75 Best Breakup Songs of All Time
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Country trio Lady Antebellum touched a familiar chord with many music fans across the country and pop spectrum with "Need You Now's" description of a desperate late night phone call to a former lover. There was initial record label concern about the line, "I'm a little drunk," but it was left one and gives a strikingly honest feel to the song. "Need You Now" won Grammy Awards for Record and Song of the Year.
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Paul Simon wrote "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" following his divorce from his first wife Peggy Harper. The song incorporates humor into the breakup song genre as it discusses a list of options in ending a relationship. The song was a #1 smash hit, Paul Simon's only solo hit to go all the way to the top. It is included on the album Still Crazy After All These Years which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
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Written by Jim Steinman, best known for his work on Meat Loaf's breakthrough album Bat Out of Hell, "Total Eclipse of the Heart" is awash in grand pronouncements about the darkness of a love fading away. Jim Steinman says it was inspired by vampires. The song became a #1 pop smash and a defining moment in singer Bonnie Tyler's career.
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Greg Kihn's breakthrough hit single both laments a recent breakup and celebrates great breakup songs of the past. It was the artist's first song to reach the Billboard Hot 100 and it climbed all the way to #15. It was followed in 1983 by the Greg Kihn Band's biggest hit, the #2 pop smash "Jeopardy."
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Ne-Yo originally wrote lyrics for "Irreplaceable" from a male perspective and in the style of a country song. However, when Beyonce heard a demo, she thought it was a great opportunity to create a breakup record that women could relate to. "Irreplaceable" was a #1 pop smash and received a Grammy Award nomination for Record of the Year.
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"Say Something" depicts the powerful emotions when one chooses to leave a relationship even though love remains. Following Christina Aguilera's decision to add her voice to the mix in a re-recording of the song, "Say Something" stormed up the charts to become a top 5 hit.
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As legend states, songwriter Lee Hazlewood told Nancy Sinatra to sing his song "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" in such a fashion so that she would sound like, "a 16-year-old girl who f**ks truck drivers." The song was an instant success becoming the only solo #1 pop hit by Frank Sinatra's daughter Nancy.
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For some listeners, the elegant production of Dionne Warwick's performance of "Walk On By" hides the devastating heartbreak in the song's lyrics. However, that is one of the points of the song. The former lover does not deserve to see the heartbreak. The song became Dionne Warwick's biggest hit of her career so far peaking at #6. It has been re-recorded numerous times by artists as diverse as punk band The Stranglers and soul legend Isaac Hayes.
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Co-songwriter and producer Michael Masser says that Diana Ross pushed very hard in the studio to come up with exactly the right emotional tone for this breakup song. He says it was a very intense experience. The effort paid off in a #1 hit and one of Diana Ross' signature songs.
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Nashville songwriters Mike Reid and Allan Shamblin took more than six months to write the aching ballad. Bonnie Raitt recorded it for her album Luck of the Draw with piano support from Bruce Hornsby. "I Can't Make You Love Me" became a top 20 pop hit. George Michael, Boyz II Men, and Adele have all recorded notable cover versions.
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Purchase / Download
35. Lady Antebellum - "Need You Now" (2009)
Country trio Lady Antebellum touched a familiar chord with many music fans across the country and pop spectrum with "Need You Now's" description of a desperate late night phone call to a former lover. There was initial record label concern about the line, "I'm a little drunk," but it was left one and gives a strikingly honest feel to the song. "Need You Now" won Grammy Awards for Record and Song of the Year.
Watch Video
Purchase / Download
34. Paul Simon - "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" (1975)
Paul Simon wrote "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover" following his divorce from his first wife Peggy Harper. The song incorporates humor into the breakup song genre as it discusses a list of options in ending a relationship. The song was a #1 smash hit, Paul Simon's only solo hit to go all the way to the top. It is included on the album Still Crazy After All These Years which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
Watch Video
Purchase / Download
33. Bonnie Tyler - "Total Eclipse Of the Heart" (1983)
Written by Jim Steinman, best known for his work on Meat Loaf's breakthrough album Bat Out of Hell, "Total Eclipse of the Heart" is awash in grand pronouncements about the darkness of a love fading away. Jim Steinman says it was inspired by vampires. The song became a #1 pop smash and a defining moment in singer Bonnie Tyler's career.
Watch Video
Purchase / Download
32. Greg Kihn Band - "The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em)" (1981)
Greg Kihn's breakthrough hit single both laments a recent breakup and celebrates great breakup songs of the past. It was the artist's first song to reach the Billboard Hot 100 and it climbed all the way to #15. It was followed in 1983 by the Greg Kihn Band's biggest hit, the #2 pop smash "Jeopardy."
Watch Video
Purchase / Download
31. Beyonce - "Irreplaceable" (2006)
Ne-Yo originally wrote lyrics for "Irreplaceable" from a male perspective and in the style of a country song. However, when Beyonce heard a demo, she thought it was a great opportunity to create a breakup record that women could relate to. "Irreplaceable" was a #1 pop smash and received a Grammy Award nomination for Record of the Year.
Watch Video
Read Review
Purchase / Download
30. A Great Big World - "Say Something" featuring Christina Aguilera (2013)
"Say Something" depicts the powerful emotions when one chooses to leave a relationship even though love remains. Following Christina Aguilera's decision to add her voice to the mix in a re-recording of the song, "Say Something" stormed up the charts to become a top 5 hit.
Watch Video
Read Review
Purchase / Download
29. Nancy Sinatra - "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" (1966)
As legend states, songwriter Lee Hazlewood told Nancy Sinatra to sing his song "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" in such a fashion so that she would sound like, "a 16-year-old girl who f**ks truck drivers." The song was an instant success becoming the only solo #1 pop hit by Frank Sinatra's daughter Nancy.
Watch Video
Purchase / Download
28. Dionne Warwick - "Walk On By" (1964)
For some listeners, the elegant production of Dionne Warwick's performance of "Walk On By" hides the devastating heartbreak in the song's lyrics. However, that is one of the points of the song. The former lover does not deserve to see the heartbreak. The song became Dionne Warwick's biggest hit of her career so far peaking at #6. It has been re-recorded numerous times by artists as diverse as punk band The Stranglers and soul legend Isaac Hayes.
Watch Video
Purchase / Download
27. Diana Ross - "Touch Me In the Morning" (1973)
Co-songwriter and producer Michael Masser says that Diana Ross pushed very hard in the studio to come up with exactly the right emotional tone for this breakup song. He says it was a very intense experience. The effort paid off in a #1 hit and one of Diana Ross' signature songs.
Watch Video
Purchase / Download
26. Bonnie Raitt - "I Can't Make You Love Me" (1991)
Nashville songwriters Mike Reid and Allan Shamblin took more than six months to write the aching ballad. Bonnie Raitt recorded it for her album Luck of the Draw with piano support from Bruce Hornsby. "I Can't Make You Love Me" became a top 20 pop hit. George Michael, Boyz II Men, and Adele have all recorded notable cover versions.
Watch Video
Purchase / Download