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April 2, 2012
20. Fleetwood Mac, "Never Going Back Again" (1977)
Tempted though we are to go with the wounded "Go Your Own Way," we must ultimately defer to this. Featuring Lindsay Buckingham's delicate fingerpicking and a simple set of lyrics about picking yourself up after a breakup (via a fling with someone else), it's almost prayerful. — P.S.
19. Gloria Gaynor, "I Will Survive" (1978)
This red-hot track was all about girl power before it was cool to say "girl power." "I Will Survive" recounts the events following a breakup and how they shape a woman into a badass who no longer needs the man who caused her grief. This is the anthem for those who've spent their lives crumbling. "I'm not that chained up little person still in love with you" are the words of someone who's decided enough is enough. — Jeremy Glass
18. The Buzzcocks, "Ever Fallen In Love... (With Someone You Shouldn't've)" (1978)
Of the great early punk bands, only The Buzzcocks were predominately concerned with love. "Ever Fallen In Love" has a weary fatalism that belies the fact that it was written by a twenty-three-year-old. Having fallen in love with the wrong person, the singer finds himself completely at her mercy; he doesn't seem to get a vote in things. — P.S.
17. Dolly Parton, "I Will Always Love You" (1974)
Forget everything you ever knew about Whitney Houston's version of this song. You can hear the heartbreak in Dolly Parton's voice as she gracefully ducks out of a tumultuous relationship. There's something comforting about the dignity the song finds in ending a relationship peacefully, even if things are usually a lot messier in real life. — J.G.
16. The Police, "So Lonely" (1978)
In its improbable fusion of Bob Marley and early punk, "So Lonely" captures both the gloomy and the manic sides of a breakup. If you like dwelling on heartbreak, but hate moping, this is your song. — J.G.
15. The Cars, "My Best Friend's Girl" (1978)
Have you been in this situation? We probably all have at some point, and let's be honest: it fucking sucks. And the Cars make it sound so sunny, so goddamn bouncy! That's talent. — A.H.
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Breakups
Commentarium (48 Comments)
I like the list (most of it) but what, no Stevie Wonder's "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Need You?)"
Also:
The Delfonics: Didn't I Blow Your Mind
Al Green: Call Me (Come Back Home)
The Chi-Lites: Oh Girl
Daryl Hall & John Oates: She's Gone
and (seriously): The Carpenters: Superstar
I second all the above picks.
No Roxy Music? I don't get it.
"All I Want Is You" would've been #26.
Cool, or you could have gone with "Just Like you" or "A Song for Europe"
Kiss and Say Goodbye by The Manhattans?
I will survive deserves a much higher ranking. It's a classic for a reason.
all great songs of course, but The Carpenters Superstar is a glaring omission... Plus I would add Bad Liver and a Broken Heart by Tom Waits...
Although I appreciate your justification for Fleetwood Mac's "Never Going Back Again," there's no way I could leave off "Go Your Own Way." I remember when Rumours came out when I was a kid and that song still resonates 35 years later. It feels so personal because the two parties involved are in the same band and are singing it together.
I agree leaving "Superstar" off is a blaring omission. It would be in my top 10.
Or Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide"
Oops. Just noticed "Landslide" on here. Oh well, whatever, nevermind. :-)
Can't you read?
Skipped over it by mistake bmac. Big fucking woop. Don't cream your jeans there bmac.
Where the f*** is "Wish You Here"? Not a breakup song in the classical sense because it's about a friendship rather than a romantic relationship, but damn that's what makes it so devastating.
Meant "Wish You Were Here." Sorry about that.
Definitely agree on that. But I will say that "Wish You Were Here", despite being about friends, COULD be interpreted as a break-up song between lovers. So you are correct, and it can be interpreted many ways, which is the beauty of the song.
I'd have put "Single Again" by Gary Stewart on the list.
"Love Will Tear Us Apart" wasn't released until April 1980 (according to Wikipedia). Even if it was recorded first in 1979, it wasn't really released to the public in it's complete form until 1980. Technically, aren't you kind of cheating?
You are right. They were cheating. We (The FBI) will take care of this accordingly.
Love,
The FBI
For Dolly, I would have swapped in "Jolene." I think it's a breakup song (wife confronts mistress begging not to take her man?); and all due respect to Dolly (and Whitney), "I Will Always Love You" isn't only an inferior tune, it's fucking grating.
I love these lists, but on this one I was really hoping to see Meat Loaf "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad," it's a devastating sentiment.
I agree it should be on a list, but is was released in 1977. It should be on THAT list, but it isn't. Peace.
The Main Ingredient - Everybody Plays the Fool. Duh.
I have been waiting for the 70s list to be released just to confirm "It Makes No Difference" would make the cut. Just a brutal song and Danko's voice makes it even more so.
I tentatively went through this list knowing that THE greatest break up song of the 70s wasnt going to be on here and boy did NERVE drop the ball on this one! How could Al Green's "For The Good Times" not be on here? That song is the quintessential ode to a love affair ending and all the emotions that go along with it. Shame on you, NERVE. I have to say I am truly disappointed.motto rintod
Never, ever heard that song. Ever. And I'm 51. Heard everything else. Not that one.
you spent five decades with your head in a bucket?
you'll be needing some counseling, man, that's terrible what those people did to you.
So you know Buzzcocks but you somehow never heard about Joy Division? You must be missing out on a whole bunch of Manchester bands, not to mention any of those influential post-punk bands.
How is that possible? I bet my mom knows that song, for god's sake.
Point of order: 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' come out in 1980. I think Mr 'never heard of it' is pullin yer legs. Nobody's that dumb. Also, I respectfully suggest Chris Bell's 'I am am the Cosmos'. Cheers.
I love Tangled Up in Blue, but I would have to go with If You See Her Say Hello, off the same record, which is Dylan at his best regretful heartbreaking melancholy.
Janis Joplin? How does a girl fix herself, anyway?
She was a junkie in the Chelsea hotel. "You fixed yourself, you said - well, never mind; we are ugly but we have the music..." She cooked her hit, tied her self off and shot up. It ain't a pretty song, sweetheart.
No "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac? Seriously?
It's because who wrote this probably just pulled this list from their iPod.
Did you read the intro? Or the writeups?
I think they did read the writeup and intro and are not swayed by your (feeble) argument.
Carol King "It's Too Late"...a sin of omission...
So just on a songs per breakup basis, is Rumours the all time best creative output from a single breakup?
Well, two breakups.
One of my favorites, by the Kinks: http://youtu.be/GqgNyYXTK4s
Landslide is one of my favorite songs ever.
I read Stevie Nicks say "Landslide" was abouWt setting free from her PARENTS whom sh.e was visiting in CO.
Stairways to heaven, from Led Zeppelin!!!!
"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon.
Yeah, there is no way "Landslide" is a break-up song, it was more about her dealing with uncertainty around her entire life at that point.
"Silver Springs" is the song that came from the Stevie/Lindsey break-up - and in my opinion it is the greatest break-up song of all time, let alone the 1970s. It didn't make the Rumours album, but it was the b-side to "Go Your Own Way." To this day, when you see Stevie sing it while Lindsey is playing it you can see them go through it all over again.
I thnk Olivia Newton-John's "I Honestly Love You" should be on this list.
2 relatively obscure songs from Supertramp's "Crisis? What Crisis?" album top my list, mainly because I associate specific breakups with each song. "Ain't Nobody But Me" and "Another Man's Woman"