If you have fallen in love but your crush doesn’t love you back, you probably know that love hurts. Loving someone who doesn’t reciprocate your feeling of admiration can be truly depressing. In fact, unrequited love has been timeless torture and some of the greatest poets in history had a lot to say about it. So, we decided to list the best one-sided love songs of all time to help you overcome your frustration and sadness.
“The One That Got Away,” The Civil Wars
It was the opening track of the self-titled album from duo The Civil Wars and it swells with moments of fury.
“I Know You’re Married But I Love You Still,” Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner
This beautiful country song was released in 1970 and the title itself is self-explanatory.
“Weary Blues,” Madeleine Peyroux
The amazing jazz singer takes us back to the Mississippi River and the days when the blues told a story.
“We Can’t Be Friends,” Lorene Scafaria
This is the piece of music you want to hear if you are in the friend zone situation.
“Rocket Love,” Stevie Wonder
The lyrics is about a relationship that has turned sour.
“All I Have to Do Is Dream,” Everly Brothers
The classic song, which sold over a million copies, depicts Felice’s dreams about Boudleaux.
“He Needs Me,” Nina Simone
Nina Simona sings about a sad drawing love story which will make ball your eyes out.
“The Saturday Boy,” Billy Bragg
It tells about first love and the bittersweet nostalgia we all feel remembering the naïveté of young love.
“Almost Lover,” A Fine Frenzy
This is an exceptional piece of music about one-sided love and one that could have multiple different meanings behind it. It talks about a girl who thought that she and her loved one could be more than friends.
“Stwisted,” Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians
This folk-rock song was released in 1990 and depicts an unrequited love relationship.
“What a Fool Believes,” The Doobie Brothers
It tells a story of a man who is reunited with an old love interest and attempts to revive their romantic relationship but realized that such love never really existed.
“Got My Mojo Working,” Muddy Waters
It is about the magical power, especially a sexual power a male possesses over women.
“Girl from the North County,” Bob Dylan
This is one of Dylan’s most enduring and infectious ballads which tells of a man’s love who has moved on and away.
“Learning the Game,” Buddy Holly
Another exceptional and painfully honest lyrics that touches the adolescent bewilderment and insecurity most of us never fully outgrow.
“Bleeding Love,” Leona Lewis
It was a huge hit at the time it was released as we all tend to experience Romeo and Julie-esque romance love or one-sided love at one point in our life.
“Song to the Siren,” Tim Buckley
This modern classic paid tribute to those deathly seducers. It is a haunting ballad about surrendering to unrequited love.
“You Don’t Know Me,” Ray Charles
A very popular piece of art which has been performed and recorded by hundreds of artists.
“I Want the One I Can’t Have,” The Smiths
The title is pretty straightforward and the lyrics is all about loving and wanting the person you can’t have.
“Kissing You,” Des’ree
This pop ballad was featured in the Romeo + Juliet movie when the title characters meet at a ball. Its emotional melody cannot leave anyone indifferent.
“I Do,” Jude
This song tells about a man who suffers from unrequited love and gets a wedding invitation from the girl he loves.
“I Hate Myself for Loving You,” Joan Jett
This energetic track speaks about the emotions you feel when the person you love doesn’t love you back. But the heart wants what it wants, right?!
“Two out of Three Ain’t Bad,” Meatloaf
This power ballad is about loving someone who doesn’t love you back. The singer is trying to apologize for not loving a girl back but assuring that he wants her and cares for her.
“Love Untold,” Paul Westerberg
The melancholic lyrics reminisces about an unrequited teenage relationship, the rituals of the dating game, and the feelings associated with it.
“Cherish,” The Association
A bittersweet song about a man who is afraid to reveal his feelings to his love interest.
“He Stopped Loving Her Today,” George Jones
The #1 country song of all time has been probably the saddest song ever written.
“Here Comes My Baby,” Cat Stevens
A mighty catchy track which tells about one-sided love.
“Cecilia,” Simon and Garfunkel
The lyrics of this song tells about the singer’s frustration with his muse leaving him and his jubilation upon her return.
“Layla,” Eric Clapton
This is a real masterpiece about George Harrison’s wife.
“Jessie’s Girl,” Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield sings about a guy who has to choose between someone he thinks he loves, and who he feels he is perfect for, and his best friend.
“Laugh, I Nearly Died,” The Rolling Stones
A truly powerful track which depicts loneliness and how being rejected by your love feels like.
“Shiver,” Coldplay
Such sad lyrics which highlights to what extent can a person love someone. The saddest thing is that the person they love can’t see it at all.
“Just My Imagination,” The Temptations
It’s a sorrowful melody about a man who admires a woman and wishes he could be with her. He’s always thinking about her and imagining their relationship, but she doesn’t even know him.
“I Can’t Make You Love Me,” Bonnie Raitt
This is a really heartbreaking lyrics as the woman realizes that the man she’s with doesn’t love her back.
“Creep,” Radiohead
The lyrics tell about feelings of discontent with who you are as a person and struggling to find your identity.
“Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” The Police
It is about a guy who loves a girl and every time he wants to tell her, he’s too afraid to say it.
“To Know Him, Is to Love Him,” Amy Winehouse
Amy here sings about a man who is the love of her life.
“Lover You Should’ve Come Over,” Jeff Buckley
Full of longing and regret, Jeff sings about losing someone because of foolish mistakes you’ve made, and when all is said and done, still loving that one person.
“Catch the Wind,” Donovan
This is probably one of the best Donovan’s works about unrequited love of all time. It tells about love never realized by the woman.
“Wait In Vain,” Bob Marley
It is about two people who have been together for some time and about loving a person unconditionally, but that person isn’t ready for that love.
“Take This Longing,” Leonard Cohen
The lyrics is about a man who is madly in love with a woman, but she only thinks of him as a very close friend and sleeps around with other men.
“All Her Favorite Fruit,” Camper Van Beethoven
It’s a melancholic piece of music about a man of lower social class who is in love with the wife of a member of royalty or wealth. Thus, he watches her every move and knows even about her favorite fruit.
“Sitting, Waiting, Wishing,” Jack Johnson
This is another exceptional lyrics about one-sided love and tells about a man who is in love with a woman but his approaches are denied again and again.
“Just a Friend,” Biz Markie
This is an anthem of friendzone.
“Diamonds and Rust,” Joan Baez
It depicts the relationships stating that the diamonds mean closeness, but there is always rust or an end to it. It also tells about memories which can bring feelings that are beautiful and bright, or corrosive and destructive.
“C’était Toi (You Were the One),” Billy Joel
A very romantic lyrics which tells about a great love which was only one-sided.
“One for My Baby,” Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra will help you drown your sorrows of failed romance.
“Black,” Pearl Jam
It is the most honest expression of the excruciating pain and longing one feels when they’ve lost their greatest love.
“Always on Your Side,” Sheryl Crow and Sting
A sweet reminder of how your life changes after a breakup. Sheryl wrote this song for Lance when they broke up.
“I Don’t Wanna Let You Go,” Weezer
A very straightforward story for everyone struggling to let their loved ones go.
