Top 20 Best Breakup Songs

Going through a breakup is never easy, and it will never be, especially if you have invested a lot in the person and expected them to stay in your life forever. At times, breakup songs can be a good support in helping you cope with feelings of pain and loss. 

You might still check if there are signs they’ll come back. That’s okay. You’re not a weak person for asking questions to yourself or feeling bad as you try to go through this situation. 

1. Since You Been Gone, Kelly Clarkson

This breakup song is about a girl who feels better after ending the relationship. She’s finally moving on. The relationship didn’t make her feel like there was no room to breathe. But, after the breakup, she feels she can be herself again.

She’s coming out of a relationship and finally feels like she can breathe. Just be herself for the first time. She’s happy a weight has been lifted. She’s not sad or bitter, though, but glad to have been through the experience, and it has made her stronger.

The breakup song lyrics go like this: But I can breathe for the first time since you have been gone. I’m so moving on, yeah, yeah. Thanks to you. Now I get what I want. Since you been gone

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2004
• Won some awards: Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
• Other interesting facts: It was able to enter Billboard Hot 100 at number 70 on the week of December 18, 2004

2. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Taylor Swift

This is one of Taylor Swift’s breakup songs. She pointed out that she doesn’t want to get back to her ex ever. It might be because she experienced something traumatizing with the person. She said she’s tired of being in a relationship and breaking up again in the lyrics. 

In the song, the guy was the one who initiated the breakup and said he wanted some space. However, the real reason was the guy wanted to go out, be alone, and be free to talk to other girls. You can see it in these lyrics: I remember when we broke up, the first time saying, “this is it, I’ve had enough.” ‘Cause like, we hadn’t seen each other in a month, when you said you needed space (what?).

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2012
• Won some awards: Teen Choice Award for Choice Country Song
• Other interesting facts: It entered Billboard Hot 100 at number 72 on the week ending August 25, 2012.

3. Don’t Speak, No Doubt

Another breakup song where the singer said she knew what they had was, but it also felt like it wouldn’t last. So she doesn’t want the person to explain anymore because it will hurt her more. The song shows how emotional someone can be when undergoing that state where you feel like you’re drifting with the other person. 

Here are some lyrics from the song showing this. I can’t believe this could be the end. It looks as though you’re lettin’ go. And if it’s real, well, I don’t want to know. Don’t speak, I know just what you’re sayin’ so please stop explainin.

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 1995
• Won some awards: MTV Video Music Award for Best Group
• Other interesting facts: It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

4. Before He Cheats, Carrie Underwood

This breakup song is about revenge. When someone cheats on you, you want to make them feel the same hurt that you’ve experienced. This girl wanted to smash the guy’s car to give him the pain she felt when he cheated on her. You can feel the anger from the song. 

Here are the lyrics showing what the girl felt: I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive. Carved my name into his leather seats. I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights. I slashed a hole in all four tires. Maybe next time he’ll think before he cheats.

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2005
• Won some awards: Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance
• Other interesting facts: The song appeared on the charts in February 2006.

5. Un-Break my Heart, Toni Braxton

In this breakup song, the person was undergoing a very rough heartbreak. She’s feeling so much pain, and she wants the other person to come back and undo what he did. So she tried to beg him and give him the chance to take the pain he caused. 

This is an emotional song, and you can check it in the lyrics: Un-break my heart. Say you’ll love me again. Undo this hurt you caused. When you walked out the door and walked out of my life.

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 1996
• Won some awards: Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
• Other interesting facts: It was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 11 weeks. It was from December 7, 1996, to the week of February 15, 1997.

6. Somebody that I Used to Know, Gotye

This song is about a guy who didn’t want to accept that he made the wrong decision of letting go of the girl he loves. However, it was indicated in the song that during the relationship, he felt lonely and uncertain. 

Here are some lyrics showing what he felt: But you didn’t have to cut me off. Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing. And I don’t even need your love. But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough.

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2011
• Won some awards: Grammy Award for Record of the Year
• Other interesting facts: It appeared on the ARIA Singles Chart as number 27.

7. End of the Road, Boyz II Men

This breakup song is about someone who got dumped by the person they loved. The song also hinted that his partner saw another guy while they were together. Although he experienced this, he is somehow trying to let the other person know that he wants her to return. 

It can be observed in these lyrics: When you just hurt me and just ran out with that other fella. Baby I knew about it. I just didn’t care. You just don’t understand how much I love. Do you?

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2011
• Won some awards: Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
• Other interesting facts: It appeared at number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 18, 1992. Afterward, it jumped to number 30 the following week.

8. Stay, Rihanna

The song is all about a dysfunctional relationship and wanting to end it because there was no certainty. The person wanted to stay with their partner but got tired of all the uncertainties in the relationship. However, she also wanted him to stay because she felt she couldn’t live without him. 

You can see the lyrics here: Ooh, the reason I hold on. Ooh, ’cause I need this hole gone. Well, funny, you’re the broken one. But I’m the only one who needed saving. ‘Cause when you never see the light. It’s hard to know which one of us is caving.

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2013
• Won some awards: Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
• Other interesting facts: The song won song of the year in iHeartRadio Music Awards in 2014.

9. Wrecking Ball, Miley Cyrus

Millennials today could say that this is one of the best breakup songs. The song shows a person who’s highly emotional and unstable. It felt like she had a lot of expectations, but it was also the reason she got hurt more. But, at the same time, she was putting in more effort than the other person. 

She wanted to feel that they were on the same page, but it was never the case. You can check the lyrics here: I came in like a wrecking ball. I never hit so hard in love. All I wanted was to break your walls. All you ever did was wreck me. Yeah, you, you wreck me.

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2013
• Won some awards: MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year,
• Other interesting facts: Miley performed this first at iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on September 21, 2013.

10. Shoutout to my Ex, Little Mix

This song is about someone who wants to feel stronger than the breakups that have happened to them. So she chooses to be stronger, and she wants to feel more powerful. Moreover, she wanted to thank the guy because that allowed her to become a better person. 

This is one of the empowering breakup songs because of the person’s attitude portrayed. The lyrics go like this: Shout out to my ex, you’re quite the man. You made my heart break and that made me who I am. Here’s to my ex, hey, look at me now. Well, I, I’m all the way up. I swear you’ll never bring me down.

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2016
• Won some awards: Brit Award for British Single with Mastercard
• Other interesting facts: The music video for the song was shot at the Tabernas Desert in Almería, Spain. 

11. It Must Have Been Love, Roxette

In this song they talk about a romantic relationship that ended even though it started with feeling the love. The person reflected on what happened in the relationship and the fact that it had already ended. Some lyrics of the song are: It must have been love. But it’s over now. It must have been good. But I lost it somehow.

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 1986
• Won some awards: None
• Other interesting facts: The original title of the song was  “It Must Have Been Love (Christmas for the Broken Hearted).”

12. Thank U Next, Ariana Grande

In this breakup song, the person reminisced about her relationships while giving them messages one by one. She didn’t feel any resentment, but she thanked them because she learned something from each. She also mentioned that she’s ready to move on to the next relationship. 

You can see it in the lyrics: One taught me to love. One taught me patience. And one taught me pain. Now, I’m so amazing. Say I’ve loved and I’ve lost. But that’s not what I see. So, look what I got. Look at what you taught me. And for that, I say thank you, next (next).

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2019
• Won some awards: Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Song 2019
• Other interesting facts: On November 5, 2018, the song broke the record for the most streams received by a song in a single day by a female artist on Spotify. 

13. New Rules, Dua Lipa

This is a song by English singer and songwriter Dua Lipa. The lyrics are primarily about distancing oneself from a former lover. The singer wanted to set rules for herself to no longer stay with someone not good for her. The lyrics go like this: One: Don’t pick up the phone. You know he’s only callin’ ’cause he’s drunk and alone

Two: Don’t let him in. You have to kick him out again. Three: Don’t be his friend. You know you’re gonna wake up in his bed in the mornin’

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2018
• Won some awards: Radio Disney Music Award for Best Song To Lip Sync To
• Other interesting facts: in the United Kingdom, “New Rules” debuted at number 75 on the UK Singles Chart issue dated 14 July 2017.

14. Apologize, Timbaland

The song is all about someone who has loved the person with all they got, but that person just hurt them. Apologizing is already too late. The person felt that the love they gave was just put to waste, and nothing could fix that anymore. 

So the lyrics go like this: That it’s too late to apologize, it’s too late. I said it’s too late to apologize, it’s too late. Too late, oh I’d take another chance, take a fall Take a shot for you.

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2007
• Won some awards: None
• Other interesting facts: The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for four non-consecutive weeks.

15. When I Was Your Man, Bruno Mars

This breakup song was about a man regretting that he couldn’t love the woman he was with before. He regrets that he has taken her for granted, which caused the relationship to fall off. 

You can see that in the lyrics here: My pride, my ego, my needs, and my selfish ways caused a good strong woman like you to walk out my life. Now I never, never get to clean up the mess I made, oh and that haunts me every time I close my eyes.

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2012
• Won some awards: Premio Juventud for Favorite Hit – Music
• Other interesting facts: The song’s first performance was during season three of the finale of US The Voice.

16. Take A Bow, Rihanna

This song is all about her thanking the person he had a relationship with for the chance to know what true colors were. She learned that this person would just hurt her. The partner somehow wanted to go back to her, but she didn’t want to forgive him anymore. He cheated and didn’t want to do anything with him anymore. 

The lyrics say: And don’t tell me you’re sorry ’cause you’re not. Baby, when I know you’re only sorry you got caught. But you put on quite a show. You had me goin’, but now it’s time to go curtain’s finally closin’.

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2007
• Won some awards: None
• Other interesting facts: The song went from number 53 to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart last May 14, 2008.

17. Too Good at Goodbyes, Sam Smith

This is a breakup song where the person just feels get used to being dumped by his partners, and he has just been brokenhearted several times already. You can look at the lyrics here: But every time you hurt me, the less that I cry. And every time you leave me, the quicker these tears dry. And every time you walk out, the less I love you. Baby, we don’t stand a chance, it’s sad, but it’s true.

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2017
• Won some awards: None
• Other interesting facts: As indicated on the US Billboard Hot 100 UK Singles Chart, the song peaked at number four and was also successful in other countries. 

18. Cry Me A River, Justin Timberlake

This breakup song expresses the person’s distress because he just found out that his girlfriend is cheating on him. What made him angrier was he found it from another person. The person was so mad that he just wanted his ex to feel the same pain he needed to endure.  The lyrics go like this: You don’t have to say, what you did. I already know, I found out from him. Now there’s just no chance with you and me. There’ll never be. Don’t it make you sad about it?

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2002
• Won some awards: Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, 2004
• Other interesting facts: This was produced by Timbaland, who’s part of the One Republic.

19. Irreplaceable, Beyonce

The breakup song was all about a woman trying to be convinced by her ex to take him back and that it was a wrong decision that they broke up. He made her feel that she’d not find anyone like him. But the girl doesn’t want to think that way anymore and doesn’t ever want to get back with this guy. So the lyrics go like this: standing in the front yard telling me how I’m such a fool, talking about how I’ll never find a man like you. You got me twisted. 

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2006
• Won some awards: Best R&B/Soul Single at the 2007 Soul Train Music Awards.
• Other interesting facts: There is a Spanish version of the song. 

20. Bust The Windows Out Your Car, Jazmine Sullivan

This song is emotionally filled with pain because of being cheated on. That’s why she wanted to get even by busting the windows of his car so that he could also feel the pain she felt. The lyrics go like this: You see, you can’t just play with people’s feelings. Tell them you love them and don’t mean it. You’ll probably say that it was juvenile. But I think that I deserve to smile.

Interesting Facts About the Song

You can check out some fascinating facts about the song below.

• Year released: 2008
• Won some awards: None
• Other interesting facts: The song was number 58 on Rolling Stone’s 
• “Bust Your Windows” was number 58 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008.

Sometimes you just need to hear empowering breakup songs to make you feel stronger and go through the waves of breakup emotions. It is tough when you’re trying to look for signs your ex will eventually come back, but they don’t. It feels like you’re back to square one. The critical thing is healthily dealing with your emotions through a song or keeping yourself busy.