Ranking of Melancholic Western Songs [2025]

Baby IAriana Grande64rank/position

Ariana Grande – Baby I (Official Video)

Have you ever had the experience of getting nervous in front of someone you like, and your words get stuck whenever you try to say something? It’s a bright, poppy unrequited love song in Ariana’s style, capturing the feelings of a shy girl with a cute voice and charming melody.

Marry MeJason Derulo65rank/position

Jason Derulo – Marry Me [Official HD Music Video]

This song portrays the electrifying surge of emotion and honest feelings you experience when, among so many people, you meet the one—the person you truly want to marry.

If someone sang to you like this, of course any woman would be completely smitten.

CrushDavid Archuleta66rank/position

David Archuleta – Crush (Official Video)

“Can’t you feel the same way?” This is David’s smash hit that captures the feelings of a boy in a bittersweet one-sided love.

It’s a moving song that every boy going through his youth can relate to.

His clear, crystalline vocals never get old no matter how many times you listen.

Yoü And ILady Gaga67rank/position

Lady Gaga – Yoü And I

As a heartrendingly beautiful breakup song, it has captured the hearts of many.

Showcasing Lady Gaga’s rich emotional expression, this work is a grand ballad that lingers on a past love.

The lyrics, sung over a beautiful melodic line, will give courage and a sense of kinship to those nursing unrequited feelings.

Released in July 2011, the track was issued as a single from the album “Born This Way.” The passion and melancholy felt throughout the song speak to the frustrations of love that everyone experiences, and its evocative lyrics are sure to enchant many listeners.

Girls Need LoveSummer Walker68rank/position

Summer Walker – Girls Need Love (Official Music Video)

A gem of an R&B track that voices a woman’s candid feelings, resonating at dusk.

Released in 2018 by American artist Summer Walker, this song has become a signature work that lays bare the real emotions and desires of modern women.

Blending ’90s classic R&B with contemporary neo-soul, the sound is seamlessly fused, and her whispery, gentle vocals layer over it to evoke an intimate, bittersweet summer night.

Included on her debut mixtape, Last Day of Summer, it later drew attention for a remix featuring Drake.

Tenderly portraying the complexities of love and a woman’s inner life, this song is perfect for nights when you want to cherish time alone or moments when you want to face yourself.

GorgeousTaylor Swift69rank/position

Taylor Swift – Gorgeous (Lyric Video)

Feeling so mad at someone for being just too “gorgeous”!? This is a humor-filled unrequited love song sung by American artist Taylor Swift.

Set to a lively synth-pop sound, the lyrics strikingly portray being tongue-tied in front of a love-at-first-sight crush and the complicated feeling of liking someone so much it actually makes you angry.

Many people have probably experienced going blank the moment they see their crush or being swept away by their own emotions.

You could say it’s a song packed with that uncontrollable rush and flutter of the very moment love begins.

Green LightLorde70rank/position

Lorde – Green Light

Singer-songwriter Lorde, who debuted in her teens and shook the music scene with her poetic worldview.

Released in March 2017, this song overlaps with the bittersweet air of late summer.

Beginning with a piano melody, it blends the pain of heartbreak with the exhilaration of trying to break free, portraying a protagonist who still longs for a finished love yet waits for the “green light” to move forward.

It’s as if hiding tears while dancing at a party—an achingly tender yet powerful mood that strikes the heart.

The masterpiece Melodrama, which includes this track, was nominated for Album of the Year at the 60th Grammy Awards.

On a twilight evening when you’re reluctant to let summer go, take the time to listen to it alone.