19 Songs About One-Sided Love

One-sided love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such by the beloved. The beloved may not even be aware of the admirer’s affection or may outright reject it. Below is a list of songs about one-sided love:

1. Bruno Mars – Grenade

This is the second single from Bruno Mars’ debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans. It was certified 10x multiplatinum by the RIAA in 2020. The inspiration came after Bruno heard that one of the guys working at his studio had just gone through a tough breakup.

Lyrically, it is a heartbreaking song about being in love with a woman and you are willing to go as far as putting a bullet in your brain for her but you can’t get the same kind of love in return.

 

2. Clean Bandit – Tears

The song talks about an emotional heartbreak where you have fallen in love with someone who doesn’t love you back. Johnson signs about the falling for someone who acted as they loved her but in real sense, they were just playing with her emotions.

It has also been referred to as an “I’ll get over you!” anthem. It is best for someone who just faced a traumatic heartbreak to encourage them to cry it out and then move on with their life.

 

3. Meghan Trainor – Just A Friend To You

This is an acoustic guitar track that talks about being in love with someone who gives physical affection but when you say you want something deeper than that, he says he just wants to remain friends.

The song is about one of Meghan’s friends whereby they wanted to love each other but they couldn’t because of circumstances such as distance and other things. Fans speculated that it is about fellow singer Charlie Puth but Meghan denied this.

4. Billie Eilish – Wish You Were Gay

Billie Eilish explained that the track is about how it felt for her to be rejected by a boy she liked. She thought he didn’t like her because she was a ‘shitty person’ and she felt horrible. This made her want some other reason for not liking her such as him being gay rather than the actual reason she though it was. Later after writing the song, she did find out he was gay after all.

The song is part of the album ‘When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?’ which was released in 2019.

 

5. Billie Eilish – Watch

The song looks in Billie’s perspective of unrequited love since she can’t grasp why the guy she likes doesn’t want to be with her and reciprocate the feelings. In an interview with Vice, Billie added that when one has to have a relationship with yourself to understand how your partner perceives you. This will help you know whether a person is treating you badly.

Finneas and Billie came up with the song while in the bathroom. Finneas was lighting matches and this inspired the hook “I’ll sit and watch your car burn”

 

6. James Arthur – Can I Be Him

Arthur describes his feelings towards someone he loves. However, the person doesn’t love him back. He now envies her current boyfriend and he wishes to be like him so that maybe she would have feelings for him also.

The track is from the album Back For The Edge which was released in 2016.

7. Taylor Swift – You Belong With Me

This track tells the story of a boy who is too wrapped up in a toxic relationship to see how much another girl likes him and who might be better for him.

Taylor Swift came up with the song after she overheard a friend of hers talking to his girlfriend and he was completely on the defensive plus apologizing for things he shouldn’t be doing so for. This gave her the first line of the song and she decided to run with the story line that she is in love with him and he should be with her instead.

 

8. Labrinth – Still Don’t Know My Name

Labrinth sings about being in love but the other party doesn’t love them in the same way that they do. He thinks highly of her as the beautiful Egyptian queen Nefertiti. The song is from the album Euphoria which was released in 2019.

 

9. Selena Gomez – The Heart Wants What It Wants

In the music video, the song opens with Selena emotionally explaining her experience of her relationship with Justin and how unloved she feels. The phrase “The Heart Wants What It Wants” has been used to mean to go with your heart rather than your head despite knowing your head would have made a better choice. This is how Selena justified her long standing relationship with Justin Bieber.

Selena explained to Ryan Seacrest that she was constantly being kicked down and made decisions that weren’t great.

10. The Weeknd – Call Out My Name

In this track, Abel details his struggles to let go of a past relationship. It was a one sided relationship where Abel’s lover didn’t put as much effort into the relationship as he did. He still wishes deep down that she would need him as much as he still needs her.

The song debuted and peaked in the #4 spot on the Hot 100 in April 2018.

 

11. Toni Braxton – Unbreak My Heart

The song is off Toni’s second studio album Secrets and co-written with Diane Warren. It was able to achieve a worldwide success earning her a Grammy Award for Best Femal Pop Vocal Performance in 1997. It peaked at the top position on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for eleven weeks.

Lyrically the song is about Toni begging her lover who walked out of her life to come back to her and love her once again.

 

12. H.E.R – U

This is the 4th track on her EP where she sings about getting stressed and confused because she cares too much about a man who only thinks of himself. It was certified gold by the RIAA.

13. Beyonce – Why Don’t You Love Me

This is a track from Beyonce’s third studio album I Am…Sasha Fierce and was co-written with her sister Solange Knowles. It peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart.

Lyrically it is about Beyonce asking someone why they don’t love her despite her making it so easy for him to love her. She has all the qualities he would desire but he shows no interest.

 

14. Jason Derulo – Savage Love

This is a love song about Jason who is in a situation whereby he likes a girl but she doesn’t like him back. He also found ou that she was using him to get back at her ex-boyfriend. The song debuted at #81 on the Hot 100 chart and peaked at #1.

 

15. Ne-Yo – Go On Girl

The track is off the album Because of You which was released in 2007. It was written by Ne-Yo , Tor Erik, Mikkel S, Eriksen, Espen Lind and Amund.

Ne-Yo sings about how he got played by a girl he really liked and how he made a mistake inviting her into his heart yet she was seeing another man behind his back.

 

16. James Blunt – You’re Beautiful

The song is off James Blunt debut album Back to Bedlam. Speaking to Oprah, James Blunt stated that it is about seeing his ex girlfriend on the subway in London with her new man. They locked eyes and James lived a lifetime in that moment but didn’t do anything about it.

 

17. Shawn Mendes – Stitches

This is the sixth single from Mendes’ debut album Handwritten. It is about loving someone so much you can’t live without them despite how much they hurt you.