Relationships are tricky. Friends-with-benefits relationships are no different. When you find yourself in these tricky romances, it’s always nice to have music to escape to, either for catharsis or to better understand the emotions you’re feeling.
The 20 songs below do precisely this. Every song here has something to do with an FWB romance, from the beginning of these relationships to the end — and with all the complicated feelings in between!
1. “Ruin the Friendship” by Demi Lovato
“Ruin the Friendship” by Demi Lovato follows the singer as they explain their desire to push the boundaries of a platonic friendship. Lovato sings about wanting to ruin their friendship with a long-time friend and completely get out of the friend zone.
This song fits the friends with benefits-category because Lovato doesn’t sing about falling in love or wanting to be in a relationship with this person. Instead, they simply want a casual relationship!
2. “F.W.B.” by Wayne Brady
Wayne Brady’s song “F.W.B.” also talks about hooking up with a friend! In this song, Brady sings about his growing attraction toward one of his friends. However, he’s not suggesting a romance. Instead, he wants to see where things go with a friends-with-benefits situation.
He explains that he thinks this relationship change could work, explaining, “I got no strings to complicate things.”
3. “Loverboy” by You Me At Six
“Loverboy” by You Me At Six explores relationships that a man has with many others. The band sings about this man, who is a player, and how he has many casual relationships. However, they state that this man doesn’t treat people great and instead treats them like toys.
As they explore these relationship dynamics, the band sings the lyrics, “Given the choice would you do it again? / Of course I would, of course, I should / Well, I’m your friend, friends with benefits.”
4. “Head Over Feet” by Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette released her song “Head Over Feet” on her 1995 album Jagged Little Pill. In this song, Morissette sings about having a relationship with someone who she considers her best friend. This person wants this relationship to change to no longer be strictly platonic, and Morissette agrees.
She sings, “You’re my best friend / Best friend with benefits.” Later in the song, however, she does clarify that she may fall in love with him!
5. “No Sleeep” by Janet Jackson featuring J. Cole
“No Sleeep” by Janet Jackson, featuring J. Cole, also talks about a friends-with-benefits relationship. Jackson and J. Cole sing about a complicated romance that goes back and forth between something serious and something casual. Regardless, they want to be together and anticipate reuniting throughout the whole song.
J. Cole sings about the shifting relationship, explaining, “Drunk off love we both feel deep down / But too scared to say cause we know how this ends / Thinking, maybe we’d be better off friends with benefits.”
6. “Iz U Down” by Kid Ink featuring Tyga
Kid Ink and Tyga’s rap song “Iz U Down” follows their relationships with women, both their friends and their girlfriends. Tyga talks about hooking up with his own best friend and how this works for them, as they have a no strings attached relationship.
He explains this as he raps that they are “just friends with benefits.”
7. “Hot Mess” by Ashley Tisdale
Ashley Tisdale’s 2009 song “Hot Mess” explores the singer’s emotions and feelings regarding a man she has fallen for. This casual relationship has her acting as if she’s a “Hot Mess”, though she can’t quite do anything about it.
The song opens up with the lyrics, “I’m not the kinda girl who runs around like this / Caught up in a kiss, best friends with benefits.” As the song progresses, we learn more about how different she’s acting because of her emotions regarding this man.
8. “Kiss Me Now” by Diana Ross
While Diana Ross’s 1976 song “Kiss Me Now” doesn’t explicitly talk about a friends-with-benefits relationship, it does discuss a changing friendship. Ross sings about how she wants her friend to kiss her. She’s no longer satisfied with a strictly platonic relationship and is looking to take the next step.
Ross sings that she no longer wants to be just friends with this person. Of course, there’s no telling just what she wants from him, other than romance. However, this is a great song to listen to when analyzing the beginning of a friendship that turns into an FWB relationship!
9. “Boyfriend” by Tegan and Sara
“Boyfriend” by Tegan and Sara follows the singer Sara Quin as she explains a romantic relationship she was in. She was seeing a woman who was still seeing her boyfriend. Therefore, they had to keep their relationship a secret.
However, this song can also be seen as detailing a friends-with-benefits relationship! Throughout the song, the band sings about how this girl treats them like a best friend, yet the relationship clearly is no longer platonic!
10. “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This” by Toby Keith
Toby Keith’s 2000 song “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This” is a great country song to listen to if you begin to have feelings for your friends with benefits. In this song, Keith sings about how his partner shouldn’t be kissing him the way she is, as he’ll only begin to fall in love with her.
He knows himself — and he knows that things are changing in their relationship, whether she wants to admit it or not. Therefore, he ends up singing the lyrics, “They’d never believe we’re just friends / When you kiss me like this.”
11. “Let’s Be Friendly” by Dean Martin
“Let’s Be Friendly” by Dean Martin explores the emotions that arise when one begins to see their friend in a new light. Martin sings about trying to stay friends with someone, yet also realizing that he wants to cross the boundaries of platonic friendship.
Therefore, this song is another great example of a track to put on when thinking about going from a platonic friendship to a friends-with-benefits relationship! He sings the lyrics, “Should we accidentally kiss I’d give up the fight / And we could move more than just good friends tonight.”
12. “Friends With Benefits” by KSI & MNDM
“Friends With Benefits” by KSI and MNDM is an anthem of sorts celebrating sexual relationships that have no strings attached. Throughout this song, they express their appreciation for their friends-with-benefits relationships, as they don’t end up ever feeling tied down or with strings attached!
13. “Something That We’re Not” by Demi Lovato
In “Something That We’re Not”, Demi Lovato sings about what happens when a friends-with-benefits relationship begins to change. Lovato expresses their annoyance that someone has begun to have feelings for them. As an FWB relationship is all about having no romantic feelings, they explain that this person needs to realize they’ll never have a romance.
Lovato also blames themselves for this situation, as they knew that they shouldn’t have started this type of relationship with this person! Lovato explains their stance on this matter, explaining that they “don’t wanna do more than hookup.”
14. “Haunt // Bed” by The 1975
The 1975’s song “Haunt // Bed” follows a friends-with-benefits relationship that begins because those involved are going through a hard time. At the beginning of the song, we learn from the singer that he’s in this type of relationship because his friend’s dad passed away.
We also learn about the singer’s own struggles at the time. Therefore, the two seek each other out for this relationship, with no strings attached, during these trying times.
15. “You Can’t Fix This” by Stevie Nicks
“You Can’t Fix This” by Stevie Nicks can be interpreted in many different ways. However, it can also be seen as a song for the end of a friends-with-benefits relationship. Sometimes, these relationships can ruin a friendship, even if both parties involved don’t want this to happen.
Nicks explains that friendships can so easily fall apart, especially if they turn sexual or romantic. She sings the lyrics, “You can’t fix this, you lost a friend / Hearts breaking, right and left.”
16. “Temporary Fix” by One Direction
One Direction’s 2015 song “Temporary Fix” explores a no strings attached relationship. While this song describes hooking up with someone the band doesn’t know, it can also be applied to beginning a friends-with-benefits relationship.
The boy band sings about wanting a casual, no strings attached relationship. They explain that they really don’t mind being a “Temporary Fix” for these ladies!
17. “Glitch” by Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift released her song “Glitch” on her 2022 album Midnights. This song follows Swift as she sings about a friendship that then turned into a friends-with-benefits relationship — and then ultimately into a real romance.
Swift opens the song with the lyrics, “We were supposed to be just friends.” She sets the mood of the song and what we’ll learn about the relationship before then explaining that it’s like a “glitch” that she ended up in a real romantic relationship with her friend!
18. “Friends With Benefits” by A Boogie wit da Hoodie
“Friends With Benefits” by A Boogie wit da Hoodie explores a good friends-with-benefits relationship. The singer explains that he’s been with a lot of women, yet none of them treat him right — or treat him as his FWB does. Therefore, he really respects this woman.
Even though he knows that he shouldn’t put women above his money, as he’s learned his lesson in the past, he also admits that he’s doing this with her!
19. “For Baltimore” by All Time Low
“For Baltimore” by All Time Low explores the feelings that come with falling for one of your friends. This song can also be seen as what happens when you begin to have real romantic feelings for someone you’re in a friends-with-benefits relationship with.
The singer expresses his emotions about a girl he has fallen for. He sings the lyrics, “I bet you never thought you would fall again / So much for keeping this just friends.”
20. “Best Friends” by The Weeknd
Finally, let’s talk about the last song on our list! The Weeknd’s 2022 song “Best Friends” follows the singer as he talks to his friend — a friend he also happens to have a friends-with-benefits relationship.
He tells her that she really shouldn’t fall for him. After all, he’s still trying to get over his ex and his past toxic relationships. So, he tells her that falling for him, rather than just keeping their no strings attached relationship, would be the wrong thing to do!