What's the greatest break up song in your opinion?

Weird Al - One More Minute

Can't beat I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor.

Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac

Unhinged: You Oughta Know by Alanis Mortisette. Listen closely to the lyrics for way too much information.

Hinged: Hard to Say I'm Sorry by Chicago. Such a sweet melody that I've heard it playing on weddings, of all places...

Somebody That I Used to Know came out during my only breakup and it was everywhere, so I feel biased toward it.

However, I'm a huge They Might Be Giants fan and they have some good ones:

They'll Need A Crane, Lucky Ball & Chain, and Let Me Tell You About My Operation stand out, but there are plenty of others.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJG_B2qIqC0](CAKE - Fashion Nugget - Friend)

I still like Babe I'm Gonna Leave You by Zeppelin. Slow and acoustic into an explosion of power, like my emotions during those moments. Fuckin' love it.

You Outta Know by Alanis Morissette

Baby Bitch by Ween

•Pale blue eyes- Velvet Underground

•When you were mine- Prince or Cyndi Lauper versions are both great

•Gave you everything- The Interrupters

•I will always love you- Dolly

•I hate myself for loving you- Joan Jett

•You can have him- Nina Simone

•Fast Car- Tracy Chapman

I feel like being able to listen through this whole song without sobbing during a breakup is a clear sign of progress.

•Flowers on the Wall-Statler Brothers.

OG big unhinged breakup energy

Also doesn't necessarily have to be an official break up song to fit the bill:

•Sweetness- Jimmy Eat World

Always really loved that song, but just recently found out that it's apparently about learning how to not find validation in others. Maybe I was always drawn to it for a reason.

•Wuthering Heights- Kate Bush

Checks off the unhinged/codependent/doomed from the start relationship box even if it's not necessarily a "breakup" song

The show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has soooo many songs that could fit, this is just a few trying to keep to the relatively spoiler free ones:

Unhinged (healthy) : "let's generalize about men"

Unhinged (unhealthy): "I'm not sad, you're sad"

Trying to be fully hinged: "without love you can save the world"

I really recommend people to watch the show to find the rest and the best, rather than just the songs/clips. Some of them atäre truly elevated by context, and some are excellent standalone but too spoiler imo.

Greatest is hard to nail down, but some songs that I think belong in the conversation:

Måneskin - BLA BLA BLA is pretty unhinged.

Bob Dylan - Idiot Wind isn’t unambiguously a breakup song, but the vibes are right there for me.

Kanye’s a piece of shit but See You In My Nightmares is a banger of a breakup song

Beatles - Yesterday is an all time classic

Last dance with Mary Jane - Tom Petty

Cry me a river - Justin Timberlake

Goodbye - Barbara Streisand ( Hello Dolly)

You Oughta Know if you're mad about it

Don’t Speak if you’re sad about it

Someone already mentioned Yes by McAlmont and Butler. My second choice:

Song for the Dumped, Ben Folds Five.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjkMh0tKCZo

Half hinged: Lent, by Autoheart

Unhinged: Mr Brightside, by The Killers

it's literally called the Break Up Song :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8ePSJ44Fiw

Unhinged, but in a wry, subtle way: God Will by Lyle Lovett.

Type o negative - anesthesia

in my darkest hour - Megadeth

If you're the one who wanted to break up: Want You Gone. The song Glados sings from Portal 2.

If not: 50 Ways to Say Goodbye by Train

Personally I never had a breakup, but my wife told me her song was, Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive.

Break Up (Bye Bye) by the Frock Destroyers

The very best: Bouncing Souls — "Wish Me Well"

Honorable mentions:

Mest — "It's Over"

FurtherMore — "We Need to Talk"

Weird Al — "One More Minute" but also "You Don't Love Me Anymore")

The Magnetic Fields: "I Don't Really Love You Anymore" and "I Thought You Were My Boyfriend" and "Acoustic Guitar" and "Promises of Eternity" and "Your Girlfriend's Face" and "Seduced and Abandoned" and basically just half their catalogue, seriously

The All-American Rejects — "Gives You Hell"

Goldfinger — "Mabel"

I'll try to come back and finish adding links.

Ok just thought of another one that will be good if you like country that is pretty twisted.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJzp4ljVDi0 David Allen Coe - stains on the pillow where you once laid your head

Jimmy Buffet - Margaritaville

Not enough songs out there for the people who know they were the problem.

Joey Dosik, Vulfpeck - Running Away https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvpLjcXU3hY&t=222

McAlmont & Butler - Yes

Def Leopard - Love Bites

Theory of a Deadman - The Bitch Came Back

Train - 50 Ways to Say Goodbye

It's hard for me to pick just one so I figured I may as well toss in a few to fit a couple moods.

Unbreak my heart - Toni braxton

Its not right but its okay – Whitney Houston

Before he cheats - Carrie Underwood

Dry your eyes - The Streets

From the few artists I know in this thread and any self-descriptive titles, this is going to be rather out there but...

Breaking Benjamin and Three Days Grace are what a friend and I agreed is the perfect breakup music. I think it came up because it made me feel better during a breakup but I didn't want to continue listening to it to avoid getting sick of it and it losing the effect next time. Or something, idk I was a teenager :p

BB: I will not bow • Crawl • Blow me away
3DG: Break • Scared • Riot

Didn't know them at the time but Amity Affliction probably fits here as well. Soak me in bleach or Pittsburgh, for example

Love Me Dead by Ludo

Beck - Lost Cause

I gave you by Superwolf

This is not a breakup song, but about many things i think. However the allusions to loneliness (or maybe solitude/isolation rather than loneliness) have me slot it partially in the breakup category... "Reckoner" by Radiohead.

Smile by Lily Allen (the music video is unhinged)

Self Destruct by Between Friends (totally hinged)

Hinged: Ditmas by Mumford and Son (the only song of theirs that I like)

Unhinged: For What it's Worth by Placebo

Too Bad by Rival Sons

Before He Cheats but the mashup version with Warriors.

"Echo Home" by The Kills