Best breakup songs

[Nothingman]

I seem to be remembering two breakup threads. One was sappy songs and one was empowering songs. I can't seem to find the other one though. Maybe CG can shed some light on this, or maybe it's friday, and after a long week I'm inventing fantasies in my head about mysterious threads of sappy songs.

[Natasha (candygirl)]

Yes, you remember correctly! This thread is for the loud empowering good riddance songs that you listen to after you are done crying and eating endless cartons of ice cream, while Barry's Sad Bastard Music (TM) is for the sappy wallowing in self pity "why me?" type songs.

[Jim]

One absolutely perfect song for this category would be H-A-T-R-E-D by Tonio K., from his 1978 album Life In The Foodchain.

The song begins innocently enough:

Now I know it's not unusual
It's nothing so unique
There's probably hundreds of wonderful love affairs
That go bad in this town every week
But all of them others
Them sad-hearted lovers
Could cry in their beer, what the hey
It didn't concern me
Was none of my business
I never had nothin' to say
But suddenly darlin'
The table has turned
You have left me for somebody new
And now it's hard to express
The resentment I feel
For the years that I've wasted on you

The level of anger increases over the next couple of verses, until we come to the Best Song Lyric Ever:

Yes I wish I was as mellow
As for instance Jackson Browne
But 'Fountain of Sorrow' my ass @#$%¢&-(*&)$#
I hope you wind up in the ground

(Suffice to say that "@#$%¢&-(*&)$#" is one of George Carlin's seven words that you can never say on television).

Jim

[Nothingman]

New Favorite breakup song!

Eamon - F*ck it

More:
Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go
OAR - So Moved On
Maroon 5 - Through With You
Whitesnake - Here I Go Again

Country:
Brad Paisly - I'm Gunna Miss Her
Garth Brooks - Freinds in Low Places(live version preferably)
Joe Nichols - Cool to be a Fool
Mark Chesnutt - Going Through the Big D

[BriansAngst]

The Breakup Song (They Don't Write 'Em) - Greg Kihn Band

[wicked]

My all tmie favorite angry
"bite me " song!

Drop Dead/ Celebration
by Siouxsie And The Banshees

I Hate You I Hate You I Hate You I Hate You...
Drop dead-
You stinking little creep
Drop dead-
With your emotions so cheap
Your poisoned mind-
It's disgusting everyone
We don't care if you vanish in thin air!
Drop dead-
It's a dead drop
You're a dead loss
Drop dead

You should be pushed down-
Down into the ground amongst the worms-
And other spineless things
Don't you see you're embarrassing to me
I can't stand that phony way you banter!
Drop dead-
It's a dead drop
You're a dead loss
Drop dead

You're so pathetic-
An insipid, dried up slug
Keep your mouth shut you impotent little slut
I'm so ashamed to be connected with your name
You're so lame-
I wish you'd never been to blame
Drop dead-
It's a dead drop
You're a dead loss
Drop dead

Those words-
Tight-lipped and mealy-mouthed
It wasn't hard to realise that they were lies
Judging from the flies you've attracted from the skies
So just get lost-
f*ck Off!
And disappear into the compost!
Drop dead-
Stinking little creep drop dead!
Drop dead!!

Celebration...

[Bacchante]

How come this song hasn't made it here yet, I thought this was a 90s-loving forum

Pearl Jam - Black

"Ooh and all I taught her was everything
Ooh I know she gave me all that she wore
...
And now my bitter hands cradle broken glass
Of what was everything
...
I know someday you'll have a beautiful life
I know you'll be a star in somebody else's sky
But why, why, why can't it be, why can't it be mine?
...
(We, we belong together)"

[Brunkster]

How about REM - The One I Love

This one goes out to the one I love.
This one goes out to the one I left behind.
A simple prop to occupy my time.

[Jody Barsch*]

"Uh-huh” -- Munchausen By Proxy (So funny, and love all the LA references)

"Are You F**king Kidding Me" -- Kate Miller-Heidke
(Not the best video, but I was at that show)

And then a lot of Ben Folds songs (Natasha started us off with "Song for the Dumped" but here are some others):

"You Don’t Know Me" (I was there too)

"Landed" (Don't let the video distract you from a truly great song that speaks to a certain kind of break up -- the ending of that relationship you're really glad your friend just got out of)

"Brainwascht" (But maybe it doesn't make sense if you don't know the story behind it... This song also makes a good intro to an anti plagiarism lesson (as does The Smiths' "Cemetery Gates"))

And my all time go to: "Last polka"

(And maybe a little "The Bitch Went Nutz" (alternative version -- hard to find a good representation of how actually good this song can be live))

Kate Nash's "Foundations" (the video for which I had never scene until tonight -- so cute) was for years the unofficial soundtrack to the unofficial relationship that remained after a long-term breakup. (Love a pop song that so humorously captures the disfunction of alcohol abuse and a relationship falling apart.)

Seconding Nothingman's call on CC's ”Have You Seen Me Lately (couldn't find a great video for it), and adding ”Angels of the Silences” (not exactly a break-up song, but one that sometimes gets blasted in my coche during one).

* This next one probably best fits the other list; it's when you're not feeling exactly angry, and not at all empowered, and the emotion is a little closer to desperation, and the break up isn't exactly your idea, nothing seems like it would do it like "Jolene", Dolly or Meg and Jack.

And when you're not feeling angry, just "free", there's always Rilo Kiley with "Silver Lining" or "Breakin' Up"

* This post brought to you by procrastination (and not a broken heart)

* Bonus song: BNL's last ditch effort to avoid the break up "Call and Answer" (I've always loved the beauty of the song contrasted by the threat of the last stanza)

[Natasha (candygirl)]

"Are You F**king Kidding Me" -- Kate Miller-Heidke
(Not the best video, but I was at that show)

The first time I saw this video, I laughed my ASS off! Still a great post breakup song for those of us who didn't grow up with FB.

[saaron]

the best break up songs i have heard has got to be on MAroon 5's new album hands down they hae really made the album so right for people who had just had a recent hearbreak really feel the lyrics of the son and all those emotions poured out! i guess this is my favorite album for now becasue they have really great songs!