10 Best Rock Songs About Jealousy

Feature Photo by Rene Terp

Jealousy has given rock, pop, soul, and blues writers plenty to work with, whether the feeling comes from suspicion, unrequited love, possessiveness, betrayal, or simply wanting what somebody else has. The songs on this list approach it from very different angles, from Rick Springfield openly wishing for his friend’s girlfriend to John Lennon admitting his own insecurity and Peter Gabriel turning jealousy into something almost primal. These are 10 of our favorite songs built around the green-eyed monster.

# 10 – “Everybody Knows About My Good Thing” – Little Johnny Taylor

Little Johnny Taylor’s “Everybody Knows About My Good Thing,” released on Ronn Records in 1971, turns romantic suspicion into one of the funniest and sharpest blues records on this list. Written by Miles Grayson and Lermon Horton, the song follows a man who keeps hearing clues that his partner’s private life may not be very private at all, and Taylor delivers every new discovery with a mixture of disbelief, jealousy, and dry humor. The record became a major R&B hit, reaching No. 9 on Billboard’s R&B chart and No. 60 on the Hot 100, and decades later The Rolling Stones brought the song to a new generation when they covered it on Blue & Lonesome.

# 9 – “Peg” – Steely Dan

Steely Dan’s “Peg,” from the 1977 album Aja, hides its jealousy beneath one of the slickest arrangements the band ever recorded. Donald Fagen has described the song as taking place at a seedy Los Angeles photo shoot from the perspective of a jilted boyfriend watching Peg in front of the camera, which gives the bright music a much more uncomfortable edge. Michael McDonald’s stacked backing vocals and Jay Graydon’s famous guitar solo helped make the recording one of the defining tracks on Aja, and “Peg” reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Read More: Top 10 Steely Dan Songs

# 8 – “Jessie’s Girl” – Rick Springfield

Working Class Dog: 40th Anniversary Special Live Edition

Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl,” from his 1981 album Working Class Dog, may be the most direct jealousy song on the entire list. Springfield doesn’t disguise what the narrator wants: his friend has a girlfriend, and he wants her for himself, with jealousy quickly turning into insecurity as he wonders what she sees in Jessie that she doesn’t see in him. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Springfield the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, turning an uncomfortable emotional confession into the biggest hit of his career.

Read More: Top 10 Rick Springfield Songs

# 7 – “Tell Her No” – The Zombies

The Zombies’ “Tell Her No,” written by Rod Argent and released in late 1964 in the United States, approaches jealousy from the perspective of a man who knows his relationship is in danger and begs another man not to encourage the woman he loves. Colin Blunstone’s restrained vocals and Argent’s keyboard work keep the record elegant even as the narrator becomes increasingly desperate, which is part of what makes the song so effective. “Tell Her No” reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965 and became one of The Zombies’ three great American hits.

Read More: 10 Best Songs Of The Zombies

# 6 – “Shock the Monkey” – Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel’s “Shock the Monkey,” released in 1982 on his fourth self-titled solo album, is often mistaken for a song about animal experimentation, but Gabriel has explained that it is actually about jealousy. The nervous electronic rhythms, Fairlight textures, Jerry Marotta’s drums, Tony Levin’s bass, and Gabriel’s increasingly agitated vocals make the emotion feel physical rather than intellectual. Produced by Gabriel and David Lord, the single became Gabriel’s first U.S. Top 30 hit, reaching No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Read More: Top 10 Peter Gabriel Songs

# 5 – “Satellite of Love” – Lou Reed

Lou Reed’s “Satellite of Love,” from his 1972 album Transformer, sounds almost beautiful enough to hide what Reed himself described as the worst kind of jealousy. The narrator watches a satellite launch on television while obsessing over reports that the woman he loves is seeing other men, creating a strange contrast between the wonder of the space-age imagery and the ugliness of romantic suspicion. Produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, with Bowie’s soaring backing vocals becoming one of the recording’s signatures, the song was not a major hit when released but grew into one of Reed’s best-known solo recordings.

Read More: Top 10 Lou Reed Songs

# 4 – “Jealous Again” – The Black Crowes

The Black Crowes came charging out of the gate with “Jealous Again,” the debut single from their 1990 album Shake Your Money Maker. Written by Chris and Rich Robinson, the track turns jealousy into a loud, swaggering blues-rock argument, with Chris Robinson’s vocal riding over the band’s Stones-influenced guitars and hard-driving rhythm section. The single reached No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on Billboard’s Album Rock Tracks chart, helping establish The Black Crowes as one of the major new American rock bands of the early 1990s.

# 3 – “Jealous Lover” – Rainbow

Rainbow’s “Jealous Lover,” written by Ritchie Blackmore and Joe Lynn Turner, came out in 1981 during the band’s Difficult to Cure period and later became the title track of a four-song U.S. EP. Turner has said he wrote the lyric quickly after an argument with a girlfriend, which helps explain why the song feels more immediate than abstract. With Blackmore’s guitar, Turner’s lead vocal, Roger Glover on bass, and Bobby Rondinelli on drums, “Jealous Lover” became a strong American rock-radio track, reaching No. 13 on Billboard’s Rock Tracks chart.

# 2 – “Jealous Guy” – John Lennon

John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy,” from his 1971 album Imagine, is powerful because Lennon doesn’t blame anyone else for the emotion. He admits he was jealous, possessive, and deeply insecure, and the song turns that recognition into an apology rather than an accusation. Produced by Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Phil Spector, the recording features Nicky Hopkins on piano, Klaus Voormann on bass, Alan White on drums, and a string arrangement by Torrie Zito. It was not released as a Lennon single during his lifetime, but it became one of his most enduring solo songs and one of rock’s clearest admissions of the damage jealousy can cause.

# 1 – “You Belong to Me” – The Doobie Brothers

The Doobie Brothers’ “You Belong to Me,” from their 1977 album Livin’ on the Fault Line, takes the top spot because jealousy sits right at the center of the song without ever overwhelming its smooth arrangement. Written by Michael McDonald and Carly Simon, the lyric confronts a partner whose need for attention from strangers creates insecurity and possessiveness, while McDonald’s vocal keeps the emotion controlled rather than explosive. The Doobies recorded the song first, and Simon released her own version in 1978, taking it to No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. The contrast between the polished music and the uneasiness underneath is exactly what makes the song such an effective portrayal of jealousy.