The phrase torch song comes from the idiom “to carry a torch” for someone, the idea being that the flame of one’s love still burns long after their intended’s has extinguished.

One feature of unreciprocated love — or love returned earlier, but no longer — relates to “carrying a torch” for the yearned-for partner. It’s a complex, paradoxical phenomenon at once ...

Photo by BBC Learning English If you carry a torch for someone, it means you are in love with them. For example: John has carried a torch for Jane for years but she doesn't seem to notice.

One feature of unreciprocated love — or love returned earlier, but no longer — relates to “carrying a torch” for the yearned-for partner. It’s a complex, paradoxical phenomenon at once ...