Being rejected by your crush can be one of the most devastating experiences of your life. At least we have music to help heal! With these 20 songs below, all of which are about being rejected by your crush, you’ll be able to find some level of catharsis from your own rejection.
From ballads and angry anthems, this list has it all. If you’ve found yourself in an unrequited love type of situation, give this list a listen!
1. “I Don’t Mind If You Forget Me” by Morrissey
Morrissey’s 1988 song “I Don’t Mind If You Forget Me”, which appears on his album Viva Hate, follows the aftermath of the breakdown of a relationship. While some listeners may relate to this song when thinking about the end of a friendship, others could find solace in this song when thinking about the breakdown of a romantic relationship!
Morrissey tries to get over the end of this relationship — yet he still holds a lot of anger over this rejection. As a result, he calls the person who hurt him a fool! He sings, “Rejection is one thing / But rejection from a fool is cruel / And I don’t mind if you forget me.”
2. “Stephen” by Kesha
In Kesha’s 2010 song “Stephen”, she sings about her unrequited love for a man who is in a relationship with someone else. Regardless of his relationship status, she wants to be with him. Other men want to be with her and find her attractive, so she can’t understand why her own crush continues to reject her!
She sings in the chorus of the song, “Stephen / I’m feelin’ pathetic / I can’t take rejection / Why won’t you call me?”
3. “slow syrup” by serpentwithfeet
“slow syrup” by serpentwithfeet is one of the best rejection songs for guys! In this song, the singer discusses being rejected by the person he wants to be with, likely because the person just wants to be friends. To this, he sings, “Rejection is shaping me again / I want a lover, I don’t want a friend.”
However, at the end of the song, he also sings about how this impacts him as a man. He explains, “Rejection is shaping me / Making me the man I don’t wanna be.”
4. “Self Esteem” by The Offspring
1994’s “Self Esteem” by The Offspring technically is about a toxic romantic relationship the singer has with his girlfriend. However, the beauty of music allows us to interpret different songs in various ways! Thus, many people have listened to “Self Esteem” when trying to get over their crush’s rejection!
Throughout the song, the singer explains things that the woman he loves does that annoy him — and this includes rejection. He sings, “This rejection’s got me so low / If she keeps it up, I just might tell her so.”
5. “Breakdown” by Mariah Carey
“Breakdown” by Mariah Carey opens with the lyrics, “You called yesterday to basically say / That you care for me but that you’re just not in love.” The rest of the song follows Carey as she explains that she lied and told the person she’s in love with that she too doesn’t care for them — even though she does.
She struggles with this rejection throughout this song. As a result, this song can be seen as both a breakup song and a song about how to deal with rejection from your crush!
6. “Crush Culture” by Conan Gray
Looking for angry songs to listen to when your crush doesn’t like you back? Check out “Crush Culture” by Conan Gray. In this song, Conan criticizes the culture that revolves around young people having crushes. He doesn’t want this. He doesn’t want to deal with rejection, and he doesn’t want to deal with people using him.
So, if you’re looking for a song to help clarify your feelings, as well as a cathartic song to help you deal with your rejection, this might be the tune for you. Especially if you’re younger and see all your friends continuously getting in and out of relationships (which is why Conan Gray wrote this song)!
7. “Science of Love” by Donna Summer
“Science of Love” by Donna Summer is yet another great song to listen to if you’re dealing with rejection by your crush. In this song, Summer sings about her own complicated romances. She is in love with someone who has rejected her in the past.
However, every time she tries to get over this person, they reappear in her life and make her fall back in love yet again! To this, she sings, “The more you reject me / The more I want from you.”
8. “Winter” by Khalid
Khalid’s 2017 song “Winter” details the end of a relationship as a result of rejection. In this song, which appears on Khalid’s album American Teen, the singer compares his broken love to the wintertime. He is still in love with his person, even though they rejected him.
He explains by singing, “But you were so quick to reject me / So I’ll take my time being sad / I fell so hard, I’ll admit it / The feeling wasn’t mutual.”
9. “Can’t Make You Love Me” by Britney Spears
“Can’t Make You Love Me” by Britney Spears deals with rejection and heartbreak. In this 2000 song, Spears sings about a relationship that has come to an end — or that never even had the chance to begin. Spears herself sings about how she can’t make the one person she wants to be with love her back!
She sings the lyrics, “Can’t make you love me / I’m just a girl with a crush on you.”
10. “Girl Crush” by Little Big Town
Little Big Town’s hit song “Girl Crush” follows a relationship full of unrequited love. In this song, the singer expresses her desire to be the woman that her crush is in love with. As a result, she explains that she has a “Girl Crush” on this woman!
11. “Unrequited Love” by Lykke Li
“Unrequited Love” by Lykke Li, which appears on the 2011 album Wounded Rhymes, clearly discusses a relationship that never was allowed to fully blossom, thanks to one person not being in love with the other.
Throughout this sad song, Lykke Li sings about how she’s once again found herself in an “Unrequited Love”. She sings the lyrics, “Oh my love, I’ve been denied it / Oh my love is unrequited.”
12. “I Will Possess Your Heart” by Death Cab For Cutie
In the 2008 song “I Will Possess Your Heart”, Death Cab For Cutie sings about unrequited love. However, the singer isn’t going to allow this rejection to quit their love for the other person. He believes that they are meant to be, even though this other person cannot quite see this yet.
The song opens with the lyrics, “How I wish you could see the potential / The potential of you and me / It’s like a book elegantly bound, but / In a language that you can’t read just yet.”
As the song progresses, the singer explains that he will be patient. Eventually, he believes the one he loves will realize that they should be together! Therefore, this song is perfect if you’re trying to deal with your crush’s rejection, yet also still have hope for the future!
13. “Bad Religion” by Frank Ocean
2012’s “Bad Religion” by Frank Ocean, which appears on channel ORANGE, follows the singer as he sings about his troubles while in the backseat of a taxi cab. Much as some confess their worries to bartenders, Ocean confesses his worries to his taxi cab driver.
He compares his rejection and sadness to poison and more when he sings, “This unrequited love / To me, it’s nothin’ but a one-man cult / And cyanide in my styrofoam cup / I can never make him love me.”
14. “I Asked For Love” by Boy George
Boy George’s 1987 song “I Asked For Love” talks about realizing that the one you love doesn’t love you back. Boy George sings about this pain and sadness and explains that the rejection has greatly hurt him. As a result, he sings, “But your rejection / Has brought me to my knees.”
15. “Glad to Be Unhappy” by The Mamas & The Papas
“Glad to Be Unhappy” by The Mamas & The Papas tries to find happiness or contentment in unrequited love. Even though the singers know that they aren’t loved in return, they sing that there is joy to be found in this sadness — as at least they’re still experiencing or feeling the love.
They sing, “Unrequited love’s a bore, yeah / And I’ve got it pretty bad / But for someone you adore / It’s a pleasure to be sad.”
16. “Carry On” by Ashanti
Ashanti’s 2003 song “Carry On” is about a romantic relationship that has become toxic. Ashanti realizes that she can no longer stay in this relationship anymore. However, listeners can also interpret this song as an unrequited love situation where they can no longer continue to be in a friendship where they may feel taken advantage of, thanks to their feelings.
Ashanti does sing about rejection in this song, as she deals with her own heartbreak. She sings, “I ain’t gonna be that girl who cries herself to sleep / Putting up with your rejection.”
17. “Sorrowful Angels” by Patty Loveless
“Sorrowful Angels” by Patty Loveless tells a story of a woman who loved a man. However, he ended up rejecting her and walking away from her forever. This woman continued to hold the love for him in her heart and forever held onto an unrequited love.
Loveless explains this story in the beginning by singing, “She shined for him like candlelight / That softly beckons in the night / But he said no right to her face / Then simply turned and walked away.”
18. “Loud and Clear” by The Cranberries
1999’s “Loud and Clear” by The Cranberries could follow either the end of a romantic relationship or the end of unrequited love! In this song, the singer is done being in love with the one who previously held her affection. She sings, “I hope that you’re sorry / For not accepting me / For not adoring me.”
19. “Lover Please” by Melissa Etheridge
“Lover Please” by Melissa Etheridge is another song that can be interpreted as a song where one gets rejected by their crush, or by their potential lover. Etheridge doesn’t know why this person continues to reject her. She also doesn’t know why she continues to put up with this.
As a result, she ends up singing, “Why must you reject me? / Why can’t you protect me?”
20. “I Dream of You (More Than You Dream I Do)” by Frank Sinatra
At last, we have the final song on our list! “I Dream of You (More Than You Dream I Do)” by Frank Sinatra is a classic love song about unrequited love. The song opens with the lines, “I dream of you, more than you dream I do / How can I prove to you this love is real? / You’re mean to me more than you mean to be / You just can’t seem to see the way I feel.”
Throughout the rest of the song, Sinatra continues to explain that he only has eyes for this person. He loves them. However, they don’t feel the way he does. As a result, he must continue to only dream about them, rather than actually be with them.