21 Songs About Secret Love (2023)

Songs about secret love have been a recurring theme in music, spanning different genres and eras. These songs capture the complexities and emotions associated with keeping a love affair hidden, whether it be due to societal norms, cultural or religious reasons, or personal circumstances. They also provide heartfelt and relatable explorations that connect to listeners’ own experiences and emotions.

Through the years, these 21 best songs about secret love had become part of most people’s playlists.

21. “Your Secret Love” by Luther Vandross

Album: Your Secret Love | Style: R&B

Vandross showcased music that is a fabric of one’s memory and a poignant exploration of love and relationships. The song “Secret Love” is one of his masterpieces that captures bittersweet emotions as it talks about the experience of a fed-up lover or third party who refuses to be kept as a secret any longer. The song resounds the general complexities of a concealed love or relationship.

20. “Angel Of The Morning” by Merrilee Rush

Album: Angel of the Morning | Style: Pop

This song blasts off a lot of sexual empowerment and internal conflict of a woman torn between intimacy with her lover and the consequences of their secret affair. The beautiful melody of this song captivates deep empathy among listeners. The song is a timeless masterpiece of enduring love.

19. “Saving All My Love For You” by Whitney Houston

Album: Whitney Houston (1985) | Style: R&B, Pop

This captivating song showcases unparalleled greatness both lyrically and musically. As it talks about great love, it also evokes sadness and longing for a relationship to be publicly acknowledged. Whitney Houston’s powerful voice can take her listeners to a soul-stirring performance and touch their hearts enough to save all the love in the world only for someone worthy.

18. “Rewrite The Stars” by Zac Efron Ft. Zendaya

Album: The Greatest Showman: Soundtrack | Style: Pop

When we finally find a love that is not meant for us, we wish to rewrite the stars. This song is a portrayal of a forbidden love, a love not meant to be shared, between two people who are set apart by racial differences and societal norms. However, the enchanting vocals of Zac Efron and Zendaya create a mesmerizing musical experience about the resilience of love.

17. “She Doesn’t Have To Know” by John Legend

Album: Get Lifted | Style: Pop

This song is a bold representation of lovers cheating on each other’s relationships. Both personas in the song admit to having an illicit affair with each other. Even though they are aware of their wrongdoings, they tried to justify it as a love that cannot be stopped nor ignored. A sense of helplessness is emphatically felt through the song as she calls on them to not let his original girlfriend know of this unwarranted affair.

16. “4AM” by Melanie Fiona

Album: The MF Life | Style: R&B

This powerful ballad explains how a woman might feel when her lover doesn’t arrive at their agreed rendezvous. The waiting game becomes more painful if he doesn’t communicate his whereabouts as well. These circumstances end up with her suspecting that her lover has someone else behind her back or hooking up with someone else secretly. This song is relevant to women who often experience the same mistreatment from their beau.

15. “Can I Be Him” by James Arthur

Album: Back from the Edge (2016) | Style: Pop

For people who struggle to secretly love someone who is already in a relationship with someone else, this song is a perfect reflection of their jealousy and misery. There is also pain in seeing your loved one happy and in a strong relationship with their partner.  Listening to this song brings back a lot of heartbreaks.

14. “Just A Friend To You” by Meghan Trainor

Album: Thank You (2016) | Style: Pop, Ukulele Pop

The song depicts a situation where the persona in the song has romantic feelings for someone who sees her only as a friend. It expresses a lot of frustrations and disappointments for being friend-zoned. Despite the hopelessness in the musical tone of the song, it still maintains a positive vibe and an optimistic tone.

13. “A Long As You Love Me” by Justin Bieber Ft. Big Sean

Album: Believe | Style: Pop, R&B, Hip Hop

The song is a perfect soundtrack for people fighting for their love against all the odds in the world. It states how love would be enough to overcome anything. It also shows an unwavering commitment to rise above the challenges. With its infectious beat and melody, this song has the power to captivate listeners’ hearts.

12. “Dirty Little Secret” by All American Rejects

Album: Move Along | Style: Pop

All of us may have one little secret or two and keeping them seems the best way to survive in this fragile world. Released in 2005, this pop song captures the conflict between wanting to keep a secret hidden and the burden that goes along with it. The song lets listeners relate to the themes of secrecy and emotional turmoil that come with keeping a hidden truth.

11. “Teardrops On My Guitar” by Taylor Swift

Album: Taylor Swift (self-titled debut album) | Style: Country Pop

The song revolves around unrequited love as Taylor Swift narrates her own experience of it. The captivating blends of this song speak of how she hides her heartbreak with a smile and how she holds her secret love unspoken. As this song evokes nostalgia, it provides solace to those who struggle with unreciprocated feelings.

10. “Lie About Us” by Avant

Album: Director | Style: R&B, Pop

The song encapsulates the feelings of being drawn to fall in love with someone while still in a relationship with somebody else. It is about secret affairs and the desire to be officially together without lying to the world anymore. There is a tension that could be felt all throughout the song as the persona speaks about his loyalty being torn between two lovers.

9. “Crush” by Mandy Moore

Album: Mandy Moore (self-titled third studio album) | Style: Pop, Teen pop

A lot of high schoolers would love this song because it is characterized by a piece of upbeat and energetic music that would easily stick to their memories. It also speaks about a very timely experience among teenagers as this song speaks about having a secret crush on a confidant. There is an underlying excitement and thrill induced in the song as it narrates about having a rush every time he’s near. This is a good song for people who are drifting away with an exhilarating infatuation.

8. “Uncover” by Zara Larsson

Album: Introducing | Style: Pop

This is a love song about people who can’t express their love in front of other people, for whatever reason. The song, however, centers on the theme of vulnerability and self-discovery in a relationship, as much as uncovering the façade of another person. Larsson’s powerful vocals stir up a lot of empathy and resilience.

7. “Stuck Like Glue” by Sugarland

Album: The Incredible Machine| Style: Country Pop

The lively features of this song will make your heart beat again and make you feel like a kid. It uses a lot of metaphors to capture the ups and downs of an inseparable bond, especially when it comes to relationships. The song could pass to be an ode to love and reminds listeners of how love could be fun and colorful but equally crazy and deranged.

6. “You Belong With Me” by Taylor Swift

Album: Fearless | Style: Country Pop

This popular country-pop song is a combination of a moving melody and a romantic love story. It describes how the persona in the song wishes to be seen for the worth that she has. She hopes that the man would eventually realize that she is the right one for him and that he belonged to her and not to some nasty, ungrateful bitch. Swift’s signature blend of country and pop music gives comfort to people who had felt misunderstood or overlooked.

5. “Treat You Better” by Shawn Mendes

Album: Illuminate | Style: Pop Rock

This song may resonate with people who had witnessed their secret love submerged in a toxic and loveless relationship, and it came to a point when all they want is to save them and make them realize that they are a better option than their current love affair. This song speaks of a promise from someone to treat these love victims better and fairer. Overall, the song centers on empathy and support towards someone who is experiencing pain and suffering in their current relationship.

4. “Love Story” by Taylor Swift

Album: Fearless (Taylor’s Version) | Style: Country pop, country rock

Who wouldn’t be familiar with the famous Romeo and Juliet love story way back in high school? This song is obviously inspired by the same love story, only that it was suspected to have been Taylor Swift’s own experience with allegedly, Joe Jonas. Nevertheless, the song captures the attention to Swifties because it paints a vivid picture of a couple determined to push through with their discreet love and to be together secretly despite the disapproval of their families. 

3. “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne

Album: The Best Damn Thing | Style: Pop

Avril Lavigne exudes a lot of confidence and a vulgar attitude in this song as she presents herself as a better option to her love interest as compared to his current girlfriend.  Her musical style enhances the bold and unapologetic persona in the song. However, this song is great eye-opener to people who encourages self-assurance and who takes charge of their own romantic pursuits.

2. “Secret Love Song” by Little Mix

Album: Get Weird | Style: Pop, R&B, ballad

This song’s entirely about a secret love affair where the couple doesn’t have the liberty to be together publicly. The song conveys the pain of a hidden relationship and the longing to be free to act their love out to the world. Listeners have praised this song for its sincere and empathic tone. 

1. “Don’t Matter” by Akon

Album: Konvicted | Style: R&B / Reggae

The first stanza of this song instinctively hooks listeners to the music and lyrics of the song. This song is very inspiring because the persona in the song shows an awesome amount of determination to fight for their right to love. For him, it doesn’t matter if nobody wants to see them in love for as long as they have the love to fight for, he believes they’ll be fine. The song, despite its reggae effects, is soothing and comforting to listen to.