Falling in love with your best friend is a universal experience. It’s no wonder that solid, lasting romantic partnerships attribute their success to feeling like they’re friends as well as lovers. Here is the perfect playlist with the best songs about being in love with your best friend.
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It can be an uncomfortable experience to realize that you are in love with your best friend. What if this wrecks the friendship, and you lose your friend as a potential romantic partner and as your partner in crime?
Luckily for us, plenty of musicians have been penning songs about just being friends but wanting more for decades.
“You Belong With Me” – Taylor Swift
One of Swift’s most iconic early songs, “You Belong With Me,” tells the story of a girl who watches a close friend struggling with a toxic relationship with his girlfriend. She desperately wishes that he will realize soon enough that what he’s been looking for is closer than he thinks.
Taylor Swift is a household name for anyone who keeps up with popular music. This piece is one of the songs about being in love with your best friend country music fans love.
Recently she has made waves by re-recording old albums (including Fearless, on which “You Belong With Me” appears) to wrest creative and licensing control back from her old recording label.
While both versions of her song are timeless, the more recent re-recording features Swift’s more mature vocals.
“Jenny (I Wanna Ruin Our Friendship)” – Studio Killers
“Jenny (I Wanna Ruin Our Friendship)” by Studio Killers is a pining dance song in which the singer confesses to a deep unrequited love for their best friend, Jenny. In the song, she steals Jenny’s things and begs Jenny to ruin their friendship.
Studio Killers is a European band with Finnish, Danish, and British members. Similar to Gorillaz, Studio Killers is a virtual band with animated performers. Their song “Jenny” brought them to new audiences, particularly younger listeners using TikTok.
“Best Friends” – The Weeknd
In “Best Friends” by The Weeknd, the script gets flipped. The Weeknd sings from the perspective of someone who has to gently let his best friend down and tell them that he is not interested in building a romantic relationship.
Though the song intimates that he and his best friend are already sleeping together, the Weeknd reiterates that what is important to him is their friendship.
“Best Friends” appears on the album Dawn FM, an early 2022 release. The album received critical acclaim as one of the Weeknd’s most creative to date. It is one of the songs about being in love with your best friend r&b fans will like.
“You’re My Best Friend” – Queen
This iconic Queen song was written after bassist John Deacon married his best friend. The singer shares that he’s delighted he can profess his genuine love for his best friend and that they will spend the rest of their lives together.
“You’re My Best Friend” topped number 7 on the United Kingdom charts after it was released as a single, separate from its original placement on the 1975 album A Night at the Opera. It is one of the best rock songs about being in love with your best friend.
“Tell Me You Love Me” – Galantis & Throttle
In this dance hit “Tell Me You Love Me” by Galantis & Throttle, a tortured singer begs their friend to open their eyes and recognize how compatible they are. They wonder how they let themselves get so infatuated with a friend who refuses to acknowledge that they could make a great couple.
Galantis is an electronic band made up of just two members, and Throttle is a featured artist on “Tell Me You Love Me.”
“Something To Talk About” – Bonnie Raitt
Even if you haven’t heard of Bonnie Raitt, you will have heard “Something to Talk About.” In this classic folksy-country song, Raitt sings about an attraction between two friends so obvious that the whole world seems to be commenting. She wonders if they should throw caution to the wind and go for it.
Though originally from California, Bonnie Raitt has made a name for herself as a blues and bluegrass singer. In addition to writing and performing terrific blues music, Raitt is also an activist for anti-war and civil rights movements.
“I Want You To Want Me” – Letters to Cleo
Featured in the immensely popular movie 10 Things I Hate About You, “I Want You to Want Me” by Letters to Cleo is a 90s pop-punk anthem. Tired of waiting, singer Kay Hanley begs a friend to reciprocate her feelings.
Originally from Boston, Letters to Cleo achieved fame and notoriety in the 90s but ended their time together after ten years (shortly before 10 Things I Hate About You hit theaters).
“Falling in Love With My Best Friend” – Tyler Ward
Tyler Ward, a recent breakthrough in the country/pop music scene, sings a song about the slow but intoxicating process of being friends but wanting just a bit more. In the chorus, he croons about increasing intimacy between two friends. Before he knows it, he’s full-blown in love. This selection is one of the most underrated songs about being in love with your best friend.
“Best Friend” – RaVaughn
The most impatient of all the songs on this playlist, Ravaughn sings about the pain of watching someone she loves love another. She resents the “best friend” label and is tired of her love complaining to her about his failed, toxic relationships.
A virtuosic performer from an early age, RaVaughn broke through after performing on the hit television show Glee. She has worked with other pop icons, Celine Dion, Natasha Bedingfield, Kelly Clarkson, and Brandy. This lineage of strong female performers is evident in “Best Friend,” which is as catchy as it is universal.
“Best Friend” – Rex Orange County
A blend of pop, electronic, and independent soft rock, Rex Orange County is the performing name of English singer-songwriter Alexander James O’Connor. Known for his pining, emotional songs, “Best Friend” is a classic example of Rex Orange County’s music.
In “Best Friend,” O’Connor predicts that the girl he’s in love with will only want to be best friends. She will want to keep him in her life for as long as possible because he’s comforting and cheerful. However, this won’t translate to romantic feelings, and O’Connor will be rejected and relegated to the friend zone.
Final Thoughts
Even though waiting for your best to notice that the two of you belong together can feel excruciatingly painful, these songs about being in love with your best friend will help ease the pain. Not every song is happy; in fact, many of them are processing the pain of never having their love requited. Nevertheless, it never hurts to know that someone else has felt the way you do.