In the aftermath of a breakup, sometimes the only thing there is to do is cry your eyes out in the car to a soundtrack of breakup songs. (Singing along at the top of your lungs helps, too. It’s scientifically proven.)
Trust us, we get it. The heart wants what it wants, and sometimes, it just wants to feel with some help from a vault of sad breakup songs. You know that you’ll ultimately heal and move past your heart break, even if you can’t currently picture what the other side of your breakup looks like. But all that chin-up talk can be saved for another day. Right now, you’re in your feelings, and a playlist of heartbreak songs might be the only medicine.
Like heartbreak itself, the best breakup songs hit on the full spectrum of human emotions, from grief, fear, and loneliness to denial, anger, and — once things have gotten a little lighter — release. Even joy. (There are, after all, no shortage of happy breakup songs out there.) For this exact moment, though, heartbreak songs that let you lean into your sadness are in order.
That’s why we’ve put together a breakup playlist that’ll speak straight to your splintered heart. (We’ve also thrown in a few kiss-off tracks, for good measure.) Round up some tissues before hitting play on these and surrounding yourself with breakup song lyrics, and please, don’t text your ex. You’ll regret it.
1. “When You’re Gone,” Shawn Mendes (2022)
It’s a classic tale of regret, and the opening lyrics will get you right in the chest: “You never know how good you have it, oh-oh Until you’re staring at a picture of the only girl that matters, ah.” We’ve all been there.
2. “I Will Survive,” Gloria Gaynor (1978)
This song may be the ultimate pump-up song, breakup or no breakup. Having a bad day at work? Need some hype for a big test? This song will help. Versatility aside, it is a song about pulling yourself out of heartache at its core. Add it to your list of potential breakup songs.
3. “Love Sux,” Avril Lavigne (2022)
It’s hard to fit the full portfolio of emotions that come right before setting on the decision to break up. Avril Lavigne puts it into words — the indecision, the insecurities, the depression of knowing something big and sad is ahead. Prepare to shed a few tears.
4. “Watercolor Eyes,” Lana del Ray (2022)
Where lots of break-ups songs cover the feelings of knowing something is completely over, Lana del Ray dives into the grey area of a relationship: the back-and-forth of an on-again, off-again love. It’s the ache of wanting to be with someone and knowing it’s not totally right, in a single song.
5. “Since U Been Gone,” Kelly Clarkson (2004)
Since it hit the radio, this song has been the go-to anthem of many post-breakup situations. It’s the relief of being free from a relationship, it’s the power of the lesson learned, and it’s the confidence of knowing that whoever you’re splitting from really missed out on something good. We love Kelly for this one.
6. “End of the Road,” Boyz II Men (1991)
A hit off the band’s Cooleyhighharmony album, “End of the Road” is a ballad attempt to regain a lost love. While the lyrics can get quite intense (“You belong to me I belong to you. Although we’ve come to the end of the road, still I can’t let go. It’s unnatural. You belong to me, I belong to you”), it’s feeling that you just can’t pull yourself out of someone’s orbit in song form.
7. “Used to Know Me,” Charli XCX (2022)
This song is Charli XCX celebrating the end of a relationship with a former partner. She perfectly captures the feeling of someone not completely understanding who you are. These lyrics say it all: “You say I’m turning evi. /I’ll say I’m finally pure. Shine bright in my reflection. Think I lost myself before.”
8. “Love of My Life,” Jennifer Lopez (2022)
The whole vibe of this song from love ballad queen Jennifer Lopez is “I have had enough.” And by enough, we mean the search for someone to complete you. This song tackles the important of being your own “love of your life,” even if you’re still looking fro someone to be by your side.
9. “Good 4 U,” Olivia Rodrigo (2021)
This song is full of hidden references, from the nods to breakup-revenge films like Jennifer’s Body to setting the bedroom of a teenage boy we can only assume to be her ex in the song’s music video. It’s angry, it’s fantastical, and it’s therapuetic.
10. “Cry Me a River,” Justin Timberlake (2002)
Many believe this song was written in reference to the singer’s relationship with fellow performing artist Britney Spears. It was a time when relationships among singer-songwriters were beloved storylines and the breakups were not only heard, but felt, by listeners.
11. “Thinkin Bout You,” Frank Ocean (2012)
The “woulda, coulda, shoulda” vibes are strong in this sexy ballad from Frank Ocean. The song bounces between defending feelings, shedding tears, and asking “Do you think about me still? Do ya, do ya?” It’s a tornado of emotions, the kind of song you listen to at night when you just need to cry it out a bit.
12. “Call Out My Name,” The Weeknd (2018)
This one is all about someone who helped a love interest rise up out of a nasty breakup. Sounds promising, right? It is when they start dating… and then it isn’t when she falls out of love.
13. “You’re So Vain,” Carly Simon (1972)
We all have someone in our journal we could dedicate this song to.
14. “Gives You Hell,” The All-American Rejects (2008)
While this song could be applied to anyone you feel less-than-favorably about, its high-energy beat plants it firmly in the breakup anthem territory.
15. “Forget You,” Ceelo Green (2010)
Ceelo Green goes all in on the feeling of losing someone you love to another person. Even if that person may be what he calls a gold digger, that doesn’t mean the feelings can’t be complicated. It’s a song for anyone you wish you could forget about.
16. “Heartbeats,”José González (2003)
The lyrics of this song doesn’t necessarily spell out heartbreak — it’s more so the soulful crooning José González offers up. “Ten days of perfect hues. The colors red and blue. We had a promise, babe. We were in love”; it’s the simple addition of past tense that will get you all in your feelings.
17. “I’m Goin’ Down,” Mary J. Blige (1994)
If we had to tie a post-breakup period to this song, it would be the hazy, confused days immediately following a split. The lyrics play out a person begging for a reason — and that’s something we can all relate to.
18. “Dancing On My Own,” Robyn (2010)
Not only is this one of the catchiest broken-heart songs we’ve ever heard, but it’s aged incredibly well. Sometimes a night of dancing is what you need to break out of a funk, even if “I’m giving it my all, but I’m not the girl you’re taking home.”
19. “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” The Cure (1980)
This throwback solidified some of the most agonizing lyrics for lost love: Why is the bedroom so cold? You’ve turned away on your side. Is my timing that flawed? Our respect runs so dry. Yet there’s still this appeal that we’ve kept through our lives.”
20. “I Fall to Pieces,” Patsy Cline (1961)
You ever find seeing someone you used to love the equivalent of re-opening a painful wound? So did Patsy Cline. “You want me to act like we’ve never kissed? You want me to forget (to forget)? Pretend we’ve never met (never met)? And I’ve tried and I’ve tried, but I haven’t yet. You walk by and I fall to pieces.”
21. “Maps,” Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2003)
The haunting chorus — “Wait, they don’t love you like I love you” — will haunt you as you navigate seeing an old flame ignite a new relationship.
22. “New Rules,” Dua Lipa (2017)
We’ve all been there: Letting someone step back in (again and again) after making the decision to part ways. In this song, Dua Lipa sets up a new system for kicking someone out of her life: “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’ll 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’. And if you’re under him, you ain’t gettin’ over him.”
23. “Stay,” by Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko (2012)
Rihanna may release club hit after club hit, but she really shines in her more vulnerable moments, like this pleading love song that is guaranteed to wreck even the strongest heart.
24. “Someone Like You,” by Adele (2011)
No list of sad love songs would be complete without the queen of heartbreak ballads: the one and only Adele. Adele wrote this song about the end of her first “real” relationship, after which her ex got engaged, and it captures the pain of seeing a former love move on perfectly.
25. “Stay With Me,” by Sam Smith (2014)
British singer Sam Smith gives Adele a run for her money in the sad love songs department, and that’s really saying something.
26. “Best Thing I Never Had,” by Beyoncé (2011)
This breakup ballad ultimately leaves you feeling empowered and ready to move on with the fierceness and dignity that only Queen Bey can inspire.
27. “Take Care,” by Drake & Rihanna (2011)
When Drake and Rihanna team up, magic happens. “Take Care” is one of their best duets because we can all identify with its lyrics about loving someone through their personal pain.
28. “Stormy Weather,” Etta James (1960)
Written in 1933, this heartbreak anthem was first performed by boundary-breaking actress and singer Ethel Waters in a Harlem jazz club. It’s been recorded by a truly enormous number of artists since then, from Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra to Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, but we have a special spot for Etta’s version.
29. “Love You Goodbye,” by One Direction (2015)
Perhaps it’s because it was released shortly before One Direction’s “hiatus,” but “Love You Goodbye” still makes us cry.
30. “I Will Always Love You,” by Whitney Houston (1992)
Dolly Parton wrote this legendary love song about her soon-to-end (professional) relationship with musical partner Porter Wagoner. But it was Whitney Houston who made it very, very, very famous. It’s one of the most emotional, powerful heartbreak songs of all time, with breakup song lyrics that are both simple and gut-punching.
31. “Somebody That I Used to Know,” by Gotye & Kimbra (2011)
Gotye and Kimbra’s duet was *everywhere* a few years ago — probably because so many people identified with its lyrics about failing to recognize the person you fell in love with.
32. “We Don’t Talk Anymore,” by Charlie Puth and Selena Gomez (2016)
“Even after all this time/I still wonder why I can’t move on/the way you did so easily,” Charlie sings, stabbing us in the heart every time.
33. “Talia,” King Princess (2018)
Queer icon King Princess is credited as having written a quintessential heartbreak song with “Talia,” which she wrote to recover from a breakup herself. (Fun fact: Amandla Stenberg worked on the music video, and the two briefly dated that year.)
34. “Wrecking Ball,” by Miley Cyrus (2013)
Miley knows a thing or two about how to get over heartbreak, starting with not trying to gloss over the pain. The sweeping breakup ballad “Wrecking Ball” is her masterpiece, and she’s crying real tears in the video. (We know we are when listening.)
35. “Don’t Speak,” by No Doubt (1995)
No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak” is arguably the best pop song of the ‘90s, and for good reason. It’s a pretty perfect breakup ballad, and Gwen Stefani’s lyrics, based on her real-life split with bassist Tony Kanal, perfectly encapsulate the heartbreak of letting go.
36. “Losing You,” Solange (2012)
Oftentimes, the period just before a breakup can be more heartbreaking than the main event, full as it is of doubt, suspicion and heartache at growing apart. Solange captures that mix of feelings well with lyrics like: “I don’t know why I fight it, clearly we are through. Tell me the truth boy, am I losing you for good.”
37. “Visions of Gideon,” Sufjan Stevens (2017)
For when you need to make like a brokenhearted Elio in Call Me By Your Name and, ideally, sob in front of a roaring fire.
38. “Hard Feelings / Loveless,” Lorde (2017)
After breaking up with longtime partner James Lowe, Lorde gave us the album Melodrama, and this track captures everything from the first painful moments of realizing you’re falling out of love to finding the coldness that, for better or worse, can help you move on.
39. “Ex-Factor,” Lauryn Hill (1998)
From her (flawless) “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” album, this song perfectly sums up that ex who just won’t let you move on, putting you through heartbreak again and again.
40. “Say Something,” by A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera (2014)
This slow burning, pleading ballad featuring the golden voice of Christina Aguilera is about how powerless you can feel in a dying relationship. Did it break your heart when you first heard it? Honestly, we’re still recovering.
41. “Always Be My Baby,” Mariah Carey (1995)
For when you know a relationship is over — for now — but that, as Carey sings, “time can’t erase a feeling this strong.”
42. “All Too Well,” by Taylor Swift (2012)
Taylor Swift breakup songs belong in a category of their own. After Swift dropped the 10-minute “All Too Well” short film accompanying the rerelease of this track on Red (Taylor’s Version), the world pretty much became one giant, weepy puddle.
43. “It Must Have Been Love,” by Roxette (1980)
From Pretty Woman, this song still gives us all the feels.
44. “Hallelujah,” Jeff Buckley (1994)
“Love is not a victory march, it’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah.” We mean, woof. The way this song speaks to love’s futility kind of destroys us. Although it’s Leonard Cohen who wrote this all-time classic ballad in 1984, there’s something extra haunting about Buckley’s version.
45. “Shake It Out,” by Florence + The Machine (2011)
The pain and the regret are raw and real as Florence belts out, “I’ve been a fool and I’ve been blind. I can never leave the past behind. I can see no way.”
46. “Landslide,” Fleetwood Mac (1975)
When you’re feeling, more than anything, sad and wistful about what you’ve lost and how people can change, let Stevie speak straight to you with lyrics like: “Well I’ve been afraid of changing ‘cause I’ve built my life around you. But time makes you bolder, even children get older, and I’m getting older too.”
47. “Space Cowboy,” Kacey Musgraves (2018)
Because sometimes, when a horse wants to run, there ain’t no sense in closing the gate.
48. “She’s Got You,” Patsy Cline (1962)
When someone you loved moves on before you do, leave it to Patsy to perfect that gut-punching feeling decades before Adele was doing it.
49. “For the First Time,” by The Script (2010)
Brimming with breakup vibes, this pop-rock hit perfectly captures the moments leading up to a breakup: “She’s all laid up in bed with a broken heart while I’m drinking Jack all alone in my local bar and we don’t know how we got into this mad situation, only doing things out of frustration.”
50. “Fix You,” by Coldplay (2005)
Stuck in reverse? Lights will guide you home, and you can cry your eyes out as this song plays on repeat.
51. “So Long, Marianne,” Leonard Cohen (1967)
Cohen wrote this song about Marianne Ihlen, his girlfriend and muse throughout the 1960s, while living in New York’s Chelsea Hotel. Bittersweet, it’s among the best, most time-honored songs about breaking up with someone you still love.
52. “Love is a Losing Game,” Amy Winehouse (2006)
There are times in life when we all need to throw ourselves (and our love lives) a pity party, and Winehouse’s mournfully sung ballad about the futility of love is probably that party’s perfect soundtrack.
53. “Running Low,” by Shawn Mendes (2015)
This Shawn Mendes breakup ballad is about the slow decline of a relationship due to days on the road, and Shawn’s gorgeous voice only makes it more painfully beautiful.
54. “You Were Meant For Me,” Jewel (1995)
“I got my eggs, I got my pancakes too, I got my maple syrup, everything but you.” Only a broken heart (and mid-90s Jewel) could make a pancake breakfast sound so dismal.
55. “Dreaming with a Broken Heart,” by John Mayer (2006)
This one cuts deep: “You roll out of a bed, and down on your knees, and for a moment you can hardly breathe.” Yep, John. That’s exactly what the absolute worst breakups feel like at first.
56. “It Ain’t Me,” by Kygo with Selena Gomez (2017)
When you’re ready to move on, press play on this Kygo hit. Boyce Avenue also does a breathtaking acoustic cover with Sarah Hyland that’s also worth checking out.
57. “How to Save a Life,” by The Fray (2005)
No good conversation ever starts with “we need to talk.” This beautiful piano anthem plays homage to the moment he goes left and she goes right.
58. “Let It Go,” by James Bay (2015)
Slow and chilling, Bay’s crystal voice will have you reaching for your tissues in no time. Cry it out, girl. Let it go.
59. “Girl From the North Country,” Bob Dylan (1963)
Dylan wrote this song about on-and-off-again girlfriend and artist Suze Rotolo, who he’d traveled to Italy to search for after the two split. Unable to find Rotolo — she had, unbeknownst to him, already left for the United States — Dylan finished writing this, and lyrics like “she was once a true love of mine” make it one of the best heartbreak songs in his repertoire.
60. “Irreplaceable,” by Beyoncé (2006)
If ever there was a breakup anthem that will make you happy it’s over, this is it.
61. “Gonna Hurry (as Slow as I Can),” Dolly Parton (2009)
Though a lot of people would list “Jolene” as the Dolly song that best speaks to a love’s impending end, this newer track is a close runner up. For anyone who’s ever dragged out a doomed relationship’s last breaths, you’ll recognize its mood.
62. “Exhale,” by Whitney Houston (1995)
Sometimes it’s wrong, sometimes it’s right. For the times it’s wrong, just exhale with Whitney.
63. “Torn,” Natalie Imbruglia (1997)
Bad breakups really do leave you feeling out of faith and, well, torn. This song perfectly captures the feeling of realizing something (and someone) you’d believed in is little more than an illusion, and may we recommend Imbruglia’s acoustic cover, off MTV Unplugged, for an extra side of angst.
64. “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” by Bonnie Tyler (1983)
Every now and then, we all fall apart.
65. “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever,” by Zayn Malik and Taylor Swift (2017)
Wishing they’d call? Losing hope? Can’t sleep? Feeling like the world is cruel? This is your jam.
66. “Skinny Love,” by Bon Iver (2007)
This breakup song captures that moment where your love is withering, your bond is weak, and things are just a mess.
67. “Not Over You,” by Gavin DeGraw (2011)
If you’re the opposite of fine, and the harsh reality is you’re not over it, take comfort in this song that proves you’re not the only one who feels this way.
68. “Let Her Go,” by Passenger (2012)
Passenger perfectly captures the unique emptiness that a breakup feels like: “Only know you’ve been high when you’re feeling low, only hate the road when you’re missing home, only know your love her when you let her go.”
69. “When Can I See You Again,” by Babyface (1993)
Wondering if you’ll ever get over it? You will. But in the meantime, you’ve got the sweet stylings of the one and only Babyface.
70. “Leave (Get Out),” by D-Money and JoJo (2009)
With angst and attitude, JoJo almost makes you happy it’s over: “Get out, right now, it’s the end of you and me. It’s too late and I can’t wait for you to be gone. ‘Cuz I know about her and I wonder how I bought all the lies. You said that you would treat me right, but you were just a waste of time.”
71. “Bring It On Home to Me,” Sam Cooke (1975)
Like this track, Cooke’s “I’ll Come Running Back to You” similarly sums up the feeling of not caring how it looks — you just want someone back.
72. “Since U Been Gone,” by Kelly Clarkson (2004)
This song is meant to be blasted as you sing/cry/scream it out.
73. “Big Girls Cry,” by Sia (2014)
When your heart’s breaking, you cry. We all do. There’s no shame in it.
74. “I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes),” Chet Baker (1956)
Composed in 1939 and later popularized by Baker, this track has spent decade after decade on lists of the saddest breakup songs and has been recorded by everyone from Billie Holiday and Nina Simone to Carly Simon.
75. “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved,” by The Script (2008)
Feeling lonely? Missing the beautiful beginning of the relationship, long before it all went awry? If you’re finding it hard to move on, this is your soundtrack.
76. “Love Me Now,” by John Legend (2016)
When everything is falling apart and you don’t want to acknowledge it, that’s the time to press play on this hit: “I know this will kill me when it’s over. I don’t want to think about it. I just want you to love me now.”
77. “Angie,” The Rolling Stones (1973)
There are mixed theories about who the “Angie” at the center of this Stones’ song is; David Bowie’s then-wife Angela is among the more popular guesses. Regardless of who inspired it, it remains a classic among heartbreak songs for a reason, with lyrics like “You can’t say we never tried… all the dreams were held so close, seemed to all go up in smoke.”
78. “Cups (Pitch Perfect’s ‘When I’m Gone’)”, by Anna Kendrick
Like the lyrics say … he’s gonna miss you when you’re gone.
79. “It’s Too Late,” by Carole King (1971)
Carole King wrote this Grammy-winning breakup song in a single day after her relationship with James Taylor ended. The ’70s lyrics still apply today: “It’s too late, baby now, it’s too late. Though we really did try to make it. Somethin’ inside has died, and I can’t hide and I just can’t fake it.”
80. “Water Runs Dry,” by Boyz II Men (2009)
There’s the classic R&B version, and there’s also a stripped down, acoustic rendition from Boyce Avenue. Either way, this will give you chills.
81. “New York,” St. Vincent (2017)
Annie Clark, known by her stage name St. Vincent, wrote this song not just as a eulogy for a relationship; it’s also a eulogy for the era, and the city, that the relationship existed in. And during a breakup, that’s often what we’re really mourning — not just the end of the love itself, but an end to the world that you and this person built together.
82. “The Heart Wants What It Wants,” Selena Gomez (2014)
This emotional ballad describing an on-and-off-again relationship you can’t let go of definitely wasn’t about Jelena, of course.
83. “We Belong Together,” by Mariah Carey (2006)
“We Belong Together” is Mariah’s sixteenth No. 1 hit, and it’s no wonder: the pain is real and raw in this anthem, made all the better by her angel voice.
84. “It Ain’t Me Babe,” by Bob Dylan (1964)
Throw it back with this quintessential ’60s hit: “Go away from my window, leave at your own chosen speed. I’m not the one you want, babe. I’m not the one you need.”
85. “Heartless,” by Kanye West (2008)
This will end up on repeat when you’re in the post-breakup anger phase: “They say that they don’t see what you see in me. You wait a couple months then you gon’ see. You’ll never find nobody better than me.”
86. “Drive,” Miley Cyrus (2013)
Miley wrote this song on Valentine’s Day about soon-to-be ex (then spouse, then ex again) Liam Hemsworth. Afterward, she told FASHION Magazine: “Emotionally it was such a hard time. It is about needing to leave someone but not really wanting to completely cut yourself off from the relationship. It’s a time when you want to leave but you can’t. It’s also about moving on.”
87. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” by Taylor Swift (2012)
If you’ve had enough of the endless merry-go-round of breaking up and getting back together, and now you’re ready to break up for good — this song is for you.
88. “Love the Way You Lie,” by Eminem featuring Rihanna (2010)
Anger means sadness in this unforgettable collaboration.
89. “Why Don’t You Love Me,” by Beyoncé (2008)
Feeling underappreciated? Angry? Or just plain confused as to why your crush isn’t feeling you? Beyoncé is singing your song: “Tell me baby, why don’t you need me? When I make me so damn easy to need. I got beauty, I got class, I got style, I got … And you don’t even care to care.”
90. “Apologize,” by Timbaland featuring OneRepublic (2007)
It’s too late to apologize, but it’s not too late to sing along with OneRepublic.
91. “Tattoo,” by Jordin Sparks (2007)
You know the feeling that your former flame has left a permanent imprint? Jordin gets it: “I loved you once, needed protection. You’re still a part of everything I do. You’re on my heart just like a tattoo. Just like a tattoo I’ll always have you.”
92. “The One that Got Away,” by Katy Perry (2010)
Feel all the nostalgia as you look back on first love and imagine what might have been.
93. “Chainsaw,” by Nick Jonas (2016)
If you can relate to the feeling of wanting to take a chainsaw to everything your ex ever touched, then press play.
94. “Please Don’t Leave Me,” by P!nk (2011)
When it’s hard to deal and you wish you could just yell out “Please don’t leave me!,” P!nk’s got you covered. Press play on this track instead.
95. “When We Were Young,” by Adele (2015)
There are some relationships that are so special you’ll remember the love years (and even decades) later. This is actually a really sweet breakup song. Nothing bad is said about the ex—it’s just a fond look back at what once was: “You look like a movie. You sound like a song. My God, this reminds me of when we were young.”
96. “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart,” by Miley Cyrus (2018)
Miley likens her love to a broken house: “There’s nothing left, it’s smoking—and we both know it.”
97. “Love Yourself,” by Justin Bieber (2015)
Not all breakups are sad: some are happy affairs where you cut ties with the person who always rained on your parade. “You think you broke my heart, well, girl, for goodness sake. You think I’m crying on my own well I ain’t.”
98. “Take a Bow,” by Rihanna (2008)
The show’s over, Rihanna’s had enough, and like the title says, her ex can just take a bow.
99. “Un-Break My Heart,” Toni Braxton (1996)
A pleading song about damage you wish could be undone, belting out this breakup ballad in the car may feel cathartic. Once you’ve hit the stage of moving on after a breakup, queue up “He Wasn’t Man Enough.”
100. “You Oughta Know,” by Alanis Morissette (1995)
This is ’90s give-your-ex-the-finger angst at its finest.
101. “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” by Al Green (1971)
This OG heartbreak song has it all: a melancholy melody, a soulful voice, and lyrics that are chock-full of pain and sorrow.
102. “Back to Black,” by Amy Winehouse (2006)
If you’ve said goodbye, but still don’t feel like it’s goodbye, this is the song for you. (Honestly, the whole Back to Black album could be on this list.)
103. “Maggie May,” by Rod Stewart (1971)
You can’t help sing along to this classic rock hit: “Oh Maggie I wish I’d never seen your face. You made a first-class fool out of me. But I’m as blind as a fool can be. You stole my heart but I love you anyway.”
104. “Champagne Problems,” by Taylor Swift (2020)
For those who can’t find it in them to keep a seemingly good relationship going anymore, “Champagne Problems” is your “it’s not you, it’s me” speech in song.
105. “Stitches,” by Shawn Mendes (2015)
Breakups can leave you feeling so hurt you practically need stitches, and Shawn Mendes can relate.
106. “My Immortal,” Evanescence (2003)
Early-aughts kids will immediately recognize how cathartic it’d be to belt this one out. Why not go ahead and queue up “Wake Me Up” for afterward? If there was ever a time to be pardoned for scream-singing Evanescence, it’s now.
107. “Without Me,” by Halsey (2018)
If they think they can live without you, they better think again.
108. “Everytime,” by Britney Spears (2003)
Some say Britney Spears’ most famous ballad was a reaction to Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River” kiss-off. Whether or not this is true, “Everytime” is a go-to when you’re feeling sad and low.
109. “Truth Hurts,” by Lizzo (2017)
Sing it, girl: “I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever be your side chick.” Amen.
110. “Before He Cheats,” by Carrie Underwood (2005)
This sad breakup song captures how you feel once you come out the other side, and you want to warn your ex’s new love interest to stay very, very far away.
111. “Million Reasons,” by Lady Gaga (2017)
When you’re really in love, even when things go sour, you’ll find yourself wishing as hard as you can that they’ll turn back around. That’s when you’re asking for just one reason to stay, despite the million reasons to walk away.
112. “Do What You Gotta Do,” Nina Simone (1965)
Maybe, more than grief or Carrie Underwood’s car-smashing “Before He Cheats” rage, what you’re left feeling most is simply the hope that your ex “finds that dappled dream” of theirs. As you move toward the acceptance stage of a breakup, this Simone song can help soothe you.
113. “Part of Me,” by Katy Perry (2012)
After you get through the grief of the split, it’s time to rise up and remember you’re, wonderfully, you — and no one can take that away. As Katy puts it, “Now look at me I’m sparkling, a firework, a dancing flame, You won’t ever put me out again. I’m glowin’ oh whoa. So you can keep the diamond ring. It don’t mean nothing anyway. In fact you can keep everything yeah, yeah except for me.”
114. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” by Kelly Clarkson
When you reach the stage of knowing that, deep down, you’re going to come out of this better and stronger — this is your anthem.
115. “Believe,” Cher (1998)
This power ballad slash dance-pop megahit pioneered the use of auto-tune voice effects in music. And it’s also one of the best anthems out there for anyone trying to get over heartbreak, period.
116. “no tears left to cry,” by Ariana Grande (2018)
There gets to a point where there’s just no tears left. According to Ariana, that’s when it’s time to pick it up, love, live, and (naturally) turn it up. Afterward, you may just be in the mood to listen to her ultimate Moving On After a Breakup jam. (Obviously it’s “Thank U Next” we’re talking about here.)
117. “Survivor,” by Destiny’s Child (2001)
We’ve got to leave this list off on a good note. Because you’re going to survive, and keep on surviving. And you can belt out “Survivor” until you start to believe it.
Listen to the Best Sad Breakup Songs on Spotify
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