110 Best Breakup Songs to Get You Through Heartbreak
Going through a breakup? There's a song lyric for that. 💔
If falling in love is one of life's best feelings, there isn't much that's more painful than a broken heart. You can't hurry the healing—it takes time to get over lost love—but there are some tried and true things you can do to feel a little bit better in the meantime. Number one on the list? Cueing up the best breakup songs. Sure, inviting your squad over for ice cream, a sad movie marathon, and a good cry sesh helps. But nothing beats listening to music about busted romances. And that's true whether it's a weeper like Sinéad O'Connor's "Nothing Compares to U," or an absolute rager, like Alanis Morissette's anthem, "You Oughta Know."
Of course, sometimes it feels like country music has almost cornered the market on brill breakup songs, which is why we've included plenty on our list, from classic tunes about cheaters (Shania Twain's "Whose bed have your boots been under?") to raw, emotional new hits ("Leave Me Too," by Josh Ross). So whether you just need to let it all out with a good, hard sob, or you are feeling a bit more, shall we say, salty about the whole thing, you'll find the right theme music below. Pick your favs, make a playlist, and settle in with Taylor, Miley, and Kelly. They've got the cure for what ails you!
"Flowers" by Miley Cyrus
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"We were good, we were gold / Kinda dream that can't be sold / We were right 'til we weren't / Built a home and watched it burn."
"It's Too Late" by Carol King
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"There'll be good times again for me and you / But we just can't stay together, don't you feel it, too? / Still I'm glad for what we had and how I once loved you."
"Picture" by Kid Rock, featuring Sheryl Crow
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"I put your picture away / Sat down and cried today / I can't look at you while I'm lying next to her."
"Lost the Breakup" by Maisie Peters
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"So, I'm feeling and I'm dealing / With the heart you broke / While you do press-ups and repress us / And take off her clothes, oh / Here's something if nothing else is true / I'm the best thing that almost happened to you."
"Cuts Like a Knife" by Bryan Adams
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"I took it all for granted / But how was I to know/ That you'd be letting go."
"Don't Wanna Lose You Now" by Gloria Estefan
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"I don't wanna lose you now / We're gonna get through somehow / I don't want to loose you now or ever."
"Shout Out to My Ex" by Little Mix
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"Oh, I deleted all your pics / Then blocked your number from my phone, mm / Yeah, yeah, you took all you could get / But you ain't gettin' this love no more."
"What It Takes" by Aerosmith
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"Tell me that you're happy that you're on your own / Tell me that it's better when you're all alone / Tell me that your body doesn't miss my touch / Tell me that my lovin' didn't mean that much / Tell me you ain't dyin' when you're cryin' for me."
"No Air" by Jordin Sparks, featuring Chris Brown
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"But how do you expect me / To live alone with just me? / 'Cause my world revolves around you / It's so hard for me to breathe."
"Glimpse of Us" by Joji
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"'Cause sometimes I look in her eyes, and that's where I find a glimpse of us / And I try to fall for her touch, but I'm thinking of the way it was / Said, 'I'm fine' and said, 'I moved on' / I'm only here passing time in her arms / Hoping I'll find a glimpse of us."
"Please Don't Go Girl" by New Kids on the Block
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"Girl, you're my best friend / Girl, you're my love within / I just want you to know / That I will always love you."
"End of the Road" by Boyz II Men
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"When I can't sleep at night / Without holding you tight / Girl, each time I try / I just break down and cry."
"Wish You the Best" by Lewis Capaldi
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"Wish I could say it's somethin' I really mean / But I want you happy whether or not it's with me / I wanna say, 'I wish that you never left' / Oh, but instead, I only wish you the best."
"I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"Don't you dare walk away from me / I have nothing / If I don't have you."
"Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"You were my sun / You were my earth / But you didn't know all the ways I loved you."
"Leave Me Too" by Josh Ross
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"If I could go back / I'll swear to God, I'd do it different than that / Turns out your mama was right, yeah, you can do better / And it's gonna haunt me forever."
"Before He Cheats" by Carrie Underwood
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"I might've saved a little trouble for the next girl / 'Cause the next time that he cheats / Oh, you know it won't be on me."
"Foolish Beat" by Debbie Gibson
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
"And when we said goodbye / Oh, the look in your eyes / Just left me beside myself without your heart / I could never love again now that we're apart."
"Wasted on You" by Morgan Wallen
Most Heartbreaking Lyrics:
Looks like I'm learnin' the hard way again / It's all my fault, yeah, I dropped the ball / You're gone, and I'm gone three sheets to the wind / Thinkin' 'bout all."
"You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette
"'Cause the love that you gave that we made / Wasn't able to make it enough for you / To be open wide, no. / And every time you speak her name / Does she know how you told me / You'd hold me until you died."
Jill Gleeson is a travel journalist and memoirist based in the Appalachian Mountains of western Pennsylvania who has written for websites and publications including Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Country Living, Washingtonian, Gothamist, Canadian Traveller, and EDGE Media Network. Jill is the travel editor for Enchanted Living. Learn more about her journey at gleesonreboots.com.
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