Do you feel as if someone you love is taking advantage of you or leading you on? These hurtful situations can feel impossible to deal with. However, with these 20 songs below, you might be able to find some catharsis!
Every song here details the heartbreak, pain, and even love that comes with these types of situations. So, whether you’re looking for a sad song or a power ballad, these songs will help you feel less alone as you deal with your relationship!
1. “You Took Advantage of Me” by Rosemary Clooney
“You Took Advantage of Me” by Rosemary Clooney explores what it feels like to know that someone has taken advantage of you. Clooney explains that she can’t really do anything about this — as she loves the one who took advantage of her.
As a result, she sings, “What’s the use of trying not to fall? / I have no will, you made your kill / ‘Cause you took advantage of me.”
2. “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” by Taylor Swift
“This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” by Taylor Swift is one of the best songs about being taken advantage of by a friend. In this song, Swift sings about all the things her ex-friend did to her. Now, she feels like this person cannot be trusted.
She sings the lyrics, “It was so nice being friends again / There I was, giving you a second chance / But you stabbed me in the back while shaking my hand.”
3. “How Do You Sleep?” by Sam Smith
Sam Smith’s song “How Do You Sleep?” is a great breakup song to listen to if you feel you’ve been led on or taken advantage of! Smith knows that their partner has been cheating on them. So, he wonders how they can sleep and live with themselves after all their lies.
They sing, “Baby, how do you sleep when you lie to me? / All that shame and all that danger / I’m hopin’ that my love will keep you up tonight.”
4. “Lorelei” by Scorpions
“Lorelei” by Scorpions follows the singer as he explains a past love. The singer tries to get over his ex, as she led him on and took advantage of him. He ends up singing, “My ship has passed you by / And though you promised me to show the way / You led me astray.”
5. “You Tear Me Up” by Ricky Nelson
Ricky Nelson released his song “You Tear Me Up” on his 1959 album Ricky Sings Again. In this love song, Nelson admits that he has fully fallen in love with the girl he’s with. He always tells her that he loves her… but she doesn’t return his love, even though she’s with him.
This leads Nelson to realize that she could take advantage of his feelings for her, so he begs her not to. He sings, “So won’t you consider my plea / Don’t take advantage of me.”
6. “I Bet” by Ciara
“I Bet” by Ciara explores the feelings that come after realizing your partner has cheated on you. Ciara doesn’t hold back in this track and explains all of her emotions — and all of her anger and pain.
She sings, “You actin’ like you upgraded me, I upgraded you / You and me, Fashion Week at Paris, I put you on to that new / But you took advantage, oh you took advantage, oh you took advantage.”
7. “About a Girl” by Nirvana
“About a Girl” by Nirvana, which appears on the band’s 1989 album Bleach, details a difficult romantic relationship. Both people involved in this relationship treat each other poorly. The lead singer Kurt Cobain explains this when he sings, “I’ll take advantage while / You hang me out to dry.”
8. “If You’ve Got Trouble” by The Beatles
The Beatles released the song “If You’ve Got Trouble” on their 1996 album Anthology 2. The band sings about a relationship that comes to an end after a while. The singer realizes that his partner is taking advantage of him and bringing all her troubles to him. He won’t let her hold him down too much longer!
The band sings the lyrics, “You’re quite content to be bad with all the advantage you had over me / Just ’cause you’re troubled then don’t bring your troubles to me.”
9. “Without Me” by Halsey
“Without Me” by Halsey follows the singer as she talks about her ex-boyfriend, who cheated on her countless times. Halsey explains that he took advantage of her love — and she’ll never forgive him for what he put her through.
She also explains that when they first met, he was in a bad place. So, she tried to help him out, but he just took advantage of her. She sings, “And then I got you off your knees / Put you right back on your feet / Just so you could take advantage of me.”
10. “Donna Donna” by The Everly Brothers
1960’s “Donna Donna” by The Everly Brothers begins with the lyrics, “Donna, Donna, why’d you want to do that? / You led me on and lured me off / Then you turned me down flat.”
As the song goes on, we get more details from the duo. They explain that a girl named Donna allowed them to think they had a chance. She knew that the singer was going to ask her out and was falling for her. But when he finally did ask her out, she denied him! Now, he feels as if she led him on.
11. “Mr. Rogers” by Korn
“Mr. Rogers” by Korn follows the singer as he lashes out at the popular children’s TV character Mr. Rogers. The singer feels that Mr. Rogers didn’t prepare him for the real world and instead made him naive, innocent, and completely unprepared for what he would go through as a child.
The band sings, “Fred, you told me everybody was my neighbor / They took advantage of me / You let them take their turns hitting me / I wish I would have never watched you.”
12. “I Beg of You” by Elvis Presley
“I Beg of You” by Elvis Presley is about being led on by a girl. In this 1958 track, Presley sings about how much he loves one woman. He begs her to also love him back, though it’s not clear if she truly does. As a result, Presley begs her to not lead him on or take advantage of him.
He sings the lyrics, “You got me at your mercy / Now that I’m in love with you / So please don’t take advantage / Because you know my love is true.”
13. “Have a Heart” by Dean Martin
Dean Martin’s “Have a Heart” explores what it’s like to fall in love for the first time. Martin sings that he’s falling for a girl. Because this is the first time he’s ever experienced love, he’s worried that she will hurt him. As a result, he begs her not to take advantage of his love.
To this, he sings, “This would be the very worst time / For you to take advantage of me.”
14. “Lady Double Dealer” by Whitesnake
“Lady Double Dealer” by Whitesnake also details the end of a romantic relationship! In this rock song, the band explains how a woman has done them wrong. The lead singer realizes that the one he used to love used him. So, he won’t make this mistake again.
He sings, “So I just had to try / Try to reason why / You took advantage of my love.”
15. “The Art of Losing” by Rise Against
Rise Against’s 2001 song “The Art of Losing” could describe any type of relationship, whether it’s platonic or romantic. The singer details the loss of trust in this relationship. He realizes that this person took advantage of him. Now, he doesn’t know if they’ll ever be the same.
As a result, he sings, “You took advantage of the trust that I gave / Took my forgiveness rubbed it back in my face.”
16. “Day Time Girl” by Bee Gees
1968’s “Day Time Girl” by Bee Gees details one woman. The group explains all the positives and flaws of this woman, as nobody’s perfect. They explain that, whether this girl realizes it or not, she uses people.
Therefore, they sing, “All the wisdom of people she used / She took advantage of this / Taking time to remember the past / Remembering all she has missed.”
17. “You Don’t Love Me” by Boys II Men
“You Don’t Love Me” by Boys II Men explores a difficult romantic relationship. The group sings about how they fell in love with a woman and bettered her life. They gave her everything she ever wanted and treated her with respect. However, she was treated poorly in the past. This led to her not being able to trust the one she was with.
So, they sing, “You don’t love me / How could you ever take advantage of me?”
18. “Drive” by Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus’ song “Drive” explores the singer’s emotions as she tries to deal with her romantic relationship. She knows that she should leave her relationship. However, she also struggles with fully saying goodbye to this person that she used to love — even if it would be best for her.
When talking about their relationship, she says that she feels he led her on. Therefore, the song is also about being led on by a boy in certain parts. She sings, “I always knew I never wanted this / I never thought it could happen / You acted like you wanted this / But then you led me on.”
19. “Hate That I Love You” by Rihanna featuring Ne-Yo
Rihanna and Ne-Yo’s “Hate That I Love You” explains the difficult emotions that arise in a relationship where love allows someone to try to overlook misdeeds. As a result, both singers feel as if they’re being taken advantage of — even though they know they’ll likely never leave their partner.
They sing, “Said that it’s not fair / How you take advantage of the fact / That I / Love you beyond the reason why.”
20. “Heart and Soul” by Huey Lewis & The News
The last song on our list, “Heart and Soul” by Huey Lewis & The News, details falling for someone and seemingly not caring if they take advantage of you. Lewis sings about how much he likes this girl — even though she’s using him.
He sings, “I let her take advantage of me / You see, she got what she wanted.”
Listen to the full list on YouTube here.