Best Musical Theater Songs About Unrequited Love

[Actriz2]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 10:48pm

Hi all,

I'm doing a piece on the portrayal of romance in musical theater and would love to hear some opinions on what the best musical theater songs about unrequited love are.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[JBroadway]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 11:06pm

You might find some helpful suggestions in these similar threads:

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1081190#4643175

 

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1080550#4635117

Updated On: 8/28/15 at 11:06 PM

[hork]

Posted: 8/28/15 at 11:06pm

"On My Own" from Les Miserables. It's pretty much the best song of any kind.

[Ranger Tom]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 12:05am

Oliver "Where is Love?"  

[PalJoey]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 12:10am

 

"Where Is Love" is not about a love that is unrequited. If you want a song from Oliver, try "As Long As He Needs Me."

 

[gypsy101]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 12:13am

Losing My Mind

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 2:37am

Unworthy of Your Love, of course!

[devonian.t]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 4:12am

'Serenity' from 'Triumph of Love'- especially when performed by Betty Buckley!

[CindersGolightly]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 4:35am

I did a similar project a couple of years ago. I made an 8tracks playlist to accommodate it. It's more of a lovelorn compilation, but lovelorn and unrequited love often can be the same thing.

The first song is "The History of Wrong Guys", but after that, it's all sad and ballad-y songs. I felt I needed to include it but it didn't fit the other songs cohesively so I just put it at the beginning to get it over with.

 

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 6:15am

"But Not for Me"  GIRL CRAZY
"I Get a Kick Out of You"  ANYTHING GOES
"Love, Look Away"  FLOWER DRUM SONG
"And I Am Telling You (I'm not going)"  DREAM GIRLS
"You Could Drive a Person Crazy"  COMPANY
"Losing My Mind"  FOLLIES
"Where Do I Go From Here?"  FIORELLO (cut)
"I Resolve"  SHE LOVES ME
"What Do You Get When You Fall in Love?"  PROMISES, PROMISES
"Knowing When to Leave"  PROMISES, PROMISES
"I Am Not That Girl"  WICKED
"You Can Always Count on Me"  CITY OF ANGELS
"With Every Breath I Take"  CITY OF ANGELS
"Not a Day Goes By"  MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

"Serenity" from TRIUMPH OF LOVE is not about unrequited love; the love, of course, happens to be unrequited, but Hesione doesn't know that.  In fact, she believes quite the opposite. 
The song is about a bittersweet erotic reawakening after years of serene and scholarly seclusion from worldly pleasures.


 

Updated On: 8/29/15 at 06:15 AM

[mrgiovanni]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 6:26am

"You Don't Need To Love Me" from IF/THEN

[mamaleh]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 7:56am

"Perfect Relationship" from BELLS ARE RINGING.

[ChildofEarth]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 4:10pm

There's a Fine, Fine Line from Avenue Q

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 5:11pm

"If I Can't Love Her" - Beauty and the Beast

[RaiseYouUp]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 5:17pm

I'm Not That Girl from Wicked is a standout to me.
History of Wrong Guys from Kinky Boots is a more comic song about unrequited love.

Posted: 8/29/15 at 11:33pm

"Still Hurting" - The Last Five Years

"We Do Not Belong Together" - SITPWG

"This Nearly Was Mine" - South Pacific

"I'm Not That Girl" - Wicked

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Posted: 8/29/15 at 11:37pm

I think even more so than "On My Own," the song "Unusual Way" from NINE perfectly expresses what it feels like to love someone you can never have.

Many of the songs mentioned here, to me, are more about love lost than unrequited affection...

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 8/30/15 at 12:20am

Yes to On My Own, Unusual Way, and Love Look Away. I'd add "Every Day a Little Death" from A Little Night Music to the list of the best songs.

It's not exactly an unrequited love song but I like "Easy To Be Hard" from Hair. "Pretty Funny" from Dogfight and "You Should Be Loved" from Side Show don't quite fit either but they're good songs.