18 Songs About Secret Love Affairs (Taboo Relationships Inspire Great Music)

Secret relationships have existed since the dawn of man.

And songs about secret love affairs have existed since we first invented music.

The passion, excitement and risk of a secret love is exhilarating.

At least that’s what I gather from books, movies, and music.

I’ve never had one myself.

Secret relationships seem to be reserved for the outgoing, charming, attractive type. Not the shy, awkward wallflowers.

Luckily for people like me, others sing and write about their secret affairs, so that we can experience the thrill of such dangerous love vicariously.

On that note, keep reading for a list of great songs about secret love. I tried to include songs from many different genres, so hopefully there are at least a few you will enjoy.

 

Songs About Secret Love Affairs

Here is my list of songs about secret relationships. As mentioned, I tied to include as many genres as possible, but know I didn’t get them all. If you know any good songs I missed, please let me know in the comments below and I’ll be happy to add them.

You can also check out my list of great songs about detectives for some inspiration if you suspect your significant other may be having a secret love affair. Our our list of songs about betrayal of love. That will come in handy, too.

 

Secret Love Song by Little Mix and Jason Derulo

Secret Love Song has the female singer lamenting about the fact that her lover cannot hold her in the streets and that they have to keep things behind closed doors. She has to keep stealing those little moments and it is never enough. She says that one day she would like to announce her love to the world.

Derulo said in an interview that he added some parts to Secret Love Song, which Little Mix (Tich, Emma Rohan, and Jez Ashurst) had already sort of put together and sent him. At the time, Derulo himself was seeing a girl secretly, since she already had a boyfriend. That kind of inspired the lyrics from Derulo’s end.

 

Secret Love by Doris Day

Doris Day performed this piece for Calamity Girl, a 1953 musical. She sings of her secret love and tells the star she is secretly in love with. Now her secret is no longer secret and she can shout it out and tell everyone!

The song won the Best Song Oscar in 1953. Doris Day recalls riding her bike to the studio and recording the song in a single take!

 

Secret Love by Hunter Hayes

Here we have another song titled Secret Love. In this one, from Hayes’s album Storyline, Hayes talks about falling in love with a girl, but they have to wear a mask and hide it from everyone, since it is forbidden.

He walks by her in a crowded room and they exchange a look that only they know what it means. He compares his lover and himself to thieves who have a secret desire to steal!

 

Beautiful Liar by Shakira and Beyonce

Beautiful Liar is more about female empowerment than it is about a secret affair. However, Shakira and Beyonce talk about the man who is cheating on them both. Instead of fighting with each other, they decide to leave this beautiful liar and let karma take its course.

Beautiful Liar made it up to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 2007. It also became a huge international hit. Apparently, Shakira taught Beyonce to belly dance in just 40 minutes for the video for Beautiful Liar.

If you’re a Shakira fan, one of her most romantic songs also made our list of Spanish-language songs about love. No surprise there, I suppose.

 

Amy by Sunny Sweeney

Amy is written from a mistress’s point of view. The singer asks for forgiveness from the wife of her secret lover, Amy. She (the mistress) tries to justify the affair by saying that the man does not get enough love from Amy and that she has simply stepped in to complete it.

However, the mistress still wants to apologize for the pain she has caused Amy. The singer also asks Amy to think deeply about whether she truly loves him. If not, he asks her to let him leave. Sweeney co-wrote this song with her friend Brennen Leigh.

 

If There Was Any Other Way by Celine Dion

If There Was Any Other Way was one of Dion’s earlier English-language hits in the United States. In the 1980s, the Canadian singer had several French hits.

In If There Was Any Other Way, the singer is saying goodbye to her secret lover. She says she has to leave him since her husband/boyfriend has always known about them. Although she wishes there was another way, she has no choice but to leave and go back to her husband/boyfriend.

 

Borrowed by LeAnn Rimes

LeAnn Rimes wrote Borrowed based on her own affair with her Northern Lights co-star Eddie Cibrian. Rimes and Cibrian were both married to other people when they met and fell in love on the sets of the 2009 film, Northern Lights. LeAnn calls herself pathetic in the song, because that was exactly how she felt during the complicated situation.

 

For Tonight by Giveon

For Tonight was released in September 2021 and Giveon co-wrote it with Tony Dixon and Jr.Marcus Semaj. In the song, Grammy award nominee Giveon talks about keeping his affair secret and tells his lover that he is hers just for the night.

They have to play the game and keep the secret. They have to stay behind closed doors. He knows that what they are doing is wrong, but he simply cannot help himself and has to lie with his lover for tonight.

 

 

Here We Go Again by The Weeknd

In Here We Go Again, The Weeknd sings about his affair with a star. He knows she is all wrong for him and that she will eventually break his heart. After all, she demands they get their pictures taken so as to make her boyfriend jealous.

The singer knows all that is wrong but quotes Tennyson: “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” The song might have been based on The Weeknd’s affair with Angelina Jolie.

 

Forbidden Love by Madonna

In this sensual song, Madonna talks about forbidden love. It is about being tempted by an unavailable guy and yet finding it so alluring that it feels right. The song is not only about illicit or secret affairs but also about crushing on someone, an unrequited love.

 

She Don’t Have To Know by John Legend

In his soulful voice, John Legend tells everyone that he is in a secret affair and his girlfriend need not know about it. Plus, the woman he is cheating on his girlfriend with is herself in a committed relationship and her man also does not need to know about their affair. He even goes to the other side of town to meet this woman, to avoid getting caught.

 

End Of The Affair by Laura Marling

In The End of the Affair, Marling talks about ending an illicit relationship. The man says it is too much for him to bear, but now they must make good on the words to God. The song ends with the lovers saying goodbye and the woman saying she loves him, but now wants to live her life.

 

My All by Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey wrote My All when she was married to Tommy Mottola, but the marriage was going through troubled times. At the same time, she fell in love with a new love interest in Derek Jeter.

In My All, the singer says that although it is wrong to love this person, her heart just won’t let her be right. Because she is drowning in this other person, she is willing to give her all just to be with him even for one night.

 

Never Wanted To Be That Girl by Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde

In Never Wanted to Be That Girl, Pearce, and McBryde end up loving the same man. This man helps McBryde change her tire and they have a beer. Soon they end up having an affair for over 6 months, and all throughout, she has no idea he is married.

He never wears a ring, so she doesn’t think of asking. She finds out one day when she sees a message from his wife asking him when he is coming home.

The song is also sung from the wife’s (Pearce’s) point of view. The wife says she never suspects a thing until her husband starts coming home later and later.

Each time, he jumps in the shower soon after coming home. That is when she checks his phone and knows he is cheating on her. Both women say that they never wanted to be that girl and these things only happened to somebody else.

 

Part-Time Lover by Stevie Wonder

In Part-Time Lover, singer Stevie Wonder talks about engaging in multiple secret affairs. He calls it being a part-time lover since, by the day, he and the woman pretend to be strangers, but they are lovers at night. He also says that he knows it is wrong, yet it feels so right!

Wonder used an all-star cast for the backup vocals of Part-Time Lover, including Michael Jackson and Luther Vandross, who provided the scatting sections.

 

Secret Rendezvous by Karyn White

Karyn White talks about a secret rendezvous with her lover in this up-tempo song from White’s debut album. It climbed all the way to the 4th spot on the R&B charts.

In Secret Rendezvous, the singer asks her secret lover to bring the wine and soon they will be “on board to ecstasy”. She also hopes she can lock the door and throw the key away, so that their secret rendezvous can go on and on.

 

Strange Affair by Wishbone Ash

Andy Pyle and Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash co-wrote Strange Affair in 1991. In the song, the singer says he has had enough of a strange affair and that it is causing him a lot of pain. He describes it as being a thorn in his side which makes him sad. His lover/partner does not seem to care and he spirals into depression and has to see a doctor for his insanity.

The singer blames his lover for being unfaithful and all the while leading him on. Now the lover’s best friend has confirmed what he has suspected all along. That means nothing but tears for him now.

 

Secret Love by Bee Gees

In Secret Love, the Bee Gees have perfectly summarized how a couple feels when they are in a secret relationship. The lovers have to lie and meet up and every touch feels precious and beautiful. There is also excitement about the relationship. The song is fun and upbeat and totally relatable, especially for people who may be in such relationships.

 

Songs About Secret Relationships: Final Thoughts

Hopefully you were able to find at least one song you liked among the 18 songs about secret love affairs listed above. Ideally, quite a few more than one.

As mentioned above, I would love to add more songs, especially ones from genres I failed to include. So please leave a comment below with additional suggestions!

If you like these types of lists, we have many other lists of songs. You can start with our article of songs about blue eyes here.