Forbidden Love: A Collection of Classic Western Songs About Infidelity [2025]

She Cheated AgainDax

Dax – “She Cheated Again” (Official Music Video)

This work lays bare the despair of being betrayed by a lover and the heart’s cry that rises from it.

Dax, a Canadian artist with the unconventional background of transitioning from basketball player to rapper, channels that journey here.

The track portrays with painful realism the soul’s trajectory: discovering a partner’s infidelity, mentally falling apart, and pleading for salvation from God.

Released in November 2018, the song tackles a heavy theme—so much so that Dax himself has spoken about how difficult it was to make.

If you’ve ever carried wounds you couldn’t share with anyone or suffered in a forbidden relationship, you’ll likely find yourself resonating with its anguished outcry.

Your Cheatin’ HeartHank Williams

Hank Williams – Your Cheatin´ Heart – Country Music Experience

This is a song by Hank Williams, the American singer known as the father of modern country music.

The song portrays, in stark terms, the guilt and loneliness that await the person who betrayed him.

Even if they keep a calm face now, the song declares that one day they’ll shed tears of regret on sleepless nights—a searing message.

It seems to foresee not only resentment toward the other person, but also the self-inflicted suffering that lies ahead.

Released just after Hank’s death, it came out in January 1953 and held the number-one spot for six consecutive weeks, and in 1964 it became the title of a biographical film.

The end of a love that hurts someone else ultimately only brings pain to oneself.

Perhaps that inescapable truth is what pierces the heart.

I Should Have CheatedKeyshia Cole

Keyshia Cole – I Should Have Cheated (Official Music Video)

This is a heart-wrenching ballad sung by American R&B singer Keyshia Cole.

It portrays a woman’s emotions as she is constantly suspected of cheating by her lover and, unable to prove her innocence, laments that she might as well have truly betrayed him.

The despair and anger of not being believed gradually morph into a forbidden desire, capturing the very moment love is corroded by suspicion.

The song comes from the acclaimed 2005 album “The Way It Is” and won at the 20th Soul Train Music Awards.

Anyone who has suffered from unfair accusations will likely deeply relate to that helpless feeling.

Call Your GirlfriendRobyn

Robyn – Call Your Girlfriend

This song offers a fresh perspective: the woman who has become his new lover advises him, “Call your ex and break up with her gently.” Sung by Swedish artist Robyn, the track might at first sound like a victor’s declaration from the one who “won” him over, but beneath that is a curious compassion for the woman who’s being left behind.

Released as a single from the acclaimed album Body Talk in April 2011, it was also nominated for a Grammy in 2012 and is known for its use in the TV series Riverdale.

It captures the complex emotions of the point of no return in a love that inevitably hurts someone.

Its raw depiction of that moment may leave your chest tight with feeling.

Mr. BrightsideThe Killers

The Killers – Mr. Brightside (Official Music Video)

The American alternative rock band The Killers.

Their music has been acclaimed around the world, and they have performed in Japan as well.

Among the songs that really fire up their live shows is their signature track, “Mr.

Brightside.” While its driving rock sound feels intense and impulsive, the lyrics are, in contrast, incredibly delicate and heartfelt.

Knowing these emotional lyrics makes the rock sound hit even harder—it’s a track that lets you feel the allure of rock all the more.

LoyalChris Brown ft. Lil Wayne, Tyga

Chris Brown – Loyal (Official Video) ft. Lil Wayne, Tyga

A promotional single released from Chris Brown’s sixth album, X.

Three versions were recorded: the East Coast version features French Montana, the West Coast version features Too Short, and the video version features Tyga.

SorryBeyoncé

Beyoncé – Sorry (Video)

A track from Beyoncé’s sixth solo album, Lemonade, that reportedly shocked fans with its deeply personal content.

The anger-charged lyrics—“I’ll flip my middle finger and shove it in his face”—are rumored to be about Jay-Z’s infidelity.