Tear-jerking unrequited love songs in Western music: recommended classics and popular tracks

I think about youAustin & Ally

Austin & Ally | Think About You Song | Official Disney Channel UK

A song by Austin & Ally that portrays sweet, bittersweet feelings of love.

It captures the heartache of unrequited love—when you can’t help thinking about your crush all day long.

Featured in the Disney Channel TV series “Austin & Ally,” this track served as the theme song for the popular show that aired from December 2011 to January 2016.

The lyrics depict thinking about someone from the moment you wake up until you fall asleep, a sentiment sure to resonate with anyone experiencing one-sided love.

It’s a recommended track not only for teenage girls struggling with romance, but also for adults who want to bask in a bit of nostalgia.

Better NowPost Malone

Post Malone – Better Now

This is a song by American artist Post Malone about the lingering feelings for a former lover.

Even while putting on a brave face and saying “I’m fine without you,” the heart can’t help but keep thinking of that person—many of us have probably felt that way.

Despite its upbeat melody, the lyrics lay bare a painfully straightforward longing that tightens the chest.

An unforgettable love can be agonizing, but the experience of loving someone that deeply will surely help you grow.

Listen to “Better Now,” accept your feelings just once, and take your next step forward.

WeightlessArlo Parks

Arlo Parks – Weightless (Official Video)

This is a song by Arlo Parks from the UK that portrays the pain of a one-sided love where you’ve given too much.

Even after giving everything to the other person, all you get in return is a small kindness.

The emptiness of such an unreciprocated relationship is expressed through a light beat and a delicate voice.

Prioritizing the other person’s feelings so much that your own heart is treated as if it were weightless—that’s one of love’s dilemmas.

But losing sight of who you are would surely be sad.

Doesn’t listening to this song make you feel like starting by taking care of yourself first?

I Don’t Think That I Like HerCharlie Puth

Charlie Puth – I Don’t Think That I Like Her (Official Audio)

“I Don’t Think That I Like Her,” sung by Charlie Puth from the United States, portrays the complex emotions of becoming hesitant about new love due to being hurt in past relationships.

Despite its up-tempo melody, the lyrics express a bittersweet feeling of sealing off one’s emotions with the thought, “Maybe I don’t like her anymore.” Out of fear of being hurt the same way again, he holds back and keeps some distance.

However, if you suppress your current feelings because of past pain, you’ll likely regret it.

Like this song suggests, perhaps the best thing is to accept your wavering heart just as it is.

GorgeousTaylor Swift

Taylor Swift – Gorgeous (Lyric Video)

Feeling so mad at someone for being just too “gorgeous”!? This is a humor-filled unrequited love song sung by American artist Taylor Swift.

Set to a lively synth-pop sound, the lyrics strikingly portray being tongue-tied in front of a love-at-first-sight crush and the complicated feeling of liking someone so much it actually makes you angry.

Many people have probably experienced going blank the moment they see their crush or being swept away by their own emotions.

You could say it’s a song packed with that uncontrollable rush and flutter of the very moment love begins.

All Over YouThe Spill Canvas

The Spill Canvas – All Over You (Video)

The Spill Canvas is an American alternative rock band active since 2002.

This track was released as a single from their 2007 album “No Really, I’m Fine.” It reached No.

18 on the U.S.

charts.

IrresponsibleKiana Ledé

Kiana Ledé – Irresponsible (Official Music Video)

This song by American R&B singer Kiana Ledé conveys her aching emotions.

Carried by a melancholic melody, it tells the story of a heart shattered by the irresponsibility of someone she trusted.

The despair of realizing that the flirtatious signals that made her believe the feelings were mutual were nothing but her own misunderstanding is truly painful.

The way she wavers between blaming the other person and being unable to let go of her feelings is something anyone who has experienced unrequited love can painfully relate to.

Kiana Ledé’s soulful voice seems to envelop and soothe this unbearable suffering.