Heartbreaking Rock Songs About Unrequited Love and Rejection

Music plays a role in all our lives, but it generates special power for the forlorn. In rock, the concept of unrequited love seems to be a theme that performers return to frequently, telling stories about heartbreaking situations where love is in reach but unreturned.

Songs such as "Layla," "Every Breath You Take," and "I Don't Owe You Anything" have resonated with listeners almost since the advent of rock, offering heartfelt emotions from the performers themselves. Songs about love rock, but in an unusual way: by showcasing a common human experience that transcends age, culture, and time.

Heartbreak anthems in rock music serve listeners by giving them the opportunity to process their experiences with unrequited love and sad rejections. Rock artists have developed sharp songwriting and performance skills to capture the raw emotion of unrequited love. Studies show that the experience is more common than you might think: most people report at least one instance of loving someone who doesn't love them back.

Music's mysterious impact on the brain's emotional centers is one of the reasons why famous rock songs about rejection can soothe hurt. Studies show that listening to music releases dopamine and oxytocin, hormones that allow people to feel joy and emotional release. Yet these songs can also surface deeper emotions, such as sadness, longing, and yearning. While those don't necessarily feel good, bringing them to the forefront enables us to process them. 

Unrequited love has always been a go-to theme for classic rockers. There's something about the genre that encourages performers to write unforgettable songs that reflect the heartbreak of loving someone who doesn't love you back. For example, take "Layla" by Derek and the Dominos from 1970. Despite its bouncy beat, the melody, powered by guitarist Eric Clapton, conveys the desperation of pursuing someone you can't ever have.

Another deceptively bouncy unrequited love anthem is 1983's "Every Breath You Take" by The Police. Initially, the song sounds like a love ballad, but the lyrics actually convey obsession; it tells the story of a man who is stalking someone who doesn't love him back.

Unrequited love is a common theme for The Smiths. Their 1987 hit "I Don't Owe You Anything" tells a sad story of hurt and pride. And XTC's "I Can't Own Her" from 1982 says it perfectly: "And I may as well wish for the moon in hand."

In 2004, Franz Ferdinand included these lyrics in the song "Auf Achse:" "You see her, you can't touch her / You hear her, you can't hold her / You want her, you can't have her." It's the perfect set of words to express unrequited love.

Between the sharp lyrics and mood-setting melodies, these performers both help you feel the familiar sadness and, somehow, find peace in it.

More recently, rockers are supplying greater nuance and self-awareness to their takes on unrequited love. Songs show emotion through current dating trends such as late-night texts, double-taps, and ghosting rather than lamenting missed gazes.

One of the prime examples, from Weezer, is the 1996 album Pinkerton. Many of the songs address lust, obsession, and rejection. The album's opening number, "El Scorcho," has singer Rivers Cuomo talking about a crush on a girl in Japan who barely acknowledges his existence. The band explores romantic failures in other songs, such as "Pink Triangle," "Across the Sea," and "Why Bother?" Jacob Nierenberg writes on Udiscovermusic.com that the lyrics are "thought-provoking, funny, even relatable."

The story is more focused in Arctic Monkeys' "Do I Wanna Know?" from 2013. With a slow-burning guitar riff, the band explores the tension of wondering whether one's feelings are returned. The song is an early example of the more modern experience of unrequited love. It expresses the hope that somehow, love is there, if only it could be communicated better.

And then there's The 1975, who leaves no doubt about the desired outcome in an unrequited romance. The band's "Me & You Together Song" from 2016 describes the sensation of being in love with a friend and having to let them move on. "I don't wanna be your friend / I wanna kiss your neck," the band sings. This nostalgic work of art has resonated hard with today's Gen Z culture.

If there's one thing that rock musicians know how to sing about, it's unrequited love. While the music has changed over the years, the themes have not. Unreturned love is a concept that today's artists keep coming back to. In doing so, they create a shared emotional experience and give the brokenhearted a platform to heal.