You might be surprised at how many songs about fake friends there are out there. 

We all want friends who have our backs but sadly not all of them do!

It is an emotional rollercoaster to find out someone’s true colors when you’ve let them get close.

The best songs about fake friends are the ones you can vent to when you feel like you’ve been wronged!

The ones that show you you are not alone in your naivety. The ones that have an uplifting lesson.

You don’t need fake friends in your life.

Find out how to spot them by listening to the wisdom in the lyrics of these fake friendship songs

Enjoy our list of the best songs about fake friends!

1. “Fake Friends” by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts 

Our first entry makes an important commentary. 

When things go well for you you can find a lot of people suddenly want to be in your life.

“When you were down, they were never there

When you’re all alone, you really get to learn

If you get back up, they gonna come around

All the sycophants, they love to make romance”.

The video for this one shows Joan and the rest of the Blackhearts getting mobbed by fans. 

Everybody wants to be your friend when you are famous. 

Her lyrics remind you to pay attention to who disappears when you need a hand.

The hook reminds us that losing a fake friend is no big deal.

“Ya got nothing to lose

Ya don’t lose when you lose fake friends”.

2. “Fake Friends” by Sigrid 

Some friendships are toxic, when something is bad for you, you have to learn to let go.

Sigrid gives the facts to us in a fun pop track “Fake Friends” from her 2017 Don’t Kill My Vibe.

“It’s better to walk away than to run with fake friends

No use for excuses so bad things come to an end”.

She rips off the bandaid and finds her independence and so can you! “No excuses”!

3. “Backstabber” by Kesha 

Kesha has publicly spoken about the true story this song about fake friends is based on.

The “Backstabber” in question was someone she considered a friend who then stole her car!

She later found out the girl had been running her mouth imaginatively too.

Although it’s full of expletives, Kesha takes the higher ground with lines like this;

“Honestly, I think it’s kinda funny

That you waste your breath talking about me”

4. “Back Stabbers” by The O’Jays 

The title track of their 1972 album, this one serves as a warning.

The protagonist realizes his friends are trying to tempt away his girlfriend.

“All the time they want to take your place

The back stabbers (back stabbers)

(They smilin’ in your face)”.

It was a number-one hit for The O’Jays on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart and the Cash Box Top 100.

You can’t trust everyone, sometimes they are just after something you have.

5. “Backstabber” by Eminem

This is a lesser-known Eminem track. It was written as a sequel to the track “Fuckin Backstabber”. 

Eminem raps about how he was duped by a friend, the narrative is delivered in the first person and the third via an APB -style alert.

The backstabbing in this one is quite literal. The style of the track is very old-school hip-hop with a great groove. 

As you might expect Em is angry and throws in plenty of foul language as he plots revenge but makes some great points.

“Dealing with backstabbers, there was one thing I learned

They’re only powerful when you got your back turned”.

Wise words among the fury.

6. “All My Friends Are Fake” by Tate McRae 

Tate McRae gets candid as she honestly reveals how she feels she needs to keep things to herself because her friends aren’t loyal.

Some people that confide in will take what you have told them and use it to destroy you.

A real friend can be judged by their actions. When some people are only out for themselves, it can be hard to know who to trust.

Tate was inspired by the HBO show Euphoria as she relates to the characters.YOu can see the inspiration in the accompanying video.

After experiencing a rocky period with close friends she went on to pout out her thoughts in the lyrics.

“I wish I had someone, could trust ’em

But loyalty

Don’t come for free

‘Cause all my friends are fake, fake, fake, fake

They just want me for the day, day until they don’t”.

7. “F.F.F.” by Bebe Rexha Ft. G-Eazy 

Next up in an anthemic protest to all the haters is Bebe Rexha’s “F.F.F.”

The acronym stands for “F*** fake friends”.

It reflects an attitude anyone should have if they don’t want to waste time and tears on someone who never had their back in the first place.

It centers on personal experiences the two have had with posers in Los Angeles and points out the differences with a true friend. 

“And I, I’ve been in L.A. for way too long

Can’t get this air inside my lungs

It feels like I’m suffocatin’ from all the lack of the realness here”.

Ultimately, the take-home message is that you are better off without them.

8. “FAB.” by JoJo Ft. Remy Ma 

Next up, another acronym title hiding curse words!

It seems to be a familiar theme with this one but finding out a friend isn’t the friend you thought sucks and can bring out the worst in us.

“FAB” is a warning song, it calls out the women in your life who will “smile in your face” but do you dirty behind your back.

“Where were you when I needed you?

Tell me, where were you when I needed you?”

The title stands for Fake A** B****es.

“When they words and they actions blur and they don’t know different”

It’s a catchy girl-power-type song. Just the sort of thing you might want to use to vent with when you start seeing the true colors in some of those around you.

9. “Fake Friends” by Gucci Mane 

Gucci Mane gives us a warning in his rap song about fake friends.

“You know it’s family first off top (off top)

And blood is thicker than water

And there’s no friend indeed like a friend in need (friend indeed)

But there’s one thing you gotta watch and that’s a friend in greed (watch)”.

Prison can make you think about the people in your life. It gives you time to analyze. 

You’ll meet many people who will claim to be your friend. Around to share the boon and use you when you are riding the highs of life.

But how many can you count on when you hit the lows?

Gucci gets real and speaks of how he felt used when he got rich and famous. 

10. “Case Of The Fake People” by TLC 

A forgotten gem from TLC’s CrazySexyCool album that samples “Back Stabbers” by The O’Jays that we already mentioned.

The group added their verses incorporating The O’Jays Lyrics into the mix.

It is a cool little track that reminds you two “think twice before you let people in your life”.

The girl group wasn’t too afraid to lay it straight, advising you to say “goodbye, goodbye” to the fake people in your life.

11. “Fake Friends” by Martinez Twins 

So, many of you won’t know this one but we have included it because it makes a good current observation about social media.

Some fake friends are only looking for a leg-up in life and they will use you as a stepping stone.

This is very true when it comes to social media.

“Man that’s all you do

Tagging Instagram, Martinez Twins

For the simple goal of getting more views

And to my fake friends

Tryna steal the Martinators

You still ain’t adding numbers

Broken calculator”.

The Martinez Twins give us a harmonic tale of betrayal. Commenting on how the world is full of haters and stressing the importance of having respect. Preaching unity.

12. “Fake Friends” by PS1 Ft. Alex Hosking

PS1 Gave us another song about fake friends that calls out social media much like the song above. It also shares the same title.

The lyrics speak of the way that people glamorize certain parts of their life online and aren’t painting an accurate portrayal of who they genuinely are.

“You hate those West Coast plastic, tinsel, botox, perfect smiles (I’m, high)

You’re a lonely wallflower, old school type of anti-style”.

In person, you can spot a fake friend and fake relationship.

The electronic dance track was released in 2020 and the dark lyrics make for a stark contrast to the music itself.

13. “Real Friends” by Camila Cabello 

Fake friends often switch sides, they are go-betweens who like to stir the pot and add a little drama. 

When you have someone like that in the mix within a group of friends there is no trust.

Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello talks about such a betrayal and how lonely she felt after being let down by someone she considered a “real friend”.

“I thought that I could trust you, nevermind

Why all the switching sides?

Where do I draw the line?

I guess I’m too naive to read the signs”.

It isn’t always easy to spot a fake friend from a real one. 

Camila’s stripped-back arrangement with its beautiful guitar rhythms echoes the innocence she embodies every time she lets someone else in.

14. “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World 

Making friends is tough. We can all go through times when we feel like we don’t fit in. 

Especially during that transitional period in high school.

This pop-punk anthem by Jimmy Eats World highlights the sentiment perfectly and has an encouraging hopeful message that makes it an uplifting anthem for teens.

It was inspired by an email from a fan who didn’t fit in with the local punk crowd because she wasn’t punk enough for them. 

Not only is it a catchy track it has a lot of depth, telling you to be yourself and not worry if you’re good enough for others.

“It just takes some time

Little girl, you’re in the middle of the ride

Everything, everything’ll be just fine”

It was a breakthrough hit for the group.

15. “Fake Friends” by Billy Bueffer

How many songs with the title Fake Friends?

Well here’s another, this time a rap that has a message that is contrary to the majority here.

Billy Bueffer’s little-known 2019 track talks about noticing the fake friends around those he cares about. 

He comments about everyone having them but having to accept them as you have no ”real” ones.

With modern layered vocals, he lays down his disappointment in having “to make ends”.

16. “Fake” by Lauv & Conan Gray 

Another more recent song about fake friends is the 2020 song “Fake” by Lauv & Conan Gray.

It again speaks of the effects of social media on this generation and friendships.

“You and your friends you live on the surface

Act like you’re perfect, everyone knows

You’re just like everyone else

Except for you’re better at takin’ photos

Oh, oh, oh, yeah

Why you gotta make everything a show?”

The relationships of some people revolve around selfies in fun locations. The reality is these “friends” often aren’t having all that much fun regardless of the activity!

Sometimes it is all for show.

Real friendships have a deeper connection, you can’t live on the surface and have something meaningful between you.

17. “Fake Friends” by Joel Adams 

Surprise, surprise another song entitled “Fake Friends”, man we must have chips on our shoulders!

Taken from his 2018 album with the same name; Joel Adams gives us a song that hits a nerve and resonates with listeners.

He speaks of how his friend found a new group of friends and changes everything about themself to fit in with the new crowd.

“Rolling through the hills to the fake parties

Buying all those drinks with your fake ID

Hanging with your friends but your friends ain’t me

Well you can say that I said hello

Say hello to your fake friends

Hope I don’t meet them someday

Never there when you need them

But you still love them the same”

Not everyone we get along with in life stays a part of it. Sometimes we drift apart as we age and life pulls us in different directions. 

True friends don’t vanish, we don’t become less important to one another.

18. “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne 

This one might seem more leftfield for starters; it isn’t an obvious song with fake friends in the title.

But it is about changing yourself to fit in and looking like a fool for it when your real friends like you just the way you are.

“Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated?

I see the way you’re acting like you’re somebody else

Gets me frustrated

Life’s like this, you

And you fall, and you crawl, and you break

And you take what you get, and you turn it into

Honesty and promise me I’m never gonna find you faking

No, no, no”

Avril Lavigne begs her friend not to act fake publicly, to accept and embrace who they are.

It was a number-one hit for the feisty punk rocker and won her multiple awards.

19. “Everybody’s Fool” by Evanescence 

Within alternative subcultures, there are always posers. So we get a lot of alternative genres of music bringing us songs with fake friend themes.

Like Avril above, Evanescence has a similar view on the subject in their 2003 track “Everybody’s Fool” from the album Fallen. 

You are only going to look silly if you pretend to be something that you are not.

“Perfect by nature

Icons of self-indulgence

Just what we all need

More lies about a world that

Never was and never will be

Have you no shame don’t you see me

You know you’ve got everybody fooled”

Amy Lee says the song is about celebrities fooling people into thinking they are perfect but it applies to fake friends too. 

20. “People You Know” by Selena Gomez 

Sometimes we can be naive in thinking a friendship will last forever. 

Sadly, that isn’t always the case.

You can know someone well and still be surprised.

This track from Selena’s 2020 album Rare recounts a familiar situation for some.

“We used to be close, but people can go

From people you know to people you don’t

And what hurts the most is people can go

From people, you know to people you don’t”

The truth can hurt. You can wake up one day and have someone who was such a huge part of your life no longer there.

21. “Call My Friends” by Shawn Mendes

Sometimes the best song about fake friends is ironically a song that discusses the benefits of a real one!

Mendes discusses positive male friendship. When he is feeling at his lowest, alone, and ready to turn to his vices he knows he should call his friends.

“Right now I’m alone inside the airport

And you’re all at a bar in our hometown

Feels like we been living different lives

The music’s loud and everybody’s dancing

How many nights I’ve missed, yeah I’ve lost count

Haven’t seen your faces in a while

I should call my friends”

He has been hanging out with the wrong people, partying and having a great time but they aren’t the ones who truly look out for him.

22. “Bad Blood” by Taylor Swift

“’Cause baby, now we’ve got bad blood

You know it used to be mad love”.

Don’t let the mention of love confuse you this is a song about the end of a false friendship.

Swift has said on multiple occasions this one was written about another female musician. 

She believed they were close friends but she began to sabotage a stage tour of Taylor’s.

She doesn’t mince her words when recounting how she felt, capturing raw emotion in her lyrics;

“Stabbed in the back; brimstone, fire jumping through

Still, all my life, I got money and power

And you gotta live with the bad blood now”.

23. “Fake People” by Kandi Burruss

Another more recent track to make it onto our list of songs about fake friends is “Fake People” by Kandi Burruss.

It was a big hit for the Real Housewives of Atlanta actress/singer.

The song is a sassy track that calls out anyone who is unauthentic.

She discusses how people who are fake become consumed by the false self they create.

She, meanwhile, will carry on just fine. Happy to cut “Fake People” out of her life. 

“See that fake shit, becomes a cell

‘Cause you can get out, and be yourself

Being fake has you overwhelmed

It’s starting to affect your health”.

24. “Fake People” by RYYZN

This track shares the same name as the one above but the two are very different.

In contrast to the majority of the songs about fake friends we have analyzed; this one shows empathy toward the fake person.

If someone feels the need to present a disingenuous version of themself to the world they must have a sad existence.

They can’t have any real friends and the loneliness must be tough.

RYYZN has a little compassion for the fake people in his life although he is sick of them!

25. “Cooler Than Me” by Mike Posner 

Mike Posner’s 2010 electronic dance track debut “Cooler Than Me” has some cracking lyrics to explore.

Everybody knows someone who feels the need to be the coolest person in the room.

“Shh, I got you all figured out

You need everyone’s eyes just to feel seen”.

He on the other hand doesn’t need to show off or feel cool.

Friends shouldn’t view one another as competition. Posner talks us through some tell-tale signs that your friend might be faking it.

“I used up all my tricks, I hope that you like this

But, you probably won’t, you think you’re cooler than me

You got designer shades just to hide your face

And you wear ’em around like you’re cooler than me

And you never say hey, or remember my name

And it’s probably ’cause you think you’re cooler than me”.

26. “Thank You” by Simple Plan 

“Thank You” by Simple Plan is written sarcastically.

We learn from our mistakes, if your mistake was letting the wrong person get close in your life then so be it.

Those who hurt you and cause you pain leave a mark. It is a lesson learned even if it is learned the hard way.

The narrative speaks of two best friends falling out. Betrayal aside, the protagonist thanks the ex-friend for teaching him not everyone can be trusted.

“So thank you for showing me,

That best friends can not be trusted,

And thank you for lying to me,

Your friendship and good times we had you can have them back”.

27. “On The Road” by Post Malone Ft. Meek Mill & Lil Baby 

Another recurring theme here is how artists once they find fame, find out who their real friends are.

Post Malone gives us his take on this 2019 track “On The Road”.

The lyrics comment on how people don’t tend to stick around when things are hard. 

They raise the fact that false friends creep back into your life as though they have always supported you when you are succeeding.

“Yeah, where you been? (Where you been?)

When it was time to do some work and put it in (put it in)

I just be laughin’ when I see ’em, look at them (ha)

Leave when I lose and pop back up as soon as I win (uh)”.

28. “Lunchbox Friends” by Melanie Martinez 

Melanie Martinez dubs her judgemental chums “Lunchbox Friends”. She is referring to the type of high-school girls who invite you to sit with them in the cafeteria. 

Judgemental and gossiping girls.

Shedding light on the lack of support she feels with innocent vocals distorted to accentuate and emphasize creatively.

When you realize your friends are toxic, the relationship is meaningless and you have to step back.

Martinez knows this isn’t what she wants, even if her alternative is a little on the dark side!

“The hassle, the fighting, they all want a bite of me

Photos, more photos

And gossip ’bout hoes that they don’t know

Oh, they talk shit though

I don’t want no lunchbox friends, no

I want someone who understands, oh, oh, no

Come to my house, let’s die together

Friendship that would last forever, no”.

29. “Don’t Need You” by Bullet for My Valentine

It can be hard to cut someone out of your life even if you know they don’t have your best interests at heart.

Welsh heavy-metal group Bullet For My Valentine gives us the perfect soundtrack.

Although the track is accompanied by a video that features a romantic breakup, the words apply to false friendships. The strength to walk away is important.

“So now this ship is sinking

I don’t know what to do

It’s got me thinking that I don’t need

Don’t need you”.

30. “Smiling Faces Sometimes” by The Undisputed Truth 

We are finishing up with a song about fake friends from the seventies with some wise words to share.

“Smiling faces sometimes

Pretend to be your friend

Smiling faces show no traces

Of the evil that lurks within”.

Ain’t that the truth?

Not all friends are what they seem on the surface. People can be kind to you and still do you wrong. 

This one only reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. 

A real shame considering the words are as relevant today as they were when written.

“(Beware) beware of the handshake

That hides the snake (can you dig it, can you dig it?)

I’m a-tellin’ you beware of the pat on the back

It just might hold you back

Jealousy, (jealousy) misery (misery) envy (envy)”.

Best Songs About Fake Friends – Final Thoughts

Ultimately in life, we all crave human connection. As we journey through life we all make many acquaintances and some friendships will withstand the test of time.

We will also encounter false friendships along the way and there will always be posers to contend with as well.

Trying to spot a fake friend from a real one is no easy task and many fall victim.

It is no wonder there are so many songs about fake friends given the emotional fallout that comes with falling victim to the deception.