Let’s talk about unrequited love for a minute. One of the hardest facts that you will ever have to face in life is loving someone who doesn’t feel the same way about you. That’s why many songs about unrequited love have been written over the years.
We’ve all been there before. You fall head over heels for someone who doesn’t even know you exist or, even worse, looks at you as only “friend material.” Nothing makes you want to crawl into a hole and hide more than expressing your love for someone who immediately puts you in your place by saying that they care for you, but “not in that way.” If you have found yourself in this situation, here is a great list of songs that will resonate with you.
1. Can I Be Him by James Arthur
| Genre | Pop |
| Year Released | 2016 |
| Album | Back from the Edge |
We’ve all been in a situation before where we’ve been in love with someone who doesn’t love us back. However, how many of us have sat back and thought to ourselves, “I can be so much better for them than the person they’re with.” You know that you can be better for them than their significant other, but you just can’t find the opportunity to tell them. In James Arthur’s slow-tempo acoustic track “Can I Be Him,” this is precisely what’s going on. James Arthur is completely smitten with someone who already has a boyfriend, and he would gladly trade places with that boyfriend in a heartbeat.
2. The Heart Wants What It Wants by Selena Gomez
| Genre | Pop |
| Year Released | 2014 |
| Album | For You |
The heart is such a funny thing. It completely controls you, but you have no control over it. As much as you might like to, you cannot tell your heart what to feel and what not to feel. It’s a lot like what Selena Gomez says in her track, “The Heart Wants What It Wants.” What makes this song so unique is that it is autobiographical. Gomez says that this song documents many of the troubles that she went through with her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber. However, she says that all of the trials and tribulations that the two of them went through made her a better person.
3. A Thousand Years by Christina Perri
| Genre | Pop |
| Year Released | 2011 |
| Album | The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1: The Score |
How often is it that you get the opportunity to write a song that’s going to appear on the soundtrack to one of your favorite movie series of all time? Well, if I had to guess, the answer would not be that often. However, Christina Perri was given that opportunity when she was asked to write a song that would appear in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part One. As a self-professed Twilight fanatic, Perri said that she had to try to contain the emotional attachment she has to the series when writing the track that would be used as the theme for Edward and Bella’s star-crossed romance.
4. Grenade by Bruno Mars
| Genre | R&B, Blues, Pop |
| Year Released | 2010 |
| Album | Doo-Wops & Hooligans |
When asked about the meaning of “Grenade,” Bruno Mars said, “You’re so in love with this woman, and you don’t understand, ” What am I doing wrong? What am I not giving to you? I’ll go as far as putting a bullet in my brain for you, and why can’t I get that kind of love in return?” He added that he wanted to write about something that most people can relate to, and unfortunately, this is a situation I believe that we’ve all been in at least once. You give your all to someone, but it’s never enough for them, no matter how hard you try.
5. Put You in a Song by Keith Urban
| Genre | Country |
| Year Released | 2010 |
| Album | Get Closer |
Co-written by Keith Urban, Sarah Buxton, and Jedd Hughes, this was the first single from Urban’s seventh studio album, “Get Closer.” The track tells the age-old tale of a young man who has his eye on a young lady, even though he knows that she isn’t in his league. When asked about the inspiration for this song, Urban said: “I’ve always loved songs about the guy in love with the unattainable girl, and the idea that the only chance that this poor guy is ever going to have to get close to the object of his affection is to put her in a song.”
6. Everything You Want by Vertical Horizon
| Genre | Alternative, Indie |
| Year Released | 1999 |
| Album | Everything You Want |
There are lots of songs about unrequited love that are written from the perspective of the person who is in love with someone else that doesn’t know they exist, so to speak. However, what makes this song interesting is that the band Vertical Horizon has chosen to go another route and write a song from the perspective of the person who is being adored and admired, although they don’t feel the same about the person who is admiring them. That perspective is what I think makes this song so incredibly unique and refreshing. It’s also what gave Vertical Horizon their only Billboard number-one hit.
7. Creep by Radiohead
| Genre | Alternative Rock |
| Year Released | 1993 |
| Album | Pablo Honey |
Radiohead has developed a rapidly loyal fan base, and they are also a hit with the critics, placing four of their albums in Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Albums of All Time. Although their debut album Pablo Honey did not make that list, its first single, “Creep,” was the British band’s highest-charting single in the United States. Radiohead Lane vocalist Thom Yorke has gone on record as saying that the song is about someone who is dealing with their self-loathing disposition and realizing that they are not good enough for the one who they have their heart set on being with.
8. Losing My Religion by R.E.M.
| Genre | Alternative, Indie |
| Year Released | 1991 |
| Album | Out Of Time |
I can fully appreciate the mindset that the members of the Atlanta-based alternative band R.EM. must have been in to write this Grammy Award-winning track from 1991’s “Out Of Time.” The title of the song is a paraphrase of the Southern saying, “Lost my religion,” which generally occurs when someone tests your patience so much that they also make you lose faith in them and question the relationship. As I said, I’ve been there. You care for someone so much, and you grow weary of those feelings not being reciprocated that you question everything about that person and the relationship.
9. Better Now By Post Malone
| Genre | Rap, Hip-Hop |
| Year Released | 2018 |
| Album | Beerbongs & Bentleys |
In this song, Post Malone is thinking back about a past relationship and how he couldn’t give back the love that his former partner gave him. While this is a fairly unique concept, as most songs find the narrator on the other end of this scenario, what makes this song stand out is its high-energy beat and Post Malone’s unique delivery of the message. It transcends the definition of being categorized in a traditional genre and instead mixes Hip Hop, soul, and a little pop to create a new sound. The track was a big hit for Malone, reaching the number-three spot on the Billboard charts.
10. I Can’t Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt
| Genre | Rock, Folk, Country |
| Year Released | 1991 |
| Album | Luck of the Draw |
Bonnie Raitt has always been a respected musician and singer, but she caught the attention of the entire world when she won the Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for her album “Luck of the Draw.” Featured on that album was “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” which is about having an intense love for someone that, unfortunately, is not reciprocated. It’s also about coming to the heartbreaking realization that there’s nothing you can do to make someone love you when they don’t. What makes this song so unique is that she is admitting defeat, which is not something that you hear often.
11. Dreaming With a Broken Heart by John Mayer
| Genre | Singer-Songwriter |
| Year Released | 2006 |
| Album | Continuum |
First and foremost, I love the title of this song. It immediately paints a picture of what the track is about, and when it’s coupled with that loan piano playing, it sends the message that John Mayer is broken up about what’s happened between him and his significant other. She has broken up with him, which has him out of sorts. He goes on to imply that he is still madly in love with her. It has even gotten bad enough that he’s at the point where Mayer sees visions of this woman when she’s not there. Now, that’s what I call having it bad.
12. I Hate Myself for Loving You by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
| Genre | Hard Rock |
| Year Released | 1988 |
| Album | Up Your Alley |
Before having a successful solo career with her band The Blackhearts, Joan Jett was known for being the frontwoman and the founder of The Runaways. However, what most people don’t know about her is that she was born in Maryland but moved to Los Angeles with her parents to help her establish a musical career. After her parents divorced, she changed her name to Joan Jett, and the rest is history. “I Hate Myself for Loving You,” which is about giving all your love to someone who doesn’t give you any love and return, has become one of her most famous and beloved tracks.
13. Notice Me by Alli Simpson
| Genre | Alternative, Indie |
| Year Released | 2013 |
| Album | Notice Me |
I know that I’m not alone, and saying that, I have found myself in a situation more than once where I was infatuated with someone whom I thought didn’t reciprocate those feelings. Unfortunately, I might have missed out on a great experience because I was wrong in trying to form my interpretation of another person’s thoughts. This is exactly the sentiment that is captured in the track “Notice Me,” which is the second single from Australian singer Alli Simpson. In this song, Simpson tells us how she is smitten by someone who doesn’t seem to know that she’s alive; at least, that’s how it appears.
14. Tell Him by Celine Dion (Featuring Barbara Streisand)
| Genre | Pop |
| Year Released | 1997 |
| Album | Higher Ground |
Too many relationships are ended even before they have a chance to begin because one of the people involved is too scared to let the other know how they feel. This song, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals, has Celine Dion teaming up with Barbra Streisand to tell us a story that involves this particular scenario. What makes this song different is that Celine Dion sings the parts where she is being rational. Barbra Streisand’s Parts sound like she is the irrational side of a woman and is trying to convince herself to go for it.
15. Jessie’s Girl by Rick Springfield
| Genre | Pop, Rock |
| Year Released | 1981 |
| Album | Working Class Dog |
Although I can’t necessarily say that I have been in the same situation as Rick Springfield was singing about in his hit Billboard number-one single “Jessie’s Girl,” I have to respect him for having the courage to bring his feelings out into the open and bare his soul for everybody to see. They say that the best story is to draw inspiration from real life, and this song is no different. Springfield says that while he was taking a class to learn how to make stained glass, he met a guy and his girlfriend. He was instantly attracted to her, but she was not interested in him.
16. Over My Head by Fleetwood Mac
| Genre | Rock, Classic Rock |
| Year Released | 1975 |
| Album | Fleetwood Mac |
Fleetwood Mac’s keyboard player Christine McVie wrote and also sang lead vocals on this track about being crazy about a guy who she knows is bad for her because his mood changes like the weather. What makes this song different from other Fleetwood Mac songs is that Christine McVie rarely draws inspiration for her songs from real-life experiences, unlike her bandmate Stevie Nicks. For many years, there were theories that she wrote this song about her husband, John, but those rumors were put to bed by insisting that her songs were always fictional. This song was also Fleetwood Mac’s first foray into the Top 40
17. Nothin’ on You by B.O.B. (Featuring Bruno Mars)
| Genre | Rap, Hip-Hop |
| Year Released | 2010 |
| Album | B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray |
Bobby Ray Simmons, also known by his stage name B.O.B., is a rapper and a producer from Atlanta, Georgia. The gifted rapper released several mixtapes and EPS before releasing his debut album “B.o.B presents The Adventures of Bobby Ray.” He struck gold with this track, which is about a guy pleading his case to get with a girl whom he stands no chance with. In my opinion, what makes this song work so well and what made it a hit is that you get a much lighter side of B.O.B. paired with an infectious hook that is expertly delivered by Bruno Mars.
18. Black by Pearl Jam
| Genre | Grunge, Hard Rock |
| Year Released | 1991 |
| Album | Ten |
Seattle’s Pearl Jam came roaring out of the gate with their debut album “Ten,” which sold over 15.7 million copies worldwide based on the strength of singles like “Black.” The track is about first relationships, which are generally unrequited. One of the people involved wants the relationship to last forever, while the other feels like they have to move on. Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder had this to say about the song: “I’ve heard it said that you couldn’t have a true love unless it was a love unrequited. It’s a harsh one because then your truest one is the one you can’t have forever.”
19. Self-Esteem by The Offspring
| Genre | Punk Rock, Alternative Rock |
| Year Released | 1994 |
| Album | Smash |
It’s not very often that you will hear a band say that they don’t particularly care for the greatest hit they ever had, but The Offspring aren’t your ordinary, run-of-the-mill band. But that said, I feel like the fact that the song is semi-autobiographical makes it even more hilarious. Need vocalist Dexter Holland said that this song was written because of a former relationship the singer once had in which he was head-over-heels in love with a girl who didn’t feel the same way about him. Sadly, the girl was aware of this and used Holland to get what she wanted out of him.
20. You Don’t Know Me by Ray Charles
| Genre | Country |
| Year Released | 1962 |
| Album | Ray Charles’s Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music |
What makes Ray Charles so incredibly special is that his playing transcends genres. He can play anything from rock and roll to Blues to country, and he won’t miss a beat while doing so. In 1962, the gifted singer and piano player released an album in which he covered many of his favorite country songs, including the track “You Don’t Know Me,” which was originally written by Texas songwriter Cindy Walker and Eddy Arnold. The song tells the sad, age-old story of a guy who’s completely in love with a girl who is in love with a different guy and doesn’t return those feelings. If you like this song, I recommend listening to our full playlist of songs about falling in love.
21. Not In That Way by Sam Smith
| Genre | R&B, Blues |
| Year Released | 2014 |
| Album | In the Lonely Hour |
Sometimes they say that the simple approach is the best, and after hearing this track from Sam Smith, I would concur. In his heartbreaking acoustic ballad “Not In That Way,” he tells us the sad tale of him being in love with someone who tells him that they could never love him “in that way,” meaning that they don’t see him in a romantic light. While this message is far from unique, what makes this song special is the heartbreaking delivery of Sam Smith’s powerful vocals. This is one of those songs in which the singer’s delivery has the power to make you hurt right alongside him.
22. Foolish Games by Jewel
| Genre | Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Electric, Dance |
| Year Released | 1997 |
| Album | Batman & Robin (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
Choosing to forego her usual folk style of music, Jewel lets her voice shine on this somber piano-based ballad from the soundtrack to Joel Schumacher’s film Batman & Robin. I think that’s what makes this track so you need. She lets her voice convey all of the raw emotions contained within the song without the help of lots of instruments that can only distract you from the message of this beautiful track. What she was trying to get across on this track was the frustration that comes with dealing with unrequite
Hi, my name is Kevin and I’m from Butler, Pennsylvania. I’ve been obsessed with music and audio gear for as long as I can remember. I started this website to help people find professional advice related to a wide range of audio topics. We have a number of Audio Engineers on our team who have been designing and fixing audio gear for decades.