Sheryl Crow wants to get married.

The 52-year-old singer - who has adopted sons Wyatt, seven, and Levi, four - admits she has ''old-fashioned'' values, but would rather never make it down the aisle than end up divorced.

She said: ''I would love to get married - I'm still old-fashioned. But I don't think marriage is the be-all and end-all. It's better to have three broken engagements than three divorces.''

The 'All I Wanna Do' hitmaker - who has previously dated singer Eric Clapton, actor Owen Wilson and disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong - admitted some of her past relationships have left her feeling ''small''.

She told Good Housekeeping magazine: ''I had always gone out with guys who were highly successful, which would seem like it would put me at an equal level.

''But what ends up happening is that one of you becomes smaller - and it was always me. It's always the woman. I mean, I don't know if it's always the woman, but I do think sometimes in order for one person's light to shine, everyone else has to dim theirs.''

These days, however, Sheryl's idea of relationships have changed after taking advice from a friend, who told her: ''Embrace the idea of only having equals in your life, and you'll see your relationships change.''

And the 'If It Makes You Happy' star insists on getting to know any potential boyfriends as a ''friend first'' for the sake of her sons.

She explained: ''They weren't gonna wake up and find somebody sleeping in their house or feel abandoned because the relationship fell apart.''