Unrequited Love Songs Apr 18 '02 (Updated Jan 10 '04)    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music Revelation [Digipak] by Journey From $12 Machine Gun Etiquette by The Damned From $40 The Bottom Line If you want songs about being in love with someone who doesn't return your feelings, you could not get a better mix than this. And I will never be ignored... One thing I've noticed is that there are millions of love songs out there, and yet for some reason a very small percentage of them are actually about unrequited love. Personally, I have a very strict definition of what makes a song a real unrequited love song. These are the elements that a song must have to be considered by me to be a TRUE unrequited love song: - It should be made clear in the song that the singer loves the subject of the song, yet has never been in a romantic relationship with that person. Basically, no break up songs! That's lost love, not unrequited love! - The singer should sound at least a little as if he/she actually LOVES the subject of the song- as opposed to songs that sound more like they're about some kind of weird infatuation or obsession. - The singer should sound depressed and hopeless about the unrequited love. If singer hasn't yet told the subject his/her feelings, but plans on doing it at some point, and sounds all hopeful and cheerful about the possibility of the feelings being returned, then that's not unrequited love. That's just love that you can't tell yet whether it's requited or not. Once the singer tells the subject his/her feelings and gets rejected, THEN the singer can write an unrequited love song about the situation. Keeping that in mind, here is my list of the best unrequited love songs of all time: Long Long Time by Mindy McCready This is my personal choice for greatest unrequited love song ever recorded. I know there are several other versions of this song, but I really like the Mindy McCready one. Anyways, I really prefer songs such as this that portray someone putting effort into their love but failing, as opposed to songs about just sitting back and admiring someone from afar and never even telling them. Somehow failing just seems so much more touching and tragic. Lyrics example: Living in a memory Of a love that never was Cuz I've done Everything I know To try and change your mind And I think it's gonna hurt me For a long, long time Every Little Thing She Does is Magic by The Police This song is a real classic. Even though it specifically relates to loving someone from afar, really the lyrics can work for any kind of unrequited love situation. I think the very title of the song really portrays how a lot of people feel about the object of their unrequited love. Lyrics example: Every little thing she does is magic Everything she do just turns me on Even though my life before was tragic Now I know my love of her goes on Till You Love Me by Reba McEntire This is not one of Reba's more well known songs, but it's definitely my favorite of hers. At first glance this song may seem hopeful, since she's talking about how she'll never give up, but if you actually pay attention to the lyrics, what she's saying is that she knows it's hopeless, but still she just can not give up. And that, friends, is the very essence of unrequited love. Lyrics example: So I'll do all that I can To catch that ghost of a chance The sunlight, the moonlight Are beyond my control And there are stars in the heavens That I'll never hold #1 Crush by Garbage OK, so maybe this song is veering more towards the "weird obsession" side of things, but honestly, how can you not love it? The thing that makes this song cool is the sense of entitlement it projects. You get the feeling that the singer just wants to grab the object of her affection *coughobsessioncough* by the shoulders and scream, "Godd*mmit, you best to love me, moron!" OK, so maybe this song isn't for everyone, but I think it's a good song for when you'd rather be angry than sad. Lyrics example: I will burn for you Feel pain for you I will twist the knife and bleed my aching heart And tear it apart I will lie for you Beg and steal for you I will crawl on hands and knees until you see You're just like me Violate all the love that I'm missin' Throw away all the pain that I'm livin' You will believe in me And I can never be ignored Johnny Angel by Shelley Fabares I admit, this is very much a cutesy teenybopper song from the 60's- but I've always had a liking for it. There's actually a hotel named after this song, and I've stayed in it. Anyways, even though the song is pretty sugary sweet and upbeat...OK, I admit I have no real ending for that sentence, this song is simply cute and that's all there is to it. Lyrics example- Other fellows call me up for a date But I just sit and wait I'd rather concentrate On Johnny Angel Cuz I love him And I pray that someday he'll love me www.nevergetoveryou by Simon and Milo If you thought being deeply in love with someone who doesn't care for you was bad, how about being deeply in love with someone who doesn't care for you AND they're some person from the internet that you've never even met in real life? That's what this song is about. I would have to say that this is probably the only song in existance that relates to unrequited online love. Lyrics example: Regarding the way we are together Regarding the way we both should be Regardless of time or space or weather A part of you lives inside of me I Touch Myself by The Divinyls The fact that this song is actually about masturbation kind of pushes it towards the "weird obsession" category, but it just oozes such sheer desperation that I couldn't leave it out. Besides, it has a really catchy tune. Lyrics example- I close my eyes And see you before me Think I would die If you were to ignore me A fool could see Just how much I adore you I get down on my knees I'd do anything for you I don't want anybody else When I think about you I touch myself I love myself I want you to love me When I'm feelin' down I want you above me A Chance by Kenny Chesney I find that the country genre has more unrequited love songs than any other- not to mention the fact that country singers are really good at sounding as if they are personally ripping their own heart out of their rib cage as they sing the lyrics. What I mean is that they convey a lot of emotion. This song is sad and desperate and heartfelt and everything you could want in an unrequited love song. Lyrics example: At least I've been Close enough I could taste Beauty at its best With never a trace Of a chance A chance Knowing I'll love you forever Knowing that I'll never have a chance

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