Top 16 Songs About Reunited Love and Getting Back Together

At times, we all want to look back. It seems to be part of human nature to want what has gone before, and this especially applies to relationships. Songs about reunited love and getting back together always strike a chord with us and often take us to another place. 

We have something that can be a blessing or a curse depending on whichever way you want to look at it. And that something is memory. It is usually the starting point for longing for what has gone before.

People They Come, and They Go

People come into our lives and then sometimes leave us. But, they have all been there for a reason, and many leave their mark. The special ones, though, are those where there has been a relationship with them.

Reuniting with them after a break is always a special moment. Welcoming back something that has gone before. It can be a bittersweet reunion, or it can be full of joy.

Capturing The Emotion

Songwriters, of course, have been able to capture the moment in various ways. Reuniting a love or just restoring a friendship, they have written about it all.

Let’s go on a journey that reminds us of someone special or of getting back together with someone. Or just restoring the relationship after enforced time apart.

Top 16 Songs About Reunited Love and Getting Back Together

Escape (The Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes

Rupert Holmes is a talented man with more strings to his bow than songwriting. Born in Cheshire in the UK, the family moved to New York when he was six. Singer and songwriter, author, dramatist, and composer of musicals, this song is a great place to start this list.

It was released in 1979 and taken from the album, Partners In Crime. The single reached #23 in the UK but hit the #1 spot in America. Furthermore, it was the very last #1 of the 70s.

Clever Lyrics

He has written a very clever song about getting back together here. And, it might be an experience that some may recognize.

The man in the story is divorced and lonely and wishes he had someone in his life. He answers an ad in the personal column in a newspaper and gets a response. It doesn’t take long for him to realize he is talking to his ex-wife.

They both realize that they need to meet and reignite the spark in their relationship that was once there. 

Baby Come Back by The Equals

The Equals were a band formed in North London in 1965. And, to the best of my knowledge, are still working. Albeit with mostly different members, of course. 

“Baby Come Back” was a million-selling hit for them, taken from their 1966 album, Unequalled Equals. It can also be found on the Best Of The Equals album, along with other chart successes. The song contains all the stages you find yourself in when thinking about reuniting a love lost. 

There is the sadness of how the relationship ended and the feeling of sorrow. There is an apology and a final request for the partner to come back. It reached #1 in the UK, where the band was very popular in the mid-60s, and #32 in America.

Un-Break My Heart by Toni Braxton

This is one of the songs that Diane Warren wrote in the 1990s, one of the best songwriters around at the time. It is a song that Toni Braxton turned down at first, but was persuaded it was going to be a success. A wise decision, I think.

Released in 1996, it is a powerful ballad that stirs many emotions taken from her album, Secrets. The song is about the pain of a breakup and pleading with her former lover to come back. A big hit all around the world, it reached #2 in the UK and #1 in America.

The song did more than have chart success. It showcased Toni Braxton’s exceptional contralto voice. Her performance in the song spanned a wide range that descended to D3 and rose to Eb5. It established her as one of the great singers of the 90s.

Lost Love

A very good song about the feelings caused by lost love and looking back and wishing things had been different.

I Want You Back By The Jackson 5

Right, let’s get the bombshell out of the way first. I have never had much time for Michael Jackson or his music. It all seemed a little contrived and manufactured to me. 

I would agree there were some very good tracks at times during his career. “Beat It” was one, but that track was made by ‘Dutch Eddie’ in my opinion. And earlier, he did a very good job with a song called “Ben.”

Enough about all that…

We are looking at what was their first “real” release, “I Want You Back.” This came out in 1969, while I was working at a club in Manchester in the UK. It was an instant hit with the local clientele.

For me, I just wanted to know who played the rather impressive bass line. It turned out to be a session saxophone player, Wilton Felder, who was also a session bass player for Motown.

The Song

The song was very good, well-produced, and well-performed. It rose to #2 in the UK and #1 in America. It is a story about someone who has a special relationship but then gets involved with someone else.

Quite typically, it is only after we lose someone that we realize what they meant to us. It is easy to take someone for granted. This is a song about getting that person back.

Love Of My Life by Queen

This is a love song written to Mary Austin, who was at the time Freddie’s fiance. It shows quite clearly the complexities of the man and his insecurities about who he was. “Love Of My Life” was included on the 1975 Queen album, Night at the Opera.

It was recorded in the studio using the full band but scaled down to just Freddie with Brian May on 12-string guitar for live performances. And it was on the live performances that it seemed to make the most impact.

Freddie, or later Brian, would sing the first few lines of each verse and then leave it to the audience to complete the song. On their tour of South America, it was released as a single from the Live Killers album. It went to #1 in Argentina and Brazil and stayed on the chart in both countries for over a year.

Heartfelt lyrics and plenty of emotion… 

Mary was his best friend, through good times and bad, and as I said, a one-time fiance. She left him for a while after persuading him to accept that he was gay. 

Freddie had proposed to Mary in 1973, and despite his male partners, she was always the most important person to him. His “common-law wife,” as he would call her. 

He wrote this song as a “please come back” message to her. She did, of course, but only as his friend and stayed with him until the end. It was her that made the phone call to his family after he had died, so she was there at his passing.

One of Freddie’s most important songs… 

And one that shows the importance of trying to mend a relationship and get back together.

That Old Feeling by Frank Sinatra

It isn’t only today’s composers that have written about the subject. Let’s go back in time a little to Frank Sinatra’s version of this song about old feelings reemerging. 

The song was written in 1937 by Sammy Fain with Lew Brown for the film “Vogues of 1938“. Sinatra recorded it in 1947. And it’s one of those timeless songs about reunited love and getting back together.

In the song, he talks about seeing his old love and feeling the excitement once more as she passes by. He knows there is no point in starting a new romance as she is still in his heart. A typical Sinatra performance that we have come to expect and a very 40s-style song.

Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper

This was a song that established Cyndi Lauper as an international songwriter and artist. It rose to #1 in America and peaked at #3 in the UK. It was taken from her debut album, She’s So Unusual.

This is a song that talks about dedication to a partner even though you are not with them anymore. It is expressing a willingness to stand by them whenever they may need it. The story is about a couple who feel a lot for each other but can’t quite make it all come together. The consequence of that is despite all they try, they have grown apart. 

Sometimes Two People Drift Apart

Not an unfamiliar story in some relationships. It can happen no matter how hard you try. This is a song about one partner reminding the other that love still exists for them. And that they will wait just in case the other changes their mind and comes back.

No doubt it is one of the greatest songs of the 80s and one that many people will be able to associate with.

Reunited by Peaches and Herb

This was a song that had enormous chart success in 1978. It was taken from their album, 2 Hot. The single reached #4 in the UK and #1 in America and Canada.

Regrets

It is a song based around a separation caused by the man’s infidelity. While they are away from each other, they both come to the realization they miss each other. That need leads them to realize they need to try and put it all behind them and get back together and move on.

Putting a relationship above everything else can be a hard thing to do, especially in circumstances like this. But, when the feelings are that strong, then reuniting is always possible.

Up Where We Belong by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes

This is a powerful song that was written by Buffy Sainte Marie, Jack Nitzsche, and Will Jennings. It was written for the film “An Officer and a Gentleman.”

This is a song that celebrates what love can do for two people. As it says, it lifts them to greater heights. That is an important part of any relationship when people are separated.

And, if that separation is forced upon you by external incidents, it sometimes makes it all the more difficult to cope with. This song captures the relationship that two people have and how they can be a support and a strength to each other.

Working My Way Back to You by The Four Seasons

Let’s go back to 1966 and this classic from The Four Seasons. The song was written by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell. It was and has remained one of their most popular songs, reaching #50 in the UK and #9 in America. It was taken from the album of the same name.

The song is about a man who was unfaithful to his girlfriend, and so she leaves him. As is quite often the case, when she is gone, he suddenly realizes how much she meant to him. Confirmation of the belief that “you never know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”

He is remorseful about what he has done and the situation he has created and wants to win her back.

Let’s Hang On by The Four Seasons

Let’s stay with The Four Seasons and Frankie Valli for one more. Of all the artists in the 60s, this was one who you could identify with immediately after they started singing. Their style was unique and made that way by the voice of Frankie Valli.

Released in 1965, it reached #12 in the UK and #32 in America. It is another song with the same theme as “Working My Way Back To You.” Once again, he seems to be pleading with her to come back, though doesn’t identify why. Just says, “She wants to break their love to bits.”

Another song from a time when asking for forgiveness after an indiscretion was certainly a common theme for the songwriters.

Let’s Stay Together by Al Green

This is a legendary song from Al Green that was released in 1972 on the album of the same name. He co-wrote the song with Al Jackson Jr and Willie Mitchell. The laid back easy style made it instantly recognizable and produced a big hit record. It reached #7 in the UK and #1 in America.

It is a song that talks about a breakup and how it happens to other people and never to you. But, if you break up, then there is the realization that what you have is important and you should stay together.

It has had some notable covers…

Especially the version by Tina Turner towards the end of 1983. In some ways, this was a return for Tina and propelled her back into people’s minds after a while away. It was included in her album, Private Dancer.

At the time, this song became the most successful single she had released. It even sold better than Al Green’s original. All in all, one of the greatest songs about reunited love and getting back together.

Hard to Say I’m Sorry by Chicago

Once we had all recovered from the frantic genius of “I’m A Man” and “25 or 6 to 4“, Chicago settled into making some very good Pop ballads. 

This song written by Peter Cetera was certainly one of those “big” songs. It was released in 1982 and was the lead single release from their album, Chicago 16.

It’s a well-written love song that talks about a love reunited. It is about how they had been separated for a while, but now they are back together. Time to make up for what was some lost time while they were apart.

A change of pace for the band…

It was a further move away from what had been their signature sound of some great horns. This track had synthesizers and also used non-band members. 

Furthermore, only two members of the band played on the track – bassist Cetera and drummer Danny Seraphine. Most of the rest of the musicians were from Toto.

In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel

One now from one of the most underrated composers and performers we have seen. He was the driving force behind Genesis in the 70s and is known for his often “experimental” music.

Despite all his exotic experimenting, he is probably best known for his rock classic, “Sledgehammer.” It was one of the tracks from his era-defining album, So. “In Your Eyes” also comes from that album.

Underrated low-end work…

The album gains more credibility with the bass guitar work of Tony Levin. If Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones was the best and most creative bass player that ever walked the planet, which he is, then Tony Levin is right behind him. This album shows how good he was. And, on this track, he is special.

The song is about the emptiness that you can feel when you are separated from a lost love. As time goes by, the words “time heals everything” are proven wrong as the feelings just get worse. He longs to be reunited with her and knows that until he is, he won’t be the same.

A memorable track from a memorable album.

I’ll Be Back by The Beatles

This is a song written by John Lennon for the 1964 film “A Hard Day’s Night.” It was not included in the film but was the final song on the album.

It is interesting how it was placed last as the final track on the album. Sir George Martin, in the early days, liked them to end albums on a big high. This was a change of direction as it suddenly fades away before you expect it.

Maturing

John is beginning to mature as a songwriter with this track as it alternates between major and minor keys. That creates an almost tragic feel to the song.

The song talks about a man who seems to be constantly leaving his partner but always returns to her. Hence the changes from major to minor, how strange. A moody song in many ways, it is one of the highlights of the album. 

Its mood probably didn’t suit the slapstick feel of the film, which is why it may have been excluded. Still, it’s one of the best songs about reunited love and getting back together.

Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx

And so, to the final song on the list. A song about someone missing his wife while they are temporarily separated. It was taken from his second album, Repeat Offender.

This is one of those songs that tells a story and has a melody that just sticks in your mind. A classic tale of love waiting to be reunited. It was released in 1989 and reached #2 in the UK and #1 in America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

A Love letter In A Song

He was on tour when he wrote the song. He was missing his wife, who was filming in South Africa, and it became a love letter to her. It is that reality that adds a certain emotion to how he sings it and how it was produced.

During the period that the song came out, there were a lot of ballads with big orchestrations, synthesizers, and heavy-sounding drums. This song had none of that and was just an acoustic piano and a guitar.

That might have had something to do with its success as it was a change of pace from just about everything else. A song that talks about the heartbreak of missing someone while you are waiting to be reunited with them. If that is what you want from a song, then this is probably the one.

Looking for More Songs About Love and Heartache?

If so, take a look at our detailed articles on the Top Songs About Unrequited Love, the Top Songs About Letting Go of Someone You Love, the Top Songs about Old Love, the Top Songs About Gratitude, and the Best Songs About Crushes for more stirring song selections.

Also, you’ll want to listen to them. So, check out our in-depth reviews of the Best Headphones for Music, the Best Sound Quality Earbuds, the Most Comfortable Headphones, the Best True Wireless Earbuds, and the Best Noise Isolating Earbuds you can buy in 2023.

Songs About Reunited Love and Getting Back Together – Final Thoughts

Getting back together can be a feeling of relief and joy. It’s no doubt emotionally moving when it happens. 

Sometimes, one of the parties caused the separation, and in that case, there is also forgiveness involved. But, for some, it is an enforced separation. Maybe work, education, or other situations take control, and you just have to wait it out.

Whatever the situation, when it is finally over, and you are back together is a great experience. These songs express those emotions perfectly.

Until next time, happy listening.