I feel like I should put a personal disclaimer that I’ve never experienced a breakup before. However, all of these songs clearly depict the different endings a relationship can have so I feel like I truly know what they’re singing about. All of these songs written about the breakup of a friendship or relationship hit you right in the feels when listening to the lyrics.
“Writer In The Dark” by Lorde
Lorde is such a great lyricist that it was hard to only choose one song for this list. However, “Writer In The Dark” is so emotionally charged that I had to choose it, especially the lines about how she’ll continue to love her ex while still being able to move forward:
“I still feel you, now and then
Slow like pseudoephedrine
When you see me, will you say I’ve changed?
I ride the subway, read the signs
I let the seasons change my mind
I love it here since I’ve stopped needing you”
“Lose It” by SWMRS
I think the lyrics of this song are so unique, looking back on the music the two shared and how those songs bring back the memories (both good and bad) from the relationship. I feel that everyone can relate to this song in some way and the chorus really hits it on the head:
“And tell me
Why’d you have to have such a damn good taste in music?
Yeah, if all my favorite songs make me think of you
I’m gonna lose it”
“Shampoo Bottles” by Peach Pit
I never knew a song about shampoo bottles could be so touching, but this surprised me. This song is about how the singer is unable to throw away things left at his house by his now ex- partner, and the last lines of the chorus show this really well:
“And it’s all just so forgettable
Till I’m sitting with your stuff alone
Man, why can’t I just let it go?”
“Tomorrow Never Came” by Lana Del Rey ft. Sean Ono Lennon
Lana Del Rey is widely known for her sad lyricism, and here the song is more about a crumbling relationship rather than an actual breakup, but I think that the voices of Lana and Sean go great together and the imagery is so vivid:
“I could keep waitin’ for you
In the spot we always wait
In the city, on the park bench
In the summer, on the pourin’ rain
Honey, don’t ignore me
I just wanted it to be the same
You said you’d love me like no tomorrow
I guess tomorrow never came (No, no, no)
Tomorrow never came (No, no)”
“Shrike” by Hozier
Hozier is another artist praised for their lyricism and this song is no exception. Oftentimes his songs don’t have one specific meaning/story, but here it’s easy to tell that it’s the lamentation of a past relationship. The opening verse of this song is expressed in such a guilty, gut-wrenching way:
“I couldn’t utter my love when it counted
Ah, but I’m singing like a bird ’bout it now
And I couldn’t whisper when you needed it shouted
Ah, but I’m singing like a bird ’bout it now”
“Lookalike” by Conan Gray
I find this song so sad yet beautiful. It’s about lingering feelings after the end of a relationship, in which both exes look for people who are similar to each other, and wishing that the other misses them just as much:
“’Cause when you look in his eyes
Hope you think of mine
And when you look at that smile
Hope I cross your mind
I hope in your head
You see me instead
‘Cause you’ve been in mine every day since then
Maybe it’s time to find a lookalike”
“Reflections” by Misterwives
About trying to move on from a breakup, this is the most upbeat song on this list. I think the more upbeat aspect of the song really adds to the vibe of just wanting to move past this relationship already:
“Put me on the shelf, discipline myself
To let the sparks die out
Shattering anything
That has reflections of you”
I hope if you’re going through a breakup these songs can give you some comfort, or that you just find a new song to listen to. Happy listening!
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