Break Up Songs For Valentines

Valentine’s Day is a day for couples to celebrate their love and commitment. But romantic relationships don’t always go so well. Sometimes things just fall apart, and that’s okay. So if you are single this Valentine's Day, you could cope healthily. Or you could listen to breakup songs on repeat. If you choose the latter, here are my picks for the best breakup songs. 

You may ask how qualified I am to be writing the article, and the answer is very. My questionable talent on the tin whistle in 6th class, accompanied by my addiction to heavy metal music, combined with my refusal to listen to pop music, makes me the perfect candidate for perfectly objective and knowledgeable commentary on all genres of music. So, without any further delays, in the spirit of Irish misery, here is my pick for the best breakup songs. 

10. Since You Been Gone – Rainbow: 

Since You Been Gone is the perfect representation of classic hard rock. It may lack the crazier things that we can do with instruments today, but it does the fundamentals well. The riff is good, and the instrumentation is done in a highly effective way that bridges one part of the song to the next without the changes ever feeling abrupt. The lyrics follow a man who desperately wants to date his ex that broke up with him again and is having trouble moving on from the relationship. Despite the tragic lyrics, the instrumentation and singing are incredibly upbeat, which means when listening to this song there is a 50:50 chance that you will either cry or start dancing. 

9. Jolene – Dolly Parton: 

I don’t listen to country music at all, but I can’t deny this is a masterpiece. Her vocals are stunning in this song, and it has minimal but still engaging guitar work. The lyrics follow a woman begging another prettier woman not to steal her man from her, a very sad yet understandable situation. An observant reader may argue that this song is technically not a breakup song, and that to that allegation I say, shut up. 

8. The Heart from Your Hate – Trivium: 

Did you honestly think you would get this far into the list without seeing a heavy metal song? This song opens with a simple yet engaging riff. It then slows, and you hear the lyrics reflect how his ex was manipulating him into submission, and then it suddenly speeds up as he expresses his anger at the ex. This pattern repeats while also including the obligatory guitar solo; despite its simplicity this is a brilliant song that hits harder than any breakup. 

7. Cold as Ice – Foreigner: 

This a synth-rock song with a strong focus on the keyboard. Despite my love of the electric guitar, I can’t deny that the keyboard work on this one completely steals the show. The lyrics follow a man whose girlfriend broke up with him to try to seduce a richer man. The impactful instrumentation combined with the strong vocals makes for an incredible song. What I find truly engrossing about this song is that it is incredibly hard to pick apart the instruments. They all just blend into one great sounding instrument. 

6. (Take These) Chains – Judas Priest: 

Judas Priest are a band that need no introduction in the heavy metal scene, nor have they needed one for decades. They continue their pattern of strong instrumentation in this song. The lyrics follow a man who has left a relationship but is having trouble moving on from the relationship. Rob Halford’s vocals are brilliant; he leaves the listener with no doubt that he wants to get over his ex-boyfriend but just cannot do it. 

5. You Give Love a Bad Name – Bon Jovi: 

Bon Jovi is best known for “Livin' on a Prayer”, but this song manages to live up to it. The song’s lyrics follow a man who broke up with his toxic two-faced ex. The instrumentation doesn’t do anything crazy, but it does its job well, allowing the vocals to steal the show. 

4. Tornado of Souls – Megadeth: 

Megadeth are one of the biggest heavy metal bands and with good reason. They are known for their incredibly complex guitar work and this song does not disappoint. The lyrics of this song are about a man who breaks up with his girlfriend, and then reflects on the breakup and his destructive nature. But you won’t even notice the lyrics to this song because you will be too busy headbanging to the crazy guitar solos. 

3. Mr Brightside – The Killers: 

A club hit, this song tells the story of a man who sees his girlfriend kiss another man and cannot help but imagine seeing her sleep with him. This song notably reuses the same chorus and verse multiple times, but the instrumentation is just so damn good that nobody cares. 

2. Snuff – Slipknot: 

Slipknot is best known for their crazy flavour of heavy metal, but song isn’t like that at all. It’s a quiet, slow, and reflective song where he is begging his ex to never try to contact him again so he can move on with his life. He also discusses his insecurities about himself and raises doubt about whether he can ever feel happiness again. It is hopeless song, and Corey Taylor’s singing fully sells it. 

  1. November Rain – Guns N’ Roses: 

Guns N’ Roses are known for their dramatic over the top hard rock and hair metal songs.  Unlike their usual songs, this is a power ballad about a couple slowly drifting apart. Their lyrics are often complex and intelligent, and November Rain is no exception to this. It also stars what I believe to be one of the greatest guitar solos out there— and I have listened to a lot of incredibly complex guitar solos. But what is essential is watching the music video, alongside the rest of GNR’s music videos. From Axl Rose deciding girlfriends are overrated and becoming best friends with a dolphin instead and Slash getting magical superpowers because he’s just too good at playing guitar, it puts modern music videos to shame. (Expect to see my article explaining the lore of these videos and the Slash is God metaphor of these videos shortly.) 

I got a walking human music encyclopaedia— also known as my dad— to help me come up with songs. While I didn’t like these songs, I do recognise their significance, and they're worth mentioning, so here is a list of the honourable mentions. (Alongside some of my personal picks) 

1. Marc Almond/David Gray – Say Hello Wave Goodbye 

1. Fleetwood Mac – Go Your Own Way 

1. Abba – Knowing Me, Knowing You 

1. Adele – Someone Like You 

1. Alanis Morissette – You Oughta Know 

1. Radiohead – Creep 

1. Guns N’ Roses – Estranged/You Could Be Mine 

1. Angel Witch – Angel Witch 

1. Rammstein – Klavier 

1. Megadeth – Dogs of Chernobyl 

So that’s the end of my list and thus my current rambling about music. Valentines’ Day can feel a bit lonely if you are single. So just remember that being in a relationship isn’t the be all and end all. Being happy with yourself is far more important than having a romantic partner, so even if you are the only one of your friends that is single, it doesn't matter at the end of the day. All that matters is that you make yourself happy, because if you are not happy alone, a relationship won’t fix that. 

So go out and be happy even if it involves listening to the torturous noise known to humankind as pop music.