# Your terrible go-to heartbreak song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 29, 2012, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310 "2012-04-29T09:27:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/21 "2012-04-30T02:15:30Z")
I didn’t hear this song until years later, but my first marriage broke up because of infidelity. Now whenever I hear this song it reminds me of that. I like the utter contempt so beautifully rendered. > [@](#): > > [“If So”](http://youtu.be/U29IAJ51HMY) > > I ask you, now tell the truth > I ask you, was it worth the price you paid > If so… > > I know you loved me darling > But I need to know, did you mean to hurt me so > If so… > > Go away, very far away, take your leave > I’ll never hate you, I’ll never think of you > And I’ll never grieve > > Did you want it all… free love > Did it satisfy, was it your intention to deceive? > If so… > > … For those who like really angry Fuck You songs, Zoe’s [“Hammer”](http://youtu.be/QsabNjfiKQk) is a great one. Violent and funny. > [@](#): > > "If I had a hammer, I’d hit you on the head > I wouldn’t stop a-pounding til I knew you were dead > > If I had a dagger, I’m sure I’d drive it in > I wouldn’t stop a-twistin’ til you repent all your sins > > … > > If I had a dollar, I wouldn’t give you a single dime > I’d spend it all on myself and show myself a good time" ---
**Author:** ![KinkiNipponTourist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9bcb4/32.png) [@KinkiNipponTourist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KinkiNipponTourist)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/22 "2012-04-30T02:21:13Z")
Never Gonna Fall in Love Again, Eric Carmen. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/23 "2012-04-30T03:49:13Z")
[“Casey would waltz with the strawberry blonde/and the band…played…on…!”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8wujySB4CE) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/24 "2012-04-30T04:55:42Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > The breakup WAS the fight, all that was left was the…paperwork, so to speak…and then and had to drive back to school (about 4 hours) at night, in a thunderstorm. and Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse Of the Heart” came on. > > I don’t care how hyper-over-dramatic and angsty the lyrics are\*, _that_ is my go-to break-up song. I don’t know if it counts as good or not. The tune is great, the lyrics are over-the-top drama, but…evocative…maybe if it were sung to a guitar and a piano as opposed to a 100 piece orchestra better suited for Wagnarian opera by someone who can put more feeling than “LET’S BE LOUD!” into it it would be a good song. But the Tyler-version? Not so much. > \*Although, I gotta admit, “I don’t know what to do/I’m always in the dark/We’re livin’ in a powderkeg/and givin’ off sparks” pretty much described my feelings right then, perfectly. That is a great song! And a pretty good breakup song. Jim Steinman has always done over the top breakup songs, like [Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8JA9Qs2Mho) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/25 "2012-04-30T04:56:48Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > [“Casey would waltz with the strawberry blonde/and the band…played…on…!”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8wujySB4CE) **Eve** , you shouldn’t use **Ranchoth** ’s login. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/26 "2012-04-30T05:12:03Z")
Nothing beats Nico’s _These Days_ [http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xkgg33\_nico-these-days\_music](http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xkgg33_nico-these-days_music) "I’ve been out walking I don’t do too much talking these days These days These days I seem to think a lot about the things that I forgot to do … And all the times I had the chance to * * * Please don’t confront me with my failures; I had not forgotten them." The anthem of so many of my pity parties. ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/27 "2012-04-30T05:24:18Z")
Honorable mention for “[It’s Not Right (But It’s Okay) (Thunderpuss Remix)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNy6AqdYrpQ)” Break it down for a mothafucka, Miss Whitney. ---
**Author:** ![LegendHasit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/legendhasit/32/8246_2.png) [@LegendHasit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LegendHasit)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/28 "2012-04-30T06:14:07Z")
Mariah Carey’s “Someday” comforted me during a very bad, heart-wrenching “soul mate” breakup in '91. A few years later it came true. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/29 "2012-04-30T06:47:45Z")
Roxette “Must Have Been Love” Garth Brooks “Make You Feel My Love” ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/30 "2012-04-30T07:38:05Z")
Because of the explicit direction of the OP - I’m not mentioning the good heartbreak songs (“Hallelujah” is a good song, overused in film and tv and a bit of a cliche, but it’s a good song) - so here are the horrible ones “Against All Odds” (AKA “Take a Look at Me Now”) - Phil Colins “All Cried Out” - Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam “Didn’t We Almost Have It All” - Whitney Houston “How Could an Angel Break My Heart” - Toni Braxton featuring Kenny G “This Ain’t a Love Song” - Bon Jovi ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/31 "2012-04-30T11:31:25Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > **Eve** , you shouldn’t use **Ranchoth** ’s login. :mad: …que? (I just wonder who would have come up if I’d gone with [George Jones](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp5Rdb9ncfM)) ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/32 "2012-04-30T12:55:53Z")
For me, it’s “I Am a Rock” by Simon & Garfunkel For whoever lived in the apartment above mine about 25 years ago, it was “At This Moment” by Billy Vera. That song was played about twenty-five times _in a row_. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/33 "2012-04-30T15:31:48Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > (I just wonder who would have come up if I’d gone with [George Jones](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp5Rdb9ncfM)) Since that is THE GREATEST COUNTRY SONG OF ALL TIME it wouldn’t qualify for the thread. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/34 "2012-04-30T15:37:23Z")
A lot of people here didn’t read the OP. It asks for terrible songs, not good songs. Don’t have much to contribute myself. If I got my heart broke, I’d just get drunk and put on some loud heavy rock. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/35 "2012-04-30T15:55:37Z")
Oh, I didn’t notice the ‘terrible’ heartbreak song, either! I’ll have to change my answer, since I gave two ‘good’ examples. I will go with…oh…BeeGees “How Do You Mend A Broken Heart”, also. Not that it’s so very terrible, but it’s one of their lesser efforts and sort of frivolous if you REALLY are heartbroken. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/36 "2012-04-30T16:38:57Z")
Although I agree with _I Am a Rock_, my go-to song was always Cherish by the Association: [Cherish Lyrics](http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/the_association/cherish.html) - it’s just so sad. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/37 "2012-04-30T22:06:19Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > A lot of people here didn’t read the OP. It asks for terrible songs, not good songs. Oops, sorry. I’ll claim temporary dyslexia. By the time I got to the reply button, I had already reparsed the title in my head as “Your go-to terrible heartbreak song.” :smack: So yes, then, “Don’t Speak” would be it. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/38 "2012-04-30T23:45:58Z")
> [@jali](#): > > [I’m Not Your Superwoman](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnxrOuurJSg) by Karyn White. > > Screaming the chorus used to help me. I remember singing the hell out of this song when the worst heartbreak I had ever endured was the cute boy in class not giving me a Valentine’s Day card. Ridiculous. > [@An\_Gadai](#): > > [Honey](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59BZxgohr9g). > /thread Wow. Very strong performance. > [@amarinth](#): > > “Against All Odds” (AKA “Take a Look at Me Now”) - Phil Colins Ah yes, this one comes up always for me as well. Not on infinite loop, no, but it will come up at some point every single time. So for some reason “Holding Back the Years” was in my head, trying to get it out, I scoffed to myself, my god, what a horrible song. Then I said, “Hey, go easy on that song. It has cried you through every break up you have ever had.” Btw, “Holding Back the Ears” – Wtf? ---
**Author:** ![Scupper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Scupper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scupper)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/39 "2012-05-01T00:23:21Z")
Atmosphere - Joy Division Mysterious Ways - U2 ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310/40 "2012-05-01T01:46:45Z")
“I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys. I don’t even know what the lyrics are supposed to mean. But it’s awesome to sing along with after a crappy breakup. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-terrible-go-to-heartbreak-song/620310.md?page=3)