Then there are some of us who are still in one. You know who you are. And you know, like we do, that you deserve better. When you’re in it, it just seems like it must be worth it to try making it work — you know, for the sake of love and all. And also because, for so many reasons, leaving a toxic relationship often feels too hard. Because our friends and family are often quick to criticize, even if it’s in a well-meaning way, it can feel like you’re the only one in your corner when weathering that particular storm. RELATED: 35 Best Songs About Complicated Love & Confusing Relationships In those cases, finding good songs to listen to — songs that assure you that you aren’t the only one who gets it — can make a hugely positive difference for the sake of your emotional well-being.
That said, these 101 songs about toxic relationships will make you feel less alone and more understood.
1. “Love On the Brain” by Rihanna
Rihanna is no stranger to singing about her toxic relationship woes, from her earlier singles (remember “Unfaithful”?) to her features on hits like “Love the Way You Lie” with Eminem. Thankfully, she’s no longer actually living them, but knowing about her highly publicized relationship with Chris Brown makes these words that much more powerful. Must be love on the brain / That’s got me feeling this way (feeling this way) It beats me black and blue but it f***s me so good / And I can’t get enough Must be love on the brain, yeah / And it keeps cursing my name (cursing my name) No matter what I do, I’m no good without you / And I can’t get enough
2. “Mad Love” by JoJo
JoJo has always made good music, but she came back strong with this underrated song. JoJo gets real about how a lot of the time we can’t see that we can do so much better rather than settle for whatever we get, despite how bad it is for us. The song paints the picture of insecurity and emotional baggage leaving room for toxic love. ‘Cause you give me mad love / How far can we go? Nobody knows You give me bad love / But I’ll take what I get, I’m starvin’ for it Like I’ve never had love / You keep me insane, I’m not ashamed Don’t give a damn, love / I want you so bad
3. “Ex Factor” by Lauryn Hill
The longer you hold on to hope that things will get better and go back to how they were in the beginning, the worst things actually get. Most of the time, he cleans his act up for just long enough to keep the relationship going. You know you’re stuck on this ride but no longer know when or where to exit. No matter how I think we grow / You always seem to let me know It ain’t workin’, It ain’t workin’ (No, it ain’t workin’) And when I try to walk away / You’d hurt yourself to make me stay This is crazy, this is crazy (This is crazy, uh-huh!) I keep letting you back in / How can I explain myself? As painful as this thing has been / I just can’t be with no one else
4. “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis
Being so in love that you can’t see what everyone else sees is probably the worst feeling once it finally ends, but we all know that there’s no telling someone in love about their love. Just no. But I don’t care what they say, I’m in love with you / They try to pull me away, but they don’t know the truth My heart’s crippled by the vein that I keep on closing You cut me open and I / Keep bleeding, keep, keep bleeding love
5. “Something in the Way You Move” by Ellie Goulding
Sometimes we know we’ve got it bad as the relationship starts to leave you feeling worse than any actual breakup would. It’s an agonizing feeling to have when you feel like your heart is breaking in slow motion, and often it ends up being a relief when you finally get the hell out. There’s something in the way you move / Something in the way you move With you I’m never healing / It’s heartache through and through There’s something in the way you move / I don’t know what it is you do Not one bone in your body good enough for me / But this heart is open, bloodstain on my sleeve When our eyes meet, I can only see the end / But tonight I’m here, yours again
6. “Jealous” by Beyoncé
Anytime you’re this enraged with someone, it’s time to end things. These lyrics describe a relationship that has been tarnished constantly by issues that led to mistrust, and sometimes there’s no coming back from that. I’m in my penthouse half-naked / I cooked this meal for you naked So where the hell you at / Just one shot left of this drink, in this glass Don’t make me break it / I wish that you were me So you could feel this feeling / I never broke one promise, and I know when you’re not honest Now you got me yelling, that’s because I’m jealous
7. “The Pressure” by Jhené Aiko
The “pressure” mentioned in this song describes the point of no return, where you have nothing left to give and you’re sort of just staying with the person out of convenience. There’s no fixing it, so you just begin to feel detached from the love. Up ’til the sun rises / There’s no compromising I know, I know, I know / You are such a liar I never denied you / I was for sure But it’s really out of my control / The way you feel is not my problem I don’t wanna see you go / But I don’t have time to solve this And you don’t have the right / After all you put me through
8. “Rock Bottom” by Hailee Steinfeld ft. DNCE
There’s a certain high that comes with being in a toxic relationship and it keeps you wanting more… despite your better judgment. Oh, we’re on the right side of rock bottom / And I hope that we keep falling We’re on the good side of bad karma / ‘Cause we keep on coming back for more We’re on the right side of rock bottom / Into you, I just keep crawling You’re the best kind of bad something / ‘Cause we keep on coming back for more
9. “Girl” by Destiny’s Child
This song holds a different narrative in that it’s one woman making excuses for why she stays with her awful boyfriend despite his cheating and her spending her days sad — instead of talking directly to her lover. After opening up about her own experience with domestic violence while promoting her solo single, “Dirty Laundry,” Kelly Rowland admitted Beyoncé and Michelle Williams wrote this one for her. See what y’all don’t know about him / Is I can’t let him go because he needs me It ain’t really him, it’s stress from the job / And I ain’t making it easy I know you see him bugging most of the time / But I know he be tired, he don’t mean it It gets hard sometimes / But I need my man I don’t think y’all understand
10. “The Heart Wants What It Wants” by Selena Gomez
All those times you’ve sat at home waiting for a call, a sign, and reciprocated love — that’s what this song is all about. There’s nothing worse than feeling lonely in a relationship, and this song makes that crystal clear. The bed’s getting cold and you’re not here / The future that we hold is so unclear But I’m not alive until you call / And I’ll bet the odds against it all Save your advice ‘cause I won’t hear / You might be right but I don’t care There’s a million reasons why I should give you up / But the heart wants what it wants The heart wants what it wants
11. “Hostage” by Sia
There’s nothing worse than being so entangled in toxic love that you convince yourself that you can’t live without it. And even more unpleasant is hiding the relationship from your friends, because you know, deep down, it’s not good for you. It all begins with just one kiss / I’m held hostage by your love Put me in cuffs, lock me up / I’m held hostage by your touch This prison is rough but I can’t get enough / The secret life of us keeps me in handcuffs Don’t lock me up, don’t you wanna free us / I’m held hostage by your love
12. “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back” by Olivia Rodrigo
When a toxic relationship turns manipulative, you start to doubt your worth. And despite feeling this way, your partner will make you believe that they are the one for you. You got me f***ed up in the head, boy / Never doubted myself so much Like, am I pretty? Am I fun, boy? I hate that I give you power over that kind of stuff / ‘Cause it’s always one step forward and three steps back I’m the love of your life until I make you mad / It’s always one step forward and three steps back Do you love me, want me, hate me? Boy, I don’t understand / No, I don’t understand
13. “Use Me” by Bill Withers
The thing about toxic love is that it’s so bewitching, you forget just how awful it is for you. In fact, you might even reassure yourself that it’s completely fine to be in a one-sided relationship. Ah-huh, sometimes / It’s true you really do abuse me Ah, you get me crowd of high class people / And then you act real rude to me Ah-huh, but oh, baby, baby, baby, baby / When you love me I can’t get enough Ah-huh and I wanna spread the news / That it feels this good gettin’ used Oh, you just keep on usin’ me / Until you use me up Ah, until you use me up
14. “Poison” by Rita Ora
Just like a drug, a relationship that takes you to the highest of highs, but then the lowest of lows, is never a good thing. That’s why toxic love is a poison that you can’t quit. I could have beer for breakfast / My sanity for lunch Trying to get over how bad I want you so much / Innocence for dinner Pour something in my cup / Anything and everything just to fill me up But nothing ever gets me high like this / I pick my poison and it’s you Nothing could kill me like you do
15. “Pearl” by Katy Perry
When you’re on top of the world shining bright, sometimes you find yourself in love with someone who tears that all down. And in an instant, you’re no longer a “pearl,” just a lackluster shell of yourself. She could be a Statue of Liberty / She could be a Joan of Arc But he’s scared of the light that’s inside of her / So he keeps her in the dark Oh, she used to be a pearl, oh / Yeah, she used to rule the world, oh Can’t believe she’s become a shell of herself / ‘Cause she used to be a pearl
16. “Playing with Fire” by Thomas Rhett
Passion that burns like fire feels amazing at first, but when things turn ugly, the flames get out of control. And if you’re not careful with your heart, you’ll get burned. I don’t know, why I don’t / Put it out baby We kiss and the flames / Just get higher But yeah I know / When I hold onto you baby I’m all tangled up in barbed wire / I get burned, I don’t learn I’ll be back, give it time / Yeah, I know it sounds crazy But guess I like playing with fire
17. “Run Right Back” by The Black Keys
Just like an addiction, you can’t help but return to the one thing that keeps hurting you. And hard as you may try to escape, there’s no denying you’ll run right back. She holds it all under / That pretty head of hers, oh It comes screaming out / In an electric shout She’s the worst thing / I’ve been addicted to I run right back / Run right back to her I won’t jump the track / I’ll run right back I’m sure I’ll run right back to her
18. “Need Me” by Eminem ft. Pink
When you love someone so much, you become blind to the reality that they don’t have your best interests at heart. You might even think that without you, this toxic person in your life would be nothing, so you stay. Some nights I wanna run for the hills / It’s never easy with you I cannot reason with you / But your smile as rare as it comes What would I do without that? Maybe that’s why I come back / Oh, what I wouldn’t do for you
19. “Walls Could Talk” by Halsey
A toxic relationship can turn you into an emotional mess, drinking your feelings away. But then, when there’s a moment of elevation, you’re quick to be manipulated, and only the walls in your home know the full story. Been about two weeks since you went away / I’m about halfway through a Cabernet There I go, I’m wastin’ a Saturday / Sittin’ at home Told my new roommate not to let you in / But you’re so damn good with a bobby pin Now you gon’ play me like a violin / Hittin’ these notes
20. “Cuts Both Ways” by Gloria Estefan
Staying in an unhealthy relationship is not only a bad choice for your partner, but for you as well. Because when you’re so codependent, it feels like the world will end if you aren’t with one another. It cuts both ways / Our love is like a knife that cuts both ways It’s driven deep into my heart each time / That I realize How it cuts both ways / Can’t be together, cannot live apart We’re heading straight into a broken heart / But I can’t stop
21. “Toxic” by Kehlani
A master manipulator sometimes takes to physical affection to keep you wrapped around their finger. And when you’re blinded by good sex and a physical connection, it’s hard to see the truth. And that damn Don Julio made me a fool for you / And now I might hit your phone up With that ra-ra-ra, missin’ my da-da-da / Missin’ that a-a-a (ah, ah) And all of this love is toxic / All of this love is toxic All these kisses and hugs is knock s*** / You a damn drug, you’re toxic
22. “Ultraviolence” by Lana del Rey
This song explains the close relationship between love and pain. What feels like love is actually physically and emotionally damaging, and the two can become intermingled in a toxic mess. Ultraviolence / I can hear sirens, sirens He hit me and it felt like a kiss / I can hear violins, violins Give me all of that ultraviolence / He used to call me poison Like I was poison ivy / I could’ve died right then ‘Cause he was right beside me
23. “Take Me to Church” by Hozier
Sometimes, you consider your love so holy that you neglect to see the truth of the situation: this love is toxic! And it’s so unhealthy that you’re willing to worship the person who is making your life miserable. The only Heaven I’ll be sent to / Is when I’m alone with you I was born sick, but I love it / Command me to be well A-, Amen, Amen, Amen / Take me to church I’ll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies / I’ll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife Offer me that deathless death / Good God, let me give you my life Take me to church
24. “It Won’t Let Go” by Gloriana
Sometimes, being in a bad relationship means standing idly by while your partner cheats on you. And even though you know they’ve betrayed you and have seen it with your own eyes, you refuse to leave. Sittin’ on the floor on my bedroom cryin’ / Tears like rain on roof top Scars on my heart from the war I’ve been fightin’ / And I pray like hell but the pain won’t stop And you know that the boy you love keeps lettin’ you down / And the boy you love is killin’ you right now And the boy you love keeps runnin’ around / You got two eyes but you see you And it ain’t blind but you don’t leave
25. “Think About That” by Jessie J
A song about the pressures of the music industry and being torn down by the people who are supposed to support you, it’s all about taking back your power from those who made you feel useless for so long. Think about that / Think about that time when you blamed me Think about that time I called you up and I said I needed saving / Think about that time when you said you cared You were lying, tryin’ to face me Think about that time when I got sick and you made me go on stage / Think about that time when you used my fame to stack up on your paper Think about that time you told my label lies, you said, “She’s crazy” / Think about the fact they see it now You’re a shark, a cheat, a traitor (shark, a cheat, a traitor) RELATED: 30 Best Angry Songs To Play On Repeat When You’re Mad
Even More Songs About Toxic Relationships
26. “affection” by BETWEEN FRIENDS
27. “COFFIN” by Jessie Reyez (feat. Eminem)
28. “Die for You” by The Weeknd
29. “Him & I” by Halsey and G-Eazy
30. “Emotional Bruises” by Madison Beer
31. “Do Re Mi” by Blackbear
32. “7 Things” by Miley Cyrus
33. “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga
34. “Bad at Love” by Halsey
35. “Toxic” by Britney Spears
36. “Rehab” by Rihanna
37. “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi
38. “Love the Way You Lie” by Eminem (feat. Rihanna)
39. “I Knew You Were Trouble” by Taylor Swift
40. “Heartless” by Kanye West
41. “Ruin My Life” by Zara Larsson
42. “Addicted” by Dan Seals
43. “boyfriend” by Ariana Grande (feat. Social House)
44. “Love Bites” by Def Leppard
45. “Gangsta” by Kehlani
46. “I Hate Everything About You” by Three Days Grace
47. “I Hate Myself for Loving You” by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
48. “i hate u, i love u” by Gnash (feat. Olivia O’Brien)
49. “Quit” by Cashmere Cat (feat. Ariana Grande)
50. “Back to You” by Louis Tomlinson (feat. Bebe Rexha)
RELATED: 50 Best Quotes And Song Lyrics About Relationships That Teach Us How To Love Hard
51. “Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish
52. “Hate That I Love You” by Rihanna (feat. Ne-Yo)
53. “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell
54. “Bad Things” by Machine Gun Kelly (feat. Camila Cabello)
55. “This Love” by Maroon 5
56. “Lose You to Love Me” by Selena Gomez
57. “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” by The Clash
58. “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus
59. “Put My Heart Down” by Sara Evans
60. “Nicotine” by Panic at the Disco
61. “FIGURES” by Jessie Reyez
62. “Pictures” by Lady A
63. “Loveless” by PVRIS
64. “Let Me Go” by Cassadee Pope
65. “Better Man” by Little Big Town
66. “Teeth” by 5 Seconds of Summer
67. “Your Love is My Drug” by Kesha
68. “Teacher’s Pet” by Melanie Martinez
69. “Pretty When You Cry” by Lana Del Rey
70. “My Boy” by Billie Eilish
71. “Make Me (Cry)” by Noah Cyrus (feat. Labrinth)
72. “Same Old Love” by Selena Gomez
73. “Worst in Me” by Julia Michaels
74. “Mercy” by Shawn Mendes
75. “Hot N Cold” by Katy Perry
76. “Irresistible” by Fall Out Boy
77. “My Type” by The Chainsmokers (feat. Emily Warren)
78. “We Need a Resolution” by Aaliyah (feat. Timbaland)
79. “Hold Up” by Beyoncé
80. “if you hate me, say it” by Cassidi
81. “The Worst of You” by Noah Cyrus & PJ Harding
82. “Love is Pain” by FINNEAS
83. “All I Really Want” by Alanis Morissette
84. “Easier” by 5 Seconds of Summer
85. “Allergic” by Post Malone
86. “Gemini Feed” by Banks
87. “Games” by Demi Lovato
88. “I Fell in Love with the Devil” by Avril Lavigne
89. “Face Down” by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
90. “Mood” by 24kgoldn
91. “Vicious Love” by New Found Glory (feat. Hayley Williams)
92. “Outta Time” by Bryson Tiller
93. “Better Love” by Foxes
94. “Fast as You Can” by Fiona Apple
95. “I Hate U” by SZA
96. “Playing with Fire” by Thomas Rhett
97. “Just Like a Pill” by Pink
98. “Monsters” by All Time Low
99. “Pretty Girl (The Way)” by Sugarcult
100. “Prisoner” by Miley Cyrus (feat. Dua Lipa)
101. “Misery” by The Word Alive
If you or someone you know is in an abusive situation, there are resources available in your state, as well as the 24/7 National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233). RELATED: 50 Songs About Forbidden Love & The Relatable Lyrics That Speak Right To Your Heart Kiarra Sylvester is a freelance writer who recently completed her graduate degrees at Widener University. Visit her website for more of her work.
