Pretty much all of Jim Croce’s songs were about either a bully getting his comeuppance or a heartbreaking split. Among the songs in the latter category:
“Photographs and Memories”
“Operator”
“These Dreams”
“Lover’s Cross”
Having recently rediscovered Cowboy Mouth, it seems at least half their repertoire are breakup songs. In order of brilliance:
“Now I have lived through all this before
And I don’t plan to take any more
So if you want to walk out the door
Then Let Me Hold It Open for you”
“How Do You Tell Someone you don’t love them?
How do you tell someone you don’t care anymore?
How do you tell someone you don’t love them anymore?”
“Everything You Do’s gonna come back to you
Everything you say’s gonna turn on you in some way
Everything you’ve done’s gonna bite you back, just for fun.”
“Well I remember the last time we met
You held a stranger’s hand
You introduced me to him and you said
‘Could we try and be friends?’
Well I could, but I don’t, and I should but I won’t
It’s Laughable”
Also, can’t forget “The Old Apartment” by Barenaked Ladies
Oh, man, that one would also fit in the “Songs about frightenly crazy ex’s” category.
It ain’t over till its over… Lenny Kravitz plea to Lisa Bonet to take him back after she caught him cheatin…
“Leaving me now”… Level 42… i simply love that song… sadness…with a great melody…
“Knowing me Knowing you” … abba. i’m a serious closet abba lover lol
Oo, I thought that was a breakup song too, for a while, but it turns out it’s not. The speaker in the song and his girl found a house and bought it. He goes back to check out the old place, and ends up breaking in, and being annoyed with the changes that the new tenant made.
The lyric showing this isn’t very clear:
But he’s addressing, with bitterness, the new resident of the apartment.
in that vain what about “ALready gone” by the Eagles… you can always tell which ones Glenn wrote as opposed to Don…
Huh, well whaddya know. Ignorance fought. Sure sounds like one, though:
“broken hearts and broken bones”
“the hole I punched in the door”
“These things used to be mine; I guess they still are, I want them back”
“Why did I have to break in? I only came here to talk.”
“I turned up your TV and stomped on the floor just for fun” (referencing the tempermental downstairs neighbor)
“tore the phone out of the wall”
“fading memories, blending into dull tableau; I want them back”
Yeah, it does sound rough - but the writer insisted no, they’re together, and even happy. Considering the history the band has of writing very off-the-wall music, I might accuse them of purposely writing it that way to mess with people’s expectations. I think I was Wiki-surfing when I came upon that explanation and went, WTF? I always assumed the lines about living in a house were about him with a new gal.
Bob Dylan has been mentioned several times, but I’ll have to add at least one song from “Blood On The Tracks”, which IMO is the best breakup album ever. So If you prefer a bittersweet mood, go for If You See Her, Say Hello, for a more vengeful approach take Idiot Wind.
Get Your Tongue Outta My Mouth (‘Cause I’m Kissin’ You Goodbye) by Ray Stevens
“I Hold Your Hand in Mine,” by Tom Lehrer
And don’t forget, “I Was Only Kidding,” and “You Don’t Love Me Anymore.”
Keith Urban, “You’ll Think of Me”
Garth Brooks, “More Than a Memory”
Diary by Bread, the worst part about it was the sappy guy did not know she was never into him anyhow.
“Throwing It All Away” by Genesis.
Late at night when you call my name
The only sound you’ll hear
Is the sound of your voice calling
Calling out to me
That’s Genesis’ “You’ll be Sorry You Left Me” breakup song.
I prefer their “Let’s Face It, This Relationship Has Been Moribund For A Long Time, and We Need to Pull the Plug” breakup song:
Never a Time
And there’s also the Genesis “I Think We’re Dating, But Actually I’m Stalking You While you See Someone Else” song - Misunderstanding
Your Love is Like a Nuclear Waste - Tuff Darts
I donlt think you can say “breakup song” with out saying “Hope You Never” by Tom Petty.
*
I hope you never give a damn
I hope you never lose your perspective
I hope you never fall in love
with
somebody like you.*
Every Rooooose Has it’s Thorn…