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May 29, 2012
The 50 Best Breakup Songs of All Time
The best heartache a half-century of music can provide.
by Nerve
We recently assembled the greatest love songs of all time, but let's face it: while love has inspired some great songs, the majority of classics come from a darker place. Our rules this time were simple: one, a breakup song can be vengeful, dignified, devastated, or whatever else, as long as the lyrics make explicit reference to a relationship that is ending or has ended. Two, we limited it to one song per principal songwriter. Three, this list goes back to 1960, which we feel represents the dawn of pop music as we know it, but we apologize to Edith Piaf, Frank Sinatra, Mozart, et al. Okay, now you can tell us what we missed. Have fun, and be sure to check out this Spotify playlist of our picks. — The Nerve Editors
50. Kelly Clarkson, "Since U Been Gone" (2004)
Obnoxious text-speak aside, this is how you build a pop song. Clarkson's voice starts out low, the drums sound like a Casio keyboard, and you're wondering what's so great about this club and why you've been dragged here when you just want to sulk at home. Then that chorus decks you in the face, and before you know it, you've had four shots because you're so fucking fierce and you don't need him (or her), you don't need anyone and you're jumping around like an idiot... and here comes that chorus again! — A.H.
49. Human League, "Don't You Want Me?" (1981)
Unlike almost every other breakup song ever written, "Don't You Want Me?" gives us both sides of the story, featuring the lead singer, Philip Oakey, dueting with bandmate Susan Ann Sulley. Together, they give us arguments from the spurned and the spurner. But victory goes to the shout-along chorus, which surely anyone can relate to. — J.G.
48. 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.
47. 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.
46. Wilco, "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" (2002)
Jeff Tweedy often seems to be trying to obscure his emotional songwriting with avant-garde touches like weird ambient sounds, deliberately "wrong-sounding" notes, and obtuse lyrics. But none of those elements can stop "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" from succeeding in its titular aims. — A.H.
45. The Cure, "Pictures of You" (1989)
"Pictures of You" is so devastating because it perfectly nails the mixed feelings of reminiscing about a past relationship — how we return to certain memories time and time again until they take on life of their own. "I've been Facebooking for so long at these pictures of you" doesn't have quite the same feel, but the sentiment is still the same. — A.H.
44. Dire Straits, "Romeo and Juliet" (1980)
Unlike whatshisface's play, this "Romeo and Juliet" suggests that love can end in tragedy without anyone getting poisoned. The implied contrast to a legendary romance makes Mark Knopfler's breakup sound all the sadder. — S.M.
43. The Temptations, "I Wish It Would Rain"
While "I Wish It Would Rain" is about a man hoping for inclement weather to hide his tears because "a man ain't supposed to cry," I suggest ignoring that somewhat dated sentiment and thinking about those gloriously self-absorbed days we all have after a breakup, when we wish the rest of the world would feel as dismal as we do. Then put this song on and let David Ruffin sweep you into a world of heartbreak. — A.H.
42. Weezer, "Butterfly" (1996)
Closing out a near-perfect album of guilt and angst, "Butterfly" is a devastating story about the guilt of being unable to commit. Totally exposed, Rivers Cuomo confesses to having hurt someone who didn't deserve it. He tries to figure out why he did it, but in the end, all he has are two plaintive words: "I'm sorry." — P.S.
41. Elvis Costello, "I Want You" (1986)
This must be the most intense song that Elvis Costello ever recorded. It's like he's trying to scare the girl into coming back to him under the penalty of some kind of love-knifing. Spitting out lines like "I might as well be useless for all it means to you," he captures the bitterness of a breakup perfectly. — J.G.
40. Soft Cell, "Tainted Love" (1981)
Originally performed by Gloria Jones in the '60s, "Tainted Love" got a new life from Soft Cell's danceable, synth-heavy remake. Fittingly for a tune about trying to get out from under someone's spell, it's almost impossible not to sing along. — R.K.
Commentarium (91 Comments)
Nice choices, but where is "The Winner Takes It All," "Careless Whisper," "Against All Odds" and "Walk on By?"
#162, #401, #795, and #924, respectively.
A good list, but I would like to have seen Roxy Music represented, either by "A Song for Europe" or even better, by "Just Like You."
or "dance away" perhaps?
Gotta say, this Spotify crap really sucks ballz for your international readers who can't access it.
Ahh, that explains all the missing songs...except that I'm in the US and they aren't showing up. Please stick with your regular player!
they have the regular mp3 embeds. the spotify is just for all of the songs collected in one playlist.
Ms.Jackson at #3 ?
You shittin' me.
DONT LOOK BACK IN ANGER
In the trashcan.
Bruce Springsteen "Drive all Night"
Little Red Book, by Love. a great version of a Bachrach-David song. Total classic.
It may be new(ish), but Weights and Measures, by Dry the River, deserves consideration.
Just that whole album.
I humbly submit that "Shame," by the Avett Brothers, is a very good breakup song.
+ 1.
excellent writing...short and sweet.
Why Mireille Mathieu's version of Ne Me Quitte Pas was not used is beyond me...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G324yjbvI-4
I used to so have the hots for her in the late 70s!
Haha, I totally understand and could never get past the hair...well, that and her uncanny resemblance to my ex's mother.
Harry Nilsson so deserves to be in the top 5 with "Without You" though he didn't write it (I just found out) but did write the almost as wonderful "Without Her", recorded by Blood Sweat and Tears.
Nilsson's version of "Without You", like "Nothing Compares 2 U" is another one of those songs where the cover vastly eclipses the original. (Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" is another.) But the tragic back-story of Badfinger makes their original version of "Without You" pretty compelling, even it took Nilsson to wring every drop of heartbreak out of the song.
Don't Speak and Ms. Jackson need to switch places, plz.
in dreams is great, but all i think about is the scene in Blue Velvet... I would say Crying would be a better choice...
My number one is 'Whydya do what you did?' by Marianne Faithful. It perfectly expresses the angry of finding out your lover has cheated on you.
Ah but you really think Nerve in its currently moribund incarnation is going to cite a song with "cunt" in the lyrics? Awesome awesome song though. I will have Marianne (another woman I had the hots for at an early age!) on rotation all day at work. Earbuds time!
That is true; in our ongoing effort to stave off impending death, we carefully scanned each of these tracks for the presence of the word "cunt." I think we're safe now, though.
You said "titular".
And "Don't Speak" is the most hideous song ever written.
Nah, it's not even the most hideous song on this list. I can't listen to Macy Gray without thinking "If this is playing here, what's playing in Hell?" I HATE her voice and that song.
If you're going to put Ne Me Quitte Pas in then it has to be the original
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za_6A0XnMyw
^ What he said.
How about Rejazz from Regina Spektor? It sure deserves a place on this list, if not the N°1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoGFQ0AcXmc
once again, Nerve, you forced me to go through this entire list when I knew that you guys are too stupid to remember to put "The Breakup Song" by the Greg Kihn Band in the list. And you didn't disappoint. Really, you guys are just idiots. "THE BREAK-UP SONG"! what the fuck do you think that's about????? Just idiots....
We know what it's about. And we're not "too stupid to remember." We just don't like it that much.
Great list! I was a little bit sad you guys didn't include any of Beck's songs from Sea Change, whatever. Loved the Joni Mitchell addition. Thanks!
Thanks, Nicolas! Beck only just barely missed the cut.
the end - the doors
Spiritualized - Ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space
If this isn't the most epic song about heartbroken lovesickness, then I don't know what is.
What about "The Break Up Song"? or is Kihn not hipster enough?
OK, I gotta say that Pictures of You is not the best breakup song by the Cure. That honor goes to Play for Today & its angry, snotty brilliance.
or even just plain old "Boys Don't Cry"... (not to mention about a third of Wish...)
Um, if you're going to call your list the 50 greatest breakup songs of *all time*, the failure to include anything by Hank Williams is inexcusable. "Cold Cold Heart" and "Mansion on the Hill" should be in the top 10, and "Your Cheatin' Heart" can't be anything but number 1.
Just go listen to them.
Oops, missed your disclaimer re 1960. Seems a bit arbitrary though.
Well, it's just that pre-1960 music is just such a can of worms. Edith Piaf, Frank Sinatra, Hank Williams, Tin Pan Alley, early Chess Records, not to mention Beethoven, etc... Where do you draw the line?
Again?! Given that it a major oversight to leave "You Oughta Know" out of 90s list, I was hoping you would man up , admit your mistake, and give Alanis her rightful place on this list. I'm am even more disappointed then I was the first time you wronged me. Luckily I can think of a song that matches my outrage...
Well, you're not alone. Plenty of readers were upset at that omission. But we stand by our decision.
Dusty Springfield - I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore
Ms. Jackson reminds me of "Sylvia's Mother" by Dr. Hook, a phone call intercepted by, well, Sylvia's mother.
Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough--Patty Smith. Clearly, this song belongs on this list.
How could Roy Orbison's "Crying" have been left of the list?
Foo Fighters
"Let It Die"
"I can't make you love me" by Bonnie Rait has got to be in the top 5. It's heartbreaking and perfectly captures a situation we'be all been in.
You are absolutely right on this one, there is a heartbreaking - raw - honesty in that song. It truly captures the inevitable truth of a breakup.
for a breakup song that rips your guts out, you won't find better than Airborne Toxic Event's "Sometime Around Midnight". It captures the devastation of seeing an old lover again, perfectly. First time I heard it I couldn't stop thinking about it, and hearing that register-leaping cry of anguish, all day.
@alp
and what about "My First Night Alone Without You" (Bonnie Raitt)? There's a hard-core breakup song if I ever heard one.
My favorite is the Romeo and Juliet. I'm surprised it's on here since it was never a radio hit. Great list. I would add Boys of Summer by Don Henley. I know it was overplayed but it's a classic breakup tune. Roy Orbison's crying??? I used to cry to that song before I fell in love (16 yrs old)
Cindy Lauper's version of "When You Were Mine" adds quite a layer to the song. Worth the comparison and in my opinion, better.
I was stunned The Temptations "I Wish it Would Rain" wasn't in the top ten. When my mom told my dad she wanted a divorce, he sang that song to her at karaoke that night and looked straight at her the entire time. Saddest thing I ever saw, and my dad has a killer voice.
Whew. That's heavy.
I am suprised there was no Jim Croce... One less set of footsteps.. Operator... Photograps and memories
Croce has a catalog full of them. 'Footsteps' is perfect. Also, 'Next Time, This Time' or 'Lover's Cross'.
no adele? really? someone like you has to be the one of the greatest.
Missed the date deadline -- came out in 2011.
I dunno. Beatles: "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" beats "For No One" handily.
Stones' "Let It Loose" blows away the rather treacly and clunky "Angie." Also too "Love in Vain."
And you guys never heard of say, Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, John Hyatt? Ranking breakup songs without 'Nashville inflected' writers is kinda like rating top fifty wines without any French ones.
There are many Rolling Stones break up songs compared to which "Angie" could be said to sound 'treacly and clunky'. ("Ruby Tuesday" and "No Expectations", to name two.)
"Let It Loose" is not one of them.
Isn't that a Gallagher brother in the Beatles pic?
Why does my gaydar go off whenever I look at bands from the 1980s?..... and I'm not even gay.
Lost love certainly does make for some good songwriting. I want to throw "No Regrets" by Scott Walker/the Walker Brothers up on here. It's so gorgeous and optimistic!
I know a lot of people are probably wondering why Ben Folds Five's "Song for the Dumped" didn't make the list. For my money, I'm scratching my head at the exclusion of "Smoke" (off the same album, BFF's Whatever and Ever Amen). The extended metaphor of tearing apart a book to represent the dissolution of the speaker's relationship is spot on. Come to think of it, that record also contains one of the best love songs in "Kate" (and she speaks! and she breathes!)
Though the top 25 is fairly solid, I don't know how anyone could put Justin Timberlake above Jeff Buckley's 'Lover' on a list of any kind.
led zepplin - babe, I'm gonna leave you
Not a bad list.
That said:
1. Nina Simone's "Ne me quitte pas" over Jacques Brel's? Madness.
2. Nine Bob Dylan break up songs better than "Don't Think Twice It's Alright":
"Boots of Spanish Leather"
"I Don't Believe You"
"Farewell Angelina"
"Mama You've Been On My Mind"
"It's All Over Now Baby Blue"
"Positively 4th Street"
"Simple Twist Of Fate"
"You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go"
"Love Sick"
Eminem - space bound = missing her.
Eminem - love the way you lie = love hate relationships.
Eminem - Kim = obsessed, if I can't have her, no one can.
In that order.
Dumptruck "Island"
This is a strange list. And definitely not the greatest breakup songs of all time. It seems pretty partial to a specific style of music and branches out only occasionally. To have a list like this and not include a SINGLE Frank Sinatra or Barbra Streisand song is crazy. Also "Accidental Babies" OR "Rootless Tree" by Damien Rice? Or "Leave" by Glen Hansard? Most emotionally powerful break up songs ever.
My personal favorite will forever be "A Song About Me and My Boy" by Swedish singer Miss Li.
what about "Breaking up is hard to do" by Neil Sedaka? mimislifelessons.blogspot.com
leaving aside the obscure stuff (like ANY song by Trembling Blue Stars, pretty much)... surely "Walk Away Renee", either the original by Left Banke, or the Four Tops version deserves some placing on this list?
Nick Cave: Far From Me. Brilliant from beginning to end, but containing the final killer stanza:
You told me you'd stick by me
Through the thick and through the thin
Those were your very words
My fair-weather friend
You were my brave-hearted lover
Who at the first taste of trouble went running back to mother
So far from me
Suspended in your bleak and fishless sea
Far from me
kate nash "nicest thing". heartbreaking
Although an artist who is otherwise not widely known in the mainstream music industry, Ben Folds should, at the very least, have one spot somewhere on this list. Several of his tracks illustrate the hardship of breakups and life after, including: Mess, Evaporated, Landed, Fair, and Time (to name a few). His unparalleled story telling paired with his musical mastery should have earned him a spot on this list. I feel this list should thus be renamed "The 50 Greatest MAINSTREAM Breakup Songs of All Time"
Seconded.
well acording to me i think the number one song would have to be love is a loosing game by--Amy winehouse *no hate*
And Payphone guys?
I think this acoustic is a pretty sweet break up song lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYRX-W1WvvM&feature=autoplay&list=ULuuEqp...
what about "Every Rose Has Its Thorn"?
"Forget Her" by Jeff Buckley should be on the list. Just sayin'.
Austin Lucas - Go West
http://www.lyricsbay.com/go_west_lyrics-austin_lucas.html
"Oh, no malice does exist in these words I am now writing,
Although one might catch the faintest glance at sorrow.
I'm but trying hard to grasp all these fragments as they're passing,
Piece the puzzle now before the trail grows cold."
"So with no malice I'll begin just once more to tell our story,
Though the ending I may never hope to know.
You were a sweet and sound companion
Though our paths led us apart,
And I may never sleep so soundly as I did while in your arms.
Now all I ask is you remember who you loved and who you lost,
Please don't bury me in silence
Or in blackest shroud of thought.
Don't pretend that what we had was any less than what it was,
For I will not soon be forgetting the reasons
Why we fought so hard to make it work."
Where's ANY song from Back to Black? Every one of them is a perfect contender, especially "You Know I'm No Good," Back to Black," and "Love is a Losing Game" ...
Back in Black by (the late)Amy Winehouse
WHERE THE F*CK IS PHIL COLLINS AGAINST THE ODDS?!
Right?! Or 'I Wish It Would Rain Down'.