In 1993, Aerosmith released Cryin’ and completely changed the life our highly opinionated professor, Michael Perrota. So much so that he spent 30-minutes after class talking our ears off about it. I, Diannah, completely opposed to the song. It didn’t move me the way he wished it would. Maleek appreciated the retro aesthetic, but ultimate we didn’t end up adding the song to our playlists. However, the song did generate a new conversation between about other songs revolving around the same topic.

Longing for a love that is unreachable. We’ve all been there. And unfortunately yearning for a lover just out of reach is perhaps the most human experience. That pain is fuel to some artists that leads to the greatest of songs. Sometimes the strong feelings we have for someone just isn’t enough. Sometimes, all we really need is a good sad song to blast and relate to. Although Aerosmith didn’t speak to us, there are more modern songs that called out to our twenty-something hearts. Here are Diannah and Maleek’s top three songs regarding unrequited love:

Three

Diannah’s Take

Nobody Gets Me – SZA

SZA sings about the complete not optionale possibility of her being in a relationship with anyone else but her lover. She shares how they were in a relationship but her partner was “feeling empty” and ultimately decided to leave. The clear raw emotion paired with the guitar really evokes a strong sense of sadness. Having the love of your life, getting engaged but then having that fall through destroys her. She left dealing with multiple flings in hopes of erasing her true love but nothing works.

Standout Lyrics: “I don’t wanna see you with anyone but me. Nobody gets me like you. How am I supposed to let you go? Only like myself when I’m with you.”

Maleek’s Take

Cigarettes After Sex 

They’re the most popular sad boy song. Cigarettes after sex is a band that prides itself on giving off this melocolic dreamy romanticism of difficult human relationships. But K. holds a special place in this writer’s heart. It’s the type of anthem that one plays on repeat after waking up from a night of tears and love sick confessions, as you pace back and forth recalling the moment your heart broke, this song is what keeps you company.

Standout Lyrics: “Kristen, come right back I’ve been waiting for you to slip back in bed.”

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Two

Diannah’s Take

I Wanna Be Yours – Arctic Monkeys

A simple song with very cookie cutter lyrics but effective at getting its point across. The song, originally a poem by John Cooper Clarke, expresses the desire to be a part of their lover’s life like everyday objects such as vacuums and coffee pots are. They want to be needed and admired to the point of being an irreplaceable variable. The repetitive “let me be” before each comparison is desperate, begging for a chance to be in the lover’s life. It signifies the longing of something that is unreachable. 

Standout Lyrics: “Secrets I have held in my heart are harder to hide than I thought. Maybe I just wanna be yours.”

Maleek’s Take

Creep – Radiohead

Creep is a 90s grunge ballad that stands as the epitome of self deprecating and melodrama. It’s the type of song that is so relatable and beautiful it hurts. Other songs come and go with this theme, but creep forever remains culturally relevant. The heart ripping production and straight to the point lyrics/storytelling is something rarely seen nowadays. It does not try to make light of these raw human emotions most often ignored or criticized, it simply is a reflection of our deepest insecurities. There has never been a time in human history where we are not fearful of not being perfect for the ones we desire. And this song also plays into a more male centric issue of not wanting to be seen as the “creepy guy” when wanting to find a partner. It introduces these harsh realities and leaves it up to us to decide what lessons we shall take away from.

Standout Lyrics: “I don’t care if it hurts. I wanna have control. I want a perfect body. I want a perfect soul. I want you to notice when I’m not around.”

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One

Diannah’s Take

Hard to Love – Rosé of BLACKPINK

A rare caring perspective from the view of the perpetrator. Hard to Love is a song about the reasons one might be opposed to falling in love or being in a relationship such as not wanting to feel like a burden. Rosé sings about wanting to spare the lover from pain and insanity which she concludes will be the only result from a relationship together. This is a song for people who are self aware and a little bit self sabotaging. The knowledge that you are in need of healing and can’t be with anyone at the moment is incredibly healthy and is something that most seem to lack. However, assuming that all your relationships will end in heartbreak is very pessimistic and closed off. But ultimately this is an extremely human thought process. Opposing something because you think you know better is how we act and although it may hurt someone we’re only doing it “because we care” as Rosé sings. This is my favorite solo song by Rosé and admittedly my favorite solo release from all the Blackpink members. Her unique vocal tone and Australian accent are able to evoke such strong feelings that really makes you feel like you’re in the studio with her. The second I hear “Ain’t no magic tool to fix it…” I immediately get overwhelmed. I was stunned in my seat when I got the chance to hear it live. 

Standout Lyrics: “Ain’t no magic tool to fix it. You should keep your distance. I’m only telling you because I care.”

Maleek’s Take

Waiting Room – Phoebe Bridgers

Phoebe freaking Bridgers. What can be said about her that hasn’t been mentioned time and time again. Waiting Room is one of her first songs, and some would argue, her magnum opus. It’s a song looking back at her childhood love and yearning for them to reciprocate their feelings back to her. She would literally wait in a hospital waiting room while bleeding out for the hopes of them giving her the time of day. She embarrasses herself in front of the entire world, for her true love. Her younger, higher pitch voice leads us into the darkest depths of her teenage angst. She’s gone on the record to say she straight up cringes everytime she hears it. But I think that’s the magic of a track like this. It’s so real and over dramatic and weakly written it feels like we are sneakily reading her torn apart high school diary. Yes, the metaphors are a bit on the nose and are borderline overwritten, but that is what makes it such a unique experience. And that outro. It’s simply life altering. Yes, it’s a song that isn’t for everyone, but the one the song is written for, the ones who would ruin their entire lives just to be in the arms of her first love, you’ll finally feel like someone gets you. 

Standout Lyrics: “Wanna make you fall in love as hard as my poor parent’s teenage daughter.”