A lovely unrequited love song

[2026] Western Music Songs That Cheer On Unrequited Love: A Collection of Masterpieces That Echo Your Feelings

music writerKOH-1
Started working as a music writer as a side job while employed at a record shop, and for over 18 years I’ve contributed to music magazines, disc guide books, mooks, and web media. As a writer my main field is Western music, but as a listener for over 35 years, I always try to keep my curiosity alive with the motto “I like what I like.” I have experience playing in bands, where I was a bassist who handled songwriting and composition. Instruments I’ve played include bass, guitar, and piano. I began studying English in my mid-40s and continue to do so today.

“I can’t bring myself to confess my feelings…” In those moments of unrequited love, we often find ourselves seeking music to lean on.

In Western music, there are countless heartwarming classics that gently support the resolve to keep moving forward, even while carrying the same kinds of feelings.

In this article, we introduce timeless songs that can accompany your emotions: tracks that sing of wavering on the boundary between friendship and a crush, songs that tenderly embrace a bittersweet longing, and pieces that capture the pain and sadness of being unable to speak your heart.

You’re sure to find lyrics you can relate to and melodies that give you a gentle push forward.

[2026] Western music songs that cheer on unrequited love: A collection of classics that resonate with your feelings (31–40)

What Makes You BeautifulOne Direction

One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful (Official Video)

What Makes You BeautifulOne Direction

It’s a bright, straightforward song about feelings for a girl he has a crush on.

It might be close to a confession song, but it’s upbeat, and from a boy’s perspective it poppily sings “I like you” to the fullest, making you innocently feel that simply liking someone is fun.

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When Can I See You AgainOwl City

Owl City – When Can I See You Again? (From Wreck it Ralph)

When Can I See You AgainOwl City

This song is used in a Disney animated work themed around friendship, but the track itself is a pop tune characteristic of Owl City, like something a high school boy might sing, expressing the giddy feelings of a fresh love at first sight.

It’s a song that further lifts the buoyant mood of a brand-new crush.

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I Want You to Want MeCheap Trick

Cheap Trick – I Want You to Want Me (from Budokan!)

I Want You to Want MeCheap Trick

It’s a bit old, but it’s a classic song for American graduation proms.

With an up-tempo country-rock feel, it’s a track that anyone nursing a crush can relate to, expressing the desire to “want me” in a very straightforward way.

Listening to it makes you realize how refreshing it would be to convey your feelings as directly as the lyrics do, and somehow it leaves you feeling invigorated.

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U Make Me WannaBlue

Blue – U Make Me Wanna

U Make Me WannaBlue

This is a ballad sung gently in BLUE’s beautiful voice, capturing the frustrating feeling of anxiety when you’re in unrequited love and can’t tell how the other person feels.

With pure, simple lines like “What do you think of me?” and “I can’t just be friends anymore,” it’s something anyone, regardless of gender, can relate to when they’re crushing on someone.

And once you relate to it, it might even help you calm down, thinking, “Everyone feels this way.”

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PerfumeBritney Spears

Britney Spears – Perfume (Official Video)

PerfumeBritney Spears

This is a realistic and heartrending unrequited love song about believing that the person you like has feelings for someone else, and trying to mark you by wearing perfume.

The anxious feelings—like “Am I being too paranoid? Is it just my imagination?”—feel very real, and I think many women can relate.

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