding day being the ultimate time to look for a special song.

Ed Sheeran's hit, Thinking Out Loud was the obvious favourite in the poll, beating off competition from huge acts such as Elton John, Etta James and George Michael.

The popular song has captured the hearts of lovers with lyrics such as 'take me into your loving arms, kiss me under the light of a thousand stars' and has been played at many a wedding.

The Framlingham-born singer/songwriter even gave the ultimate wedding gift to an Australian couple in 2015, with a surprise performance of the song at their ceremony.

The top 10 love songs:

1. Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud

2. Seal - Kiss From A Rose

3. George Michael - Careless Whisper

4. Taylor Swift - Love Story

5. Etta James - At Last

6. Ben E. King - Stand By Me

7. John Legend - All Of Me

8. Foreigner - I Want To Know What Love Is

9. Paramore - The Only Exception

10. Elton John - Your Song

• What's your favourite love song? Let us know in the comments below.