While this may have been the intent of colloquial “romantic” music, it certainly doesn’t take two to enjoy the slow rhythms of easy listening scores, with perhaps jazz inspirations or a touch of classical.
Western classical music first introduced the concept of romantic music to the public in the 1700s and it wasn’t necessarily written with sex or intimacy in mind. Romanticism was a movement and a reaction to the “age of enlightenment” and Industrial Revolution, which promoted a scientific view of life, not one of nature.
Thus much of Romanticism music was inspired by the idea of surrendering to nature, thinking nostalgically about the past, thinking with a mystic or supernatural view, as well as a dispensing of musical formulas—at least at the time.
Some modern songs, although not necessarily jazz, are also associated with intimacy and romance, such as Let’s Get It On by Marvin Gaye, Drops of Jupiter by Train, and Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin, which actually does follow the format of classic Romanticism music, ironically enough.
Chamber music is also associated with intimate music and it comes from the 1700s, when instrumental numbers were played by a small ensemble with one player to a part. The string quarter was the big number and these scores were often played in palace chambers where only a small orchestra could gather. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once likened chamber music to “four rational people conversing.”
Ludwig van Beethoven certainly appreciated intimacy and his pieces were often called erotic because of their fast pace and hard notes. Wagner even called Beethoven “greatest female sex organ in music,” which one could only take as a compliment, right?
Today intimate royalty free music is available to download for movie makers and editors that want to add a bit of feeling, relaxation and maybe even “love” to their projects. You can certainly hear the passion if you listen closely.