Friendship is a common theme in music, and there are several songs out there that talk about dealing with fake friends. We’re going to give you a rundown of the top 31 songs about fake friends that we think you’d enjoy listening to, so read on to learn about them!
1. Backstabber – Kesha
First on our list is Backstabber by Kesha which came out in 2010 on the album Animal. This song is about a group of girls at a party, and one of them notices that all her other friends are talking about her behind her back. The girls try to make Kesha look bad by talking about her outfit and personal life in hopes other girls won’t like her, and she calls them out for being fake friends.
This is a situation many women have faced in their life, and it’s not what a true friend does.
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2. All My Friends Are Fake – Tate McRae
Tate McRae released All My Friends Are Fake on the album All The Things I Never Said, and this song captures what it’s like to put your trust in people only to have them hurt you, and then you feel alone when you realize your friends are using you. This song hits home for many since we have all been hurt by people we thought were our friends, but their actions make it clear they are not real friends.
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3. F.F.F. – Bebe Rexha & G-Eazy
Next is Bebe Rexha and G-Eazy with the 2017 song F.F.F. which is off the album All Your Fault: Pt. 1. F.F.F stands for “F*** fake friends,” an anthem for people who have dealt with fake friends over the years. In the song, the friends are being compared to the seasons, specifically calling out people in Los Angeles as posers and fake. Just like the seasons, these fake friends will leave at some point but it’s the true friends that stick by you through every season.
4. Fake Friends – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Next up is the female rocker Joan Jett and The Blackhearts with the song Fake Friends from 1983. The guitar riff is very catchy, and it’s a memorable song about how your fake friends are going to abandon you after they’ve used you for everything they can. This song was popular on MTV, although it only hit 35 on the Billboard Hot 100.
5. Fake Friends – Sigrid
In 2017 Sigrid released Don’t Kill My Vibe, and on that album was the song Fake Friends, a really fun pop song that talks about how you need to become independent and break away from your fake friends. There is a lot of energy in this song, especially in the hook, and it has a very powerful message within it that is relatable.
6. FAB. – JoJo feat. Remy Ma
Next up on our list is FAB by JoJo and Remy Ma, off of the 2016 album Mad Love, and it’s all about how there are fake supporters and fake friends you have to deal with in the business. It’s a catchy song with an even catchier guitar riff that you’ll remember long after you hear it. This is a classic summertime song with a beat and vibe that’ll leave you wanting to toss all of those fake friends out the window.
7. Backstabber – Eminem
Calling all rap fans, we had to include Eminem with his song Backstabber from the 1996 album Infinite. The song talks about how he was there for one of his friends, but when he needed him, the friend was nowhere to be found, and stabbed him right in the back. This song expresses clear anger as Eminem talks about being duped by the person you believed was a friend. He always has a way of telling a story and making you feel like you’ve been there, and in this case, most of us have been angry at a backstabbing friend.
8. Back stabbers – The O’Jays
Up next is a 1972 song from the O’Jays called Back Stabbers, released on the album of the same name. This song hit number one on the Billboard R&B Singles chart, number one on the Cash Box Top 100 chart, and number three on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s all about a guy who realizes that instead of his friends being true friends and there for him, they are really going after his girlfriend. He is being used by his friends just to get to his chick, and the song is a warning not to trust people because they could be after something you have that they want.
9. Fake Friends – Gucci Mane
Next on our list is Gucci Mane, with the song Fake Friends, which was released in 2022. This song features synth instrumentals throughout, and it’s in the style we’ve come to know from Gucci Mane. A classic type of rap song that delves into being in prison and people not being there for you when you needed them the most, even though they claimed to be your friend. He also goes into how he was used because of his fame, and it calls out all of the people who turned their backs on him or just used him when he got rich and famous.
10. Real Friends – Camila Cabello
In 2018 Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello released Real Friends on her album Camila, and this song dives into the betrayal she felt by someone she believed was her friend but let her down. She talks about being lonely and depressed, not knowing who to trust, and wanting to run away. Real Friends reached number six on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.
11. Fake Friends – Martinez Twins
Next up is a lesser-known group that is popular on YouTube called The Martinez Twins. They released the song Fake Friends, and it’s a great song because of the harmonies that exist between the two guys. This song talks about how you’ve come to realize the person you thought was your friend has been using you the whole time. When you’re dealing with a phony, you will feel abandoned and betrayed, which are all emotions and feelings that they sing about in this catchy tune.
12. Case Of The Fake People – TLC
TLC is one of the most popular girl groups from the 1990s, and their 1994 hit Case Of The Fake People from CrazySexyCool hits the nail on the head about dealing with backstabbers and fake friends. TLC warns everyone to be careful and don’t let people who are fake into your world, and you need to drop them before these fakers ruin your life. As with most TLC songs, there is encouragement in the song to make positive choices and choose people who are really going to be there for you so that you don’t get hurt.
13. Fake Friends – PS1 feat. Alex Hosking
The 2020 song called Fake Friends by PS1 and Alex Hosking differs from other songs on our list because it calls out social media and how social media allows you to put a certain image out there that might not be who you are. The social media angle means you’re likely to find fake friends and fake relationships because of how you’ve portrayed yourself online. What’s funny is that the instruments are all very upbeat, while the song itself is darker.
14. The Middle – Jimmy Eat World
In 2001 the group Jimmy Eat World released The Middle from their album Bleed American, but many people don’t know this song is about not having any real friends and being surrounded by fake friends. The song has a lot of depth, so it’s not as upbeat as the catchy chorus and instruments have you believe.
This punk song is an anthem about someone who feels like an outsider and is hurt by that fact. The Middle was a huge success and made it to number one on the Alternative Airplay chart, two on the Adult Top 40, and four on the Mainstream Top 40 chart. It also managed to hit number five on the Billboard Top 100.
15. Fake Friends – Billy Bueffer
Next is the 2019 song Fake Friends by Billy Bueffer, a pop song that goes into how Billy had experiences with fake friends and decided to move on from that situation. There are a lot of harmonies in this song that are layered, and his vocals are smooth and melodic to make you feel the pain and disappointment in his voice from dealing with fake friends.
16. Smiling Faces Sometimes – The Undisputed Truth
This song came out in 1971, called Smiling Faces Sometimes by The Undisputed Truth. This soulful song is a warning about how even if someone is nice and kind to you, it doesn’t mean that they are being authentic and actually like you. These people might be trying to control or manipulate you into doing what they want, so be leery around smiling people because they might have evil hidden underneath.
Smiling Faces Sometimes reached number 17 on the Billboard R&B/Soul chart and 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. You may have heard this song in the movies Dead Presidents or Four Brothers, and it has also been in the hit video game Grand Theft Auto V.
17. Fake Friends – Joel Adams
Next is Joel Adams with the song Fake Friends from 2018 off the album Fake Friends. This song goes into how as we get older, sometimes our friendships will vanish as we choose different paths in life. Fake Friends hit a nerve because even though we don’t mean to drift away from our friends, life gets in the way, and those people become less important as our life situations change.
18. People You Know – Selena Gomez
Calling all Selena Gomez fans, we have to mention People You Know from her 2020 album Rare because this is the best song for realizing friendships can end that we thought would last forever. Losing a friend is never easy, and Selena talks about having that person in your life only to one day wake up, and they are no longer a part of your life. It also dives into the feelings around thinking you know who that person is only to find out they aren’t who you thought that they were, and how hurtful that can be.
19. Fake Love – Drake
Rap fans will love our next song because it’s from the rapper Drake and the song is Fake Love from the 2017 album More Life. His smooth and emotional vocals really shine in this song and work well with the contrasting instruments.
This song is all about how people only care about him because he got famous and not because of the person he is inside. He calls out these fake people who are only into him because of his fame. Fake Love reached number one on the Billboard Rhythmic chart and four on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart. It also managed to hit number 16 on the Mainstream Top 40 and number eight on the Billboard Hot 100.
20. Fake People – Kandi
Next on our list is Kandi with her hit song Fake People, which is all about people who use you for what they want but don’t care about you at all. She talks about how people are just using her for their own gain and then choosing to end those friendships and move on with her life. In Fake People, you can feel the hurt she endures over lies, manipulation, and betrayal.
21. Without Me – Halsey
Halsey released Without Me in 2018 off of Manic, and this song goes into how people only use you for what they think they can get from you when you’re an artist and famous. She goes into how hurt she feels over a friend that used to be there for her and now acts like they don’t have time for her because they got famous.
Without Me was a huge hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Top 40, Mainstream Top 40, and Dance/Mix Show Airplay charts. It also reached 11 on the Adult Contemporary chart and 21 on the Rhythmic chart.
22. Cooler Than Me – Mike Posner
Released in 2010 from 31 Minutes to Takeoff is the song Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner, which was his debut single and deserves a spot on our list. This song is about how you don’t want someone in your life who is fake and has developed a fake personality to seem cooler than they really are.
The person who wants to be the coolest in the whole room and will do what they can to one-up you isn’t your friend since friends shouldn’t see one another as competition. This song strikes a nerve because many of us have known someone like that and have likely distanced ourselves from them.
Cooler Than Me appeared in Sims 3: Ambitions and Grand Theft Auto V. It did well on the charts landing in the sixth position on the Billboard Hot 100. It also was number six on the Adult Top 40 and hit number three on the Mainstream Top 40 chart.
23. Fake People – RYYZN
Next is RYYZN, with the song Fake People, which was released in 2020. This song goes into how tired RYYZN is of fake people, and he empathizes with them since he thinks they just don’t want to be alone, so they try to be something they aren’t. Unlike a lot of other songs on this list, RYYZN has compassion for the fake people in his life.
24. Complicated – Avril Lavigne
Punk rocker Avril Lavigne released Complicated in 2002 on her album Let Go. This song is all about someone who acts fake when they are in public and has a different personality depending on the situation. The fake people are the ones that make everything complicated, which is what Avril sings about in this song, and they create drama all of the time. Complicated reached number one on the Adult Top 40 Mainstream Top 40 charts. It hit number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and Avril won multiple awards for this song, including Single of The Year.
25. On The Road – Post Malone Feat. Meek Mill & Lil Baby
In 2019 Post Malone released On The Road, which features Meek Mill and Lil Baby, and this song is all about his supposed friends that claim and pretend to have supported him for years, even though they only supported him once he became famous. He details how he feels about these fake friends and lets them know he no longer needs them.
26. Jolene – Dolly Parton
Calling all country fans, you probably know the next song on our list because it’s one of the most popular Dolly Parton songs ever. Jolene was released in 1973, and it’s all about someone who is supposed to be a friend but is trying to steal her man away from her. She begs the friend in the song not to take her man from her.
It’s rated as one of the best songs of all time by Rolling Stone. The song reached number one on the Country Songs chart, number 44 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and landed at 60 on the Billboard Hot 100. Dolly said that Jolene is her most covered song, and the legacy of Jolene still lives on today in this timeless classic.
27. Lunchbox Friends – Melanie Martinez
2019 hit Lunchbox Friends by Melanie Martinez on her album K-12 is a great song that details how fake people are and how meaningless the friendships are between someone fake and someone authentic. Her vocals sound sweet and innocent, and the distortion in her voice helps you realize the fakery that people can sometimes have to make themselves be someone they are not. In this song, she talks about stepping back and letting go of toxic friends being the best course of action.
28. Fake – Lauv & Conan Gray
Next on our list is the 2020 song Fake by Lauv & Conan Gray, which is about all of those fake people you’ve known in your life and how there are people that will blame everything on everyone but themselves, which is where the blame should be going. The song lets those people know they are fake because they are unwilling to take responsibility for things they’ve done that have hurt others.
29. Thank You – Simple Plan
Up next is the 2004 song Thank You by Simple Plan from their album Still Not Getting Any. In this song, the band is saying thank you to those fake friends that they just let go of, but the “thank you” is for them hurting you and causing you pain through the years. Thank You then goes into thanking those fake friends for teaching them a valuable lesson and how it won’t happen again. Instead of holding grudges, this song encourages just moving on with your life and focusing on your true friends.
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30. Follow Your Arrow – Kacey Musgraves
Next is Follow Your Arrow, which country superstar Kacey Musgraves released on the 2013 album Same Trailer Different Park. This song goes into how we shouldn’t listen to what people tell us to do or not do and how fake friends are the ones that will criticize all of your choices or decisions.
The people trying to bring you down aren’t your friend, and you shouldn’t want to be around them if they don’t like you for who you are. Follow Your Arrow reached number 10 on the Hot Country Songs chart, number 43 on the Country Airplay chart, and hit 60 on the Billboard Hot 100.
31. Everybody’s Fool – Evanescence
Lastly, we must mention Everybody’s Fool by Evanescence which is from their 2003 album Fallen. This song gets right to the heart of being a fake friend and poser by talking about the person wanting to be accepted, so they pretend to be someone they are not. It’s not done for any nefarious reasons, which you should always keep in mind when dealing with fake people. The song reached number 36 on the Alternative Airplay chart and was one of many hits on their debut album.
From the time she was little, Florence loved listening to music and quickly learned how music can make you happy and feel fulfilled. One of her favorite memories is being in the garage with her dad working on classic cars with the local rock station blaring in the background. Ever since Florence was 3, she loved grunge music and spent hours listening to bands such as Alice in Chains, Mad Season, Soul Asylum, and Soundgarden.
She also enjoys classic rock, modern rock, nu metal, alternative rock, and old 90’s R&B. Her love of music grew as she got older, and used music to help her get through tough times in her life. More often than not, you’ll see Florence with earbuds in while she’s writing, cooking, cleaning, and doing other tasks. She also loves to debate music with her friends such as which lead singer is the best vocalist, the most iconic guitar solos in music, and what songs are really the best of the decade.