7/2/09
The Top 100 Breakup Songs of All Time (First Draft)

This is the first of a series of posts we’ll be doing on the best breakup songs of all time. The below 100 was originally published in our book BUH BYE: The Ultimate Guide to Dumping and Being Dumped (which was called “hilarious and fantastic” by our one Amazon reviewer). Naturally, we like the list, but want to know which essential songs you think are missing, and which, if any, you would definitely not include. Unleash your wrath in the comments section.

1    “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” – Paul Simon
2    “Absolutely Zero” – Jason Mraz
3    “Against All Odds” – Phil Collins or The Postal Service version
4    “All Alone Am I” – Brenda Lee
5    “All By Myself” – Eric Carmen (definitely not the Celine Dion version; the Bridget Jones version works, but only with the visual)
6    “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” – George Strait
7    “Alone Again (Naturally)” – Gilbert O’Sullivan
8    “Another Lonely Day” – Ben Harper
9    “Apart” – The Cure
10    “Are You Lonesome Tonight” – Elvis Presley
11    “Ballad of Big Nothing” – Elliott Smith
12    “Black” – Pearl Jam
13    “Blackout” – Muse
14    “Blue Moon Revisited” – Cowboy Junkies
15    “Can’t Stand Losing You” – The Police
16    “Careless Whisper” – Wham!
17    “Crazy” – Patsy Cline or Willie Nelson
18    “Crown of Love” – Arcade Fire
19    “Crying” – Roy Orbison
20    “Don’t Cry Out Loud” – Melissa Manchester
21    “Don’t Leave Me This Way” – Thelma Houston
22    “Don’t Walk Away” – ELO
23    “Don’t You Want Me” – The Human League
24    “Ever Fallen in Love” – The Buzzcocks
25    “Every Breath You Take” – The Police
26    “Everybody Hurts” – R.E.M.
27    “Everyday I Love You Less and Less” – Kaiser Chiefs
28    “Ex-Factor” – Lauren Hill
29    “Ex-Girlfriend” – No Doubt
30    “Girl from the North Country” – Bob Dylan
31    “Girl” – Beatles
32    “Grace Cathedral Hill” – The Decemberists
33    “Harden My Heart” – QuarterFlash
34    “Heartbreak Hotel” – Elvis Presley
35    “Heartbreaker” – Pat Benatar
36    “Hopelessly Devoted to You” – Olivia Newton John (Grease Soundtrack)
37    “How Can You Be Sure?” – Radiohead
38    “I Fall to Pieces” – Patsy Cline
39    “I Hope You’re Happy Now” – Elvis Costello
40    “I Never Cared for You” – Willie Nelson
41    “I Used to Love Her” – Guns n’ Roses
42    “I Want You” – Elvis Costello
43    “I Will Survive” – Gloria Gaynor
44    “If I Can’t Have You” – Yvonne Ellimen
45    “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” – Take your pick: Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Cowboy Junkies, or Johnny Cash
46    “I’m Sorry” – Brenda Lee
47    “It’s a Heartache” – Juice Newton or Bonnie Tyler
48    “It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay” – Whitney Houston (the Thunderpuss remix)
49    “It’s Over” – Roy Orbison
50    “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” – Otis Redding
51    “Killing Me Softly with His Song” – Fugees over Roberta Flack
52    “Last Goodbye” – Jeff Buckley
53    “Leavin’ on Your Mind” – Patsy Cline
54    “Lilac Wine” – Jeff Buckley
55    “Lonesome Tears” – Beck
56    “Lost Cause” – Beck
57    “Love Hurts” – Nazareth (the cover by Joan Jett will do in a pinch)
58    “Love is Stronger Than Death” – The The
59    “Love on the Rocks” – Neil Diamond
60    “Love Stinks” – J. Geils Band
61    “Love Will Tear Us Apart” – Joy Division
62    “Lover, You Should Have Come Over” – Jeff Buckley
63    “Lush Life” – Billy Strayhorn
64    “Mandy” – Barry Manilow
65    “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” – Barbra Streisand & Donna Summer
66    “Nothing Compares to You” – Sinead O’Connor or Prince
67    “One” – Aimee Mann (Magnolia soundtrack)
68    “Ordinary World” – Duran Duran
69    “Run” – Snow Patrol
70    “Separate Ways” – Journey
71    “She Is Gone” – Willie Nelson
72    “She’s Got You” – Patsy Cline
73    “Should’ve Been in Love” – Wilco
74    “Since I Don’t Have You” – Guns N’ Roses version
75    “Since U Been Gone” – Kelly Clarkson
76    “So Lonely” – The Police
77    “So Wrong” – Patsy Cline
78    “Soma” – Smashing Pumpkins
79    “Somebody That I Used to Know” – Elliott Smith
80    “Strange” – Patsy Cline
81    “Sweet Dreams” – Patsy Cline
82    “Tainted Love” – Soft Cell
83    “The Seventh Stranger” – Duran Duran
84    “The Sign” – Ace of Base
85    “There’s a Tear in My Beer” – Hank Williams
86    “These Arms of Mine” – Otis Redding
87    “This Woman’s Work” – Kate Bush
88    “Total Eclipse of the Heart” – Bonnie Tyler
89    “True Happiness This Way Lies” – The The
90    “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” – Meatloaf
91    “We Belong ” – Pat Benatar
92    “Why Can’t He Be You” – Patsy Cline
93    “Without You” – Henry Nilsson (not the Mariah Carey version)
94    “Writing to Reach You” – Travis
95    “You Give Love a Bad Name” – Bon Jovi
96    “You Oughta Know” – Alanis Morissette
97    “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” – Lou Rawls
98    “Your Ex-Lover is Dead” – Stars
99    “You’re Not the Girl You Think You Are” – Crowded House
100   “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” – Righteous Brothers



99 Comments

  1. The Chain – Fleetwood Mac
    Ghosts – Laura Marling
    Volcano – Damien Rice
    Run – Leona Lewis
    Crying in the Rain – The Bee Eaters
    Fools like Me – Vanessa Carlton
    Rewind – Diane Birch
    Somebody I used to know – Gotye
    Forgiven not forgotten – The Corrs
    Let Me Go – 3 Doors Down
    Green light – Beyonce
    Adele
    Gives you hell – The All American Rejects
    Swag Back – Amerie
    Call me When You’re Sober – evanescence
    Cry me a River – Justin Timberlake
    All I have – J.Lo and LLCoolJ
    Skinny Love – Ed Sheeran cover

  2. I have made this cd already (I call it “Bye”)

    You Don’t Know me At All, Don Henley
    Walk On, U2
    No Time, Guess Who
    To Think I Used To Love You, Uncle Kracker
    I’ve got Something to Say, The Interns
    Run Off To LA, Kid Rock
    Your time Is Gonna Come, Led Zeppelin
    Rain, Candlebox
    Someday, Rob Thomas
    EveryDay, Bon Jovi
    Freebird, Lynard Skynard
    Goodbye, Miley Cyrus
    Seconds, U2
    Better Off, Theory of a Deadman
    Ruby Tuesday, The Rolling Stones
    Bye bye baby, Janis Joplin
    Wild is the Wind, Bon jovi
    Night Flight, led Zeppelin
    Goodbye and Good Riddance to Bad Love, AC/DC
    Yellow Ledbetter, Pearl Jam
    Hope You Never, Tom Petty
    Changed the Locks, Lucinda Williams
    Control, Puddle of Mud
    Goodbye girl, Squeeze
    I’m Doing Fine Now, New york City
    Goodbye Earl, Dixie Chicks
    Hope it Felt Good, Nikka Costa
    Born Cross eyed, Grateful Dead
    Love Me Two Times, The Doors
    Cold Day In july, Dixie Chicks
    Soma, Smashing Pumpkins
    Not Big, Lilly Allen
    Little too Late, Pat Benetar
    Over Now, Alice in Chains
    You’re Crazy, Guns & Roses
    Gonna leave You, Queens of the Stone Age
    Freedom, George Michael
    Respectable, The rolling Stones
    See you Later, Soul Asylum
    Gotta get Away, Van Lenton
    Movin’ On, Bad Company
    Ain’t the One, Empress
    Last tattoo, Rehab
    Ain’t Wastin’ Time no more, The Allman Brothers
    You learn, Alanis Morrisette
    Shame for You, Lilly Allen
    American Woman, Lenny Kravitz
    Everything About You, Ugly kid Joe
    Get Out the Door, Velvet Revolver
    Hell just Ain’t the Same Without You, Theory of a Deadman
    Picture to Burn, Taylor Swift
    Time After time, Sugar ray

  3. Pink – there you go
    missy elliot – 1 minute man
    shackles – mary mary
    hush hush – pussy cat dolls
    aint it funny – jennifer lopez
    Beautiful liar – shakira beyonce
    sweet dream or beautiful nightmere – beyonce
    shut up – blck eyed peas
    moving mountains – usher

  4. Looks like Rain by the Grateful Dead…
    Overcome – Creed
    Breathe – Breaking Benjamin

Comments are closed.