Few things hurt more than wanting someone who doesn’t feel the same way. Whether you’re stuck in the friend zone or pining for a stranger from afar, music has a way of putting those heavy feelings into words. These tracks are all about the ache of a one-sided romance and the struggle of letting go when your heart isn’t ready.
Be sure to check out the Songs About Unrequited Love Playlist at the bottom of this page.
Best Songs About Unrequited Love
1. “I Can’t Make You Love Me” – Bonnie Raitt
Lyric Sample: “You can’t make your heart feel something it won’t.”
This ’90s ballad is about the painful realization that you can’t force someone to have feelings for you, even when you’re willing to give them everything.
Related: Best Sad Songs
2. “I Know” – Fiona Apple
Lyric Sample: “I’ll wait by the backstage door.”
In “I Know,” Fiona Apple describes a sad dynamic where she’s willing to take whatever scraps of attention she can get.
3. “Creep” – Radiohead
Lyric Sample: “I want you to notice when I’m not around.”
This 1992 alt-rock hit is about the pain of being infatuated with someone and feeling like a “weirdo” who doesn’t belong in their world.
Related: “Creep” Meaning
4. “You Don’t Know Me” – Ray Charles
Lyric Sample: “No, you don’t know the one who dreams of you at night.”
Ray Charles’ 1960s hit describes the agony of watching the person you love date others while you keep your feelings hidden.
5. “Not in That Way” – Sam Smith
Lyric Sample: “I’d never ask you ’cause deep down I’m certain I know what you’d say.”
Smith’s 2014 acoustic tune is about the awkwardness of being in love with a friend who doesn’t see you as a romantic partner.
6. “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)” – The Temptations
Lyric Sample: “But in reality, she doesn’t even know me.”
The Temptations’ 1971 soul classic is about a man who dreams up a whole life with a woman who hasn’t even noticed him. It’s a lighthearted but sad look at one-sided love.
7. “Wish You Were Gay” – Billie Eilish
Lyric Sample: “To give your lack of interest an explanation, don’t say I’m not your type.”
In this 2019 track, Eilish wishes there were a logical, outside reason for a guy’s lack of interest in her so she wouldn’t have to feel personally rejected.
8. “1000 Times” – Sara Bareilles
Lyric Sample: “‘Cause I would die to make you mine.”
“1000 Times” describes the cycle of choosing to stay in love with someone even when it leads to constant disappointment.
9. “Man in a Shed” – Nick Drake
Lyric Sample: “Please stop my world from raining through on my head.”
Drake’s 1969 folk song tells a story about a man trying to get a woman’s attention while she ignores his existence.
10. “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” – The Police
Lyric Sample: “Do I have to tell the story of a thousand rainy days since we first met?”
Sting wrote this 1981 hit about the nervousness of having a crush on someone who remains unaware of your feelings. Even though he admires everything she does, he can’t find the words to tell her.
11. “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” – The Smiths
Lyric Sample: “Let me get what I want this time.”
This short ’80s track describes the desperation of someone who feels they’ve been passed over for too long and just wants a chance with the woman he desires.
12. “Black” – Pearl Jam
Lyric Sample: “I know someday you’ll have a beautiful life, I know you’ll be a star in somebody else’s sky.”
This classic grunge ballad is about the pain of a man who watches the world lose its color after losing the woman he believed was his soulmate.
Related: “Black” Meaning
13. “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” – Jeff Buckley
Lyric Sample: “It’s never over, my kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder.”
In this folk-pop tune, Buckley sings about the regret of a lost relationship and the hope that the person might return.
Related: “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” Meaning
14. “All I Want” – Kodaline
Lyric Sample: “But if you loved me, why’d you leave me?”
Kodaline’s 2013 hit describes the loneliness of a man who’s willing to change everything just to have one more chance with their ex.
Related: “All I Want” Song Meaning
15. “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing” – Jack Johnson
Lyric Sample: “Learning loving somebody don’t make them love you.”
Johnson’s 2005 folk-pop song is about a guy who’s tired of playing games and waiting around for a girl who doesn’t seem to care about his feelings.
16. “He Stopped Loving Her Today” – George Jones
Lyric Sample: “As the years went slowly by, she still preyed upon his mind.”
This 1980 country classic is about a man whose unrequited feelings finally came to an end only because he passed away.
Related: CMA – Single of the Year
17. “Layla” – Derek and the Dominos
Lyric Sample: “Like a fool, I fell in love with you, you turned my whole world upside down.”
Eric Clapton wrote this 1970 rock hit about his real-life obsession with his friend’s wife.
Related: “Layla” Song Meaning
18. “Almost Lover” – A Fine Frenzy
Lyric Sample: “Goodbye, my almost lover, goodbye, my hopeless dream.”
A Fine Frenzy’s 2007 track describes the type of grief that comes from a “what if” situation with someone who was never officially a partner.
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19. “Just a Friend” – Biz Markie
Lyric Sample: “You, you got what I need, but you say he’s just a friend.”
Biz Markie’s hip-hop hit is a classic story about being friend-zoned. He finds out the girl he likes is seeing someone else, even though she claims they are just friends.
Related: Best One-Hit Wonders
20. “Bad Religion” – Frank Ocean
Lyric Sample: “If it brings me to my knees, it’s a bad religion.”
This 2012 R&B track is about a man who uses a taxi ride as a confession session to vent about his love for someone who can’t love him back.
21. “Dancing on My Own” – Robyn
Lyric Sample: “I’m in the corner, watching you kiss her.”
In this synth-pop hit, Robyn sings about dancing in a club and watching her ex with someone new.
Related: Best Songs About Loneliness
22. “Crush” – David Archuleta
Lyric Sample: “‘Cause the possibility that you would ever feel the same way about me, it’s just too much.”
This pop track from the late 2000s is about the butterflies and anxiety of wondering if a crush feels the same way.
23. “Teardrops on My Guitar” – Taylor Swift
Lyric Sample: “I’ll bet she’s beautiful, that girl he talks about.”
Swift wrote “Teardrops on My Guitar” about a high school classmate who would talk to her about the girl he actually liked.
24. “I Want Your Love” – Chic
Lyric Sample: “Do you feel like you ever want to try my love and see how well it fits?”
This 1978 disco track is about the frustration of giving everything to someone who isn’t returning that same level of affection.
25. “Everything You Want” – Vertical Horizon
Lyric Sample: “I am everything you want, I am everything you need.”
“Everything You Want” is about being everything the object of your affection claims to be looking for, and watching them choose someone else anyway.
26. “Shiver” – Coldplay
Lyric Sample: “So I look in your direction, but you pay me no attention, do you?”
One of Coldplay’s earliest songs, “Shiver” is about promising to do anything, change anything, be anything, if only the person you’re after would give you a chance.
27. “Unrequited Love” – Yuna
Lyric Sample: “Why you gotta be my unrequited love?”
This 2016 pop song is about the internal battle of trying to force yourself to stop loving someone who clearly doesn’t feel the same way.
28. “Heather” – Conan Gray
Lyric Sample: “But you like her better, wish I were Heather.”
Gray’s 2020 folk-pop song deals with the jealousy of watching the person you love fall for someone else.
Related: Best Songs About Jealousy
29. “I Fall to Pieces” – Patsy Cline
Lyric Sample: “How can I be just your friend?”
This 1961 country classic is about the struggle to remain composed and stay just “friends” with someone you’re still in love with.
30. “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” – Meat Loaf
Lyric Sample: “I can’t lie, I can’t tell you that I’m somethin’ I’m not.”
Meat Loaf’s rock ballad is about a man who’s brutally honest with his partner, telling her he wants and needs her but will never actually love her.
31. “Jessie’s Girl” – Rick Springfield
Lyric Sample: “You know I wish that I had Jesse’s girl.”
Springfield’s #1 hit is about a man who’s intensely jealous of his best friend because he’s secretly in love with the friend’s girlfriend.
Related: Best Songs with Names in the Title
32. “Pink Triangle” – Weezer
Lyric Sample: “I’m dumb, she’s a lesbian, I thought I had found the one.”
“Pink Triangle” is a 1996 alt-rock song about a guy who’s imagined a whole future with a woman before noticing something that proves they’re definitely incompatible.
33. “Make You Feel My Love” – Bob Dylan
Lyric Sample: “I know you haven’t made your mind up yet, but I would never do you wrong.”
The oft-covered love song is about offering everything you have to someone who hasn’t chosen you yet, certain that, given the chance, you could give them something nobody else could.
Related: Best Wedding Songs
34. “Long, Long Time” – Linda Ronstadt
Lyric Sample: “‘Cause I’ve done everything I know to try and make you mine.”
“Long, Long Time” is a 1970 ballad about loving the same person for so long without any hope of return that the waiting itself has become its own kind of life.
35. “Waiting In Vain” – Bob Marley & The Wailers
Lyric Sample: “I don’t wanna wait in vain for your love.”
Marley’s 1977 reggae track is about a man who’s been waiting a long time for a woman to make up her mind about whether she wants to be with him.
36. “Stephen” – Kesha
Lyric Sample: “All I know is you’re my object of affection.”
This quirky pop track is about a girl who is obsessed with a guy who barely knows she exists. She spends her time calling him and wondering why he won’t give her a chance.
37. “Superstar” – The Carpenters
Lyric Sample: “Don’t you remember you told me you loved me, baby?”
This ’70s hit is told from the perspective of a fan who falls in love with a musician and is left with nothing but the sound of their voice on the radio.
Conclusion
Unrequited love songs have a way of making the most isolating feeling in the world seem shared, which is half the reason they exist. These songs remind us that loving someone who doesn’t love you back is one of the oldest stories there is.
If you enjoyed this list, you might also like our picks for the Saddest Songs, Songs About Jealousy, and Best Love Songs.
