Oldies Songs About Unrequited Love

To me, the most heartbreaking song about unrequited love from the 70s is Linda Ronstadt's "Long, Long Time," and the way she sings it is just beautifully sad.

Diamonds and Rust

Diamonds and Rust

Only a fool breaks his own heart

In Dreams by Roy Orbison

In The Flesh

Why do fools fall in love?

Meat Loaf - Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad

Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Neil Young, though I was introduced to the song by Saint Etienne. The latter is still the definitive version for me. Heresy, I know.

Is this schlock all you bitches have to offer on the subject? Now here is a real classic:

"superstar", "solitaire", by the carpenters...

Since I Don't Have You

Miss Dionne Warwick "Anyone Who Had a Heart"

I'll link to that R11 because its such a great song.

so far all great postings of great songs....well done so far everyone!

Thanks for the link to It Hurts to Be in Love. That is an interesting backstory that Sedaka first recorded it.

[quote] Co-written by Neil Sedaka’s regular writing partner Howard Greenfield, this was originally recorded by Neil but not issued by his label RCA Victor due to contractual issues. For Gene’s release, he was given permission to utilize Neil’s existing backing track while substituting his own lead vocals. MORE. Original version of "It Hurts To Be In Love". Rejected for release by RCA Victor because it was not recorded in their studios, as stipulated by Sedaka's contract. Unlike Pitney's classic rendition, you can clearly hear songwriter Toni Wine sing "It hurts..." on the bridge. Those two words are buried on Pitney's version.

Link to Sedaka's version.

Not in the requested time frame but Saint Etienne recorded a fantastic unrequited love song on their debut album. It's unrequited love for two parties if you listen carefully to the lyrics.

Thanks, R5. I immediately went to In Dreams as well.

Lately I've been listening to Linda Ronstadt and she just breaks your heart. This link as well as Heart Like a Wheel are great.

As mentioned above, Linda doing Heart Like a Wheel.

And we thought Covid was bad. A broken heart is much worse.

I Want to Be Wanted by Brenda Lee

The one song Linda wrote (with Andrew Gold), "Try Me Again." Word was that he was that much in love with her, a feeling she did not return.

Another song from [italic]Hasten down the Wind[/italic], one of the unrequitedest love songs of all time, "Down So Low."

Little Anthony

Robert Gordon doing a version of a Conway Twitty classic.

Another one from Little Anthony and the Imperials

Just My Imagination

Speaking of Little Anthony, here's "Tears on My Pillow."

Valerie Simpson - Silly Wasn't I

There's this. I took it at face value at first. Then I read the diary of a guy I used to cat sit for in 1975-76. On one of his trips, I read his diary, which he had left in such a conspicuous place, I decided he meant for me to find it.

In it, he shrieked on paper how much he adored and loved me, and thought of me when he played this song. He had asked me to pose for a picture, and in his diary he wrote about how it could "hang upon the wall, to hide a nasty stain that's lying there."

He was a very excellent fuck...someone I wish I could still get in touch with. But he died in the early '90s. I only saw him a few times after 1977. If only I could have requited him.

R29 If you fucked him, didn't you kind of requite him?

Only kind of, r30. He wanted me to requite him much more than that. But I was young, and I had all of New York to fuck yet.

Basically, the entirety of the Roy Orbison catalog.

R29 the fact that you first referred him as a guy you used to cat sit for, and not a guy you used to fuck around with, says it all! LOL.

I remember oldies songs like "Sometimes" by Britney Spears from when I was a preteen in the late 90s

"My Eyes Adored You," by Frankie Valli. Still makes me tear up a little when I listen to it.

Stevie Wonder

"Don't Expect Me to be Your Friend" by Lobo

Is this an "unrequited love" song? I tend think of an unrequited love as one that was never requited, versus one that was requited at one time, but ended.

Either way, it's a classic, and it's gorgeous.

The 5th Dimension - One Less Bell to Answer

Not unrequited 38. More like a break up song.

It's a great song though.

Here's one.

I don't know....maybe more stalkerish than unrequited love. "I Only Have Eyes For You".

Hey There Lonely Girl - Eddie Holman

Another vote for Two Out of Three Ain't Bad -- it features two separate unrequited loves.

Don't have time to read the thread. But I hope people have posted the Chiffons' ONE FINE DAY.

Love Hurts by Nazareth ( written by the great Roy Orbison) - I felt the singer's angst even though I was only 8 years old when it came our. Truly a classic.

Do you want one from the rejector's point of view?

Can't Live by Harry Nilsson which was written by the guys in Badfinger. Utter classic that sends chills up my spine whenever I hear it.

Narrow-minded OP insists on only songs from the '50s to '70s.

And to that, I say:

Simon and Garfunkel - Cecelia

R39 that was kind of my thinking as well, but I wasn't sure.

So instead I will offer up this one.

Aretha Franklin - "Ain't No Way"

Been racking my brain all afternoon and finally got one. "Girl, I Heard You're Getting Married," by Brooklyn Bridge (1969). Been years since I thought of it or heard it. Good song, good topic.

OP is also missing out on Dionne Warwick, a relic from his precious era.

R45 - for you

THis. It's a classic no matter who sings it. I love this version best. Miss Dionne Warwick will kill me but so what.

Damn, Levi was hot. He had an almost operatic voice back in the day.

One of my favorite songs growing up was "After the Ball"

"If I Were Your Woman" by Gladys Night and the Pips

Sing it, Roy!!!

LOL! This. My mother loved this song. She loved this group.

Go on, then

Wrong!!

Look it up, nitwit, and admit your ignorance.

"Love Hurts by Nazareth ( written by the great Roy Orbison)"

"Sweet Dreams" - Patsy Cline

Another Patsy Cline song, "Crazy"

Turn Around

My favorite version of "Love Hurts" is by Gram and Emmy. It was first recorded by the Everlys on an LP; then Roy had a hit single in 1961; then Gram and Emmylou put it on Grievous Angel in 1973. Jim Capaldi, Nazareth, and pre-gay Cher have also recorded it. Have I missed anyone?

Oh, and it was written by Boudleaux Bryant.

You Don't Know Me

Dammit, why doesn't this site have preview? Let me try again...

"You Don't Know Me" by Ray Charles

The little white girl with the big black voice.

"Almost Lover" - A Fine Frenzy

Gut wrenching.

R61 I am man enough to admit my mistake and agree that yes, I was wrong. The author of the song Boudleaux Bryant.

How about some gay enrequited love?

Jimmy Ruffins What Becomes of the Brokenhearted.

Maybe not about unrequited love, but certainly wistful. And undeniably beautiful.

The granddaddy of unrequited-love songs, "I Loved Him (But He Didn't Love Me)" by Cole Porter, song here by Miss Judy Garland....

"I Fall to Pieces"

Another from Patsy Cline - Walkin' After Midnight

Dusty.....

Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show

Sylvia's Mother

Honey

Bobby Goldsboro

I Wanna Get Next to You by Rose Royce

wishing on a star by rose royce....

That song is not about unrequited love R79.

What a Fool Believes - Doobie Brothers

Loving in Vain by Patsy Cline

"I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You)" by Hank Williams. I love Linda Rondstadt's rendition, from her compendium of heartbreak songs "Heart Like a Wheel".

Jacky - originally by Jacques Brel (in French), later made famous in English by Scott Walker in 1967, and Marc Almond in 1991. I like all the versions, but I'll link to the Scott Walker version, because I like this old clip. Such a strange and dramatic song.

^ Oops, I meant to post the above, "Jacky" in the "best name song" thread! Sorry!

I truly believe this is one of the most beautiful love songs ever written. And of course Sinatra sings the shit out of it.

fucking amateurs, let the queen show you

Sorry, but this wins. "If I Could Reach You" And Marilyn McCoo had a gorgeous voice.

R82 well aren't you a sassy critic not understanding grief with love?

And aren't the dumbass who doesn't know the meaning of the word "unrequited."

If you’re calling others dumbasses, R92, you really need to check your grammar.

Elvis - "The Girl of My Best Friend"

The best...

I know I'm breaking the rules as this is a more recent song, but this one hits me right in the heart. I don't believe it was written as a song about unrequited love, but that's how I interpreted it when I first heard it.

I always see his face when I hear this song. He was my best friend and I never shared how I felt, for the sake of our friendship.

^^Don't muck up this thread. Isn't an oldie and isn't even on topic.^^

CLASSIC unrequited Gay love song!!

Does this one qualify?

I ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ the white dress she’s wearing.

A lot of these songs mentioned are about LOVE LOVE, not unrequited love. For me, the best unrequited love song is "Just My Imagination" by the Temptations:

Each day through my window I watch her as she passes by

I say to myself, you're such a lucky guy

To have a girl like her is truly a dream come true

Out of all the fellas in the world, she belongs to you

But it was just my imagination, running away with me

It was just my imagination, running away with me

Soon we'll be married and raise a family.

A cozy little home out in the country with two children, maybe three

I tell you, I can visualize it all. This couldn't be a dream, for too real it all seems

But it was just my imagination, once again

Running away with me

Tell you it was just my imagination

Running away with me

Every night on my knees I pray

Dear Lord, hear my plea

Don't ever let another take her love from me

Or I will surely die.

Her love is heavenly

When her arms enfold me

I hear a tender rhapsody

But in reality, she doesn't even know me...

Make that LOST LOVE, not unrequited love.

R101...

<3

I should have known I would have had to explain, and re-explain the meaning of "unrequited" with all the millennials around here.

This could be the granddaddy of them all: Everybody Plays the Fool: The Main Ingredient (1972)

This was recorded by Aretha and a few others but Kenny does a very good job.

'I should have known I would have had to explain, and re-explain the meaning of "unrequited" with all the millennials around here."

Nobody here is a millennial, it's all eldergays like you. We have a 74-year-old president who can't spell basic words but you think millennials are the problem?

Another great Patsy Cline song about the topic: "Crazy Arms."

Since Little Anthony has had so much love here, i want to post one of his songs in a cover I love even more--Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 singing "Goin Out of my Head."

Oops, forgot the link!

From the Fifties and Sixties, you say?

Yeah, I'm sure there are tons of millennials posting in a thread about "oldies"

The Skyliners - I Don't Have Anything

Warren Zevon - The Heartache

Johnny Angel

Yes, I forgot. Millennials are unaware of anything outside their own time frame. Okay, then just general ignoramuses.

The Left Banke: Walk Away Renee

Born Too Late by the Poni Tails

Jessie's Girl

The Way of Love

When you meet a boy, that you like... A LOT...

"Since I Don't Have You"...."Walk Away Renee"...."I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love WIth You'...these are songs about LOST LOVE not UNREQUITED LOVE, goddammit!

Sometimes love gets lost, r120, because one partner decides to unrequite. Not that big a deal in any case, goddamnit!

R120 [italic] Walk Away Renee [/italic] actually IS about unrequited love. The songwriter, 16-year-old Michael Brown crushed on the real Renee Fladen who wasn't interested and then moved away.

R121 I am the OP and yes, it is a big deal for the purposes of this thread.

"Walk Away Renee actually IS about unrequited love. The songwriter, 16-year-old Michael Brown crushed on the real Renee Fladen who wasn't interested and then moved away."

That may have spurred him to write the song but the song IS about a love that is gone, not "unrequited." The lyrics are plainly about a girlfriend/boyfriend relationship that doesn't exist anymore:

And when I see the sign that points one way

The lot we used to pass by every day

Just walk away Renee

You won't see me follow you back home

The empty sidewalks on my block are not the same

You're not to blame

From deep inside the tears that I'm forced to cry

From deep inside the pain that I chose to hide

Just walk away Renee

You won't see me follow you back home

Now as the rain beats down upon my weary eyes

For me it cries

Your name and mine inside a heart upon a wall

Still finds a way to haunt me, though they're so small

Just walk away Renee

You won't see me follow you back home

The empty sidewalks on my block are not the same

You're not to blame

"Is this an "unrequited love" song? I tend think of an unrequited love as one that was never requited, versus one that was requited at one time, but ended."

"One less bell to answer, one less egg to fry, one less man to pick up after"...sounds to me like this was a live-in couple situation and now the guy has left. Not "unrequited" love; it's about the end of a relationship.

Granny used to baby sit us and she loved The Mills Brothers.

A true classic. Love these two together

Donovan “Catch the Wind”

If you go away by Scott Walker

I get such a kic out of this song...it's about as unrequited as it gets. But it's a great drinking song...em...back in the day.

You don’t know by Helen Shapiro

Break up or unrequited? You be the judge.

More break up but still quite beautiful

"what does it take" junior walker and the all stars...

All I have to do is dream

The Temptations Just My Imagination

Nana Mouskouri ‘I have a Dream’

"Break up or unrequited? You be the judge."

I'd say it's a break up. The lyrics suggest there WAS a relationship that's over: "I've got your picture that you gave to me, and it's signed with love just like it used to be...I've got the records that we used to share...I've got your class ring that proved you cared and it still looks the same as when you gave it, dear." She still has all that but now the guy is gone and "she's got you."

R124 What the fuck are you talking about?

Yes, I KNOW the lyrics. Like this one:

"the pain that I chose to hide"

There is nothing in this song that indicates this was a relationship or that Renee even knew of his feelings. He was her acquaintance, crushed on her, wrote her name on the wall...no reciprocation is indicated. He also wrote other songs about her and again, they were not about a relationship.

Ladies! You're both right. IMO it doesn't matter whether there was a relationship or not. Unrequited means the love is not reciprocated. So if you break up, and one party still cries and moans and looks at pictures and dwells on memories, its just as bad (maybe worse) than someone who is in love, (just my imagination) or infatuated with a person who doesn't know you exist. They're both unrequited.

I love the Everly Brothers. It reminds me of when I was little and my mother played records on Saturday morning while she cleaned.

This one's been recorded in one decade after another. I thought it would be nice to hear Dame Shirley's version.

"There is nothing in this song that indicates this was a relationship or that Renee even knew of his feelings. He was her acquaintance, crushed on her, wrote her name on the wall...no reciprocation is indicated. He also wrote other songs about her and again, they were not about a relationship."

You're certainly assuming a lot. And I'm talking about the SONG, not about real life. And the song says the two people in the song were together a lot ("the lot we used to pass by every day") and indicates a relationship ("Your name and mine inside a heart upon a wall"). Sounds like they were together, and aren't anymore. That's what the SONG says. I think the guy who wrote it thought it would sound better as a love/lost situation.

By the way THREE people are credited with writing the song: Michael Brown, Bob Calilli, and Tony Sansone. Tony Sansone said that he is the primary writer. Sansone has stated in interviews that he wrote the lyrics for the song, and that he randomly chose the name Renée because the Beatles used the name Michelle in their hit song of the same name, and so he did likewise, choosing the French name Renée as the female object for the song.

Okay. I posted "If I Could Reach You." Yes, the guy is screwing her/him but he doesn't love her/him. I'd say that's unrequited.

Oh no, don't go It's hours till dawn And there's no one who'd rather be with you I know you know other girls like me I let you take my love Knowing you don't love me But if I could reach you some way If I knew the magic it would take To love you good enough on the outside And make you feel it on the inside Maybe I could make you stay If I could reach you The dark is getting light And you're dressed to go And never said a word about tomorrow But if I could reach you some way If I knew the magic it would take To love you good enough on the outside And make you feel it on the inside Maybe I could make you stay.

Damn. I forgot about DL newlines when copying and pasting. I haven't been here for a while. Sorry.

I know it's late, but one of my playlists just reminded me of this classic that I LOVE!

And I LERV this ska version by the Trojans!!!

Doris Day - Secret Love

Sorry, folks.

The best version of "Love Hurts" was the Nazareth version. That's why it was the biggest hit.

Smokey sings about unrequited love in disguise...

Sorry, OP, this is from '91 but it has a 60s/70s feel to it.

R43 Just copied and pasted a bunch of shit from Wikipedia. It doesn't matter what bullshit Sansone said - this story is well-documented and everyone involved knows the song was written about the bass player's girl, Renee Fladen by Michael Brown, and that she wasn't interested in him since he was only 16 years old, and then moved away to New Jersey.

Seeing someone every day and writing their name on a wall doesn't mean you are in a relationship. What kind of moron do you have to be to have to be told this?

Stop trying to make your lame argument happen. Go read up on the Left Banke in real sources.