

The list spans several decades and many different moods, but all are rooted in some type of pain. Below, you’ll find our ranking of the 50 greatest breakup songs of all time, as voted on by our staff. And in honor of Valentine’s Day, we decided to dig deep into the genre. We here at The Ringer believe that since heartache comes in many forms, so should the breakup song. Please consider becoming a Sound Opinions member by giving whatever you can via Patreon or with a one-time donation through PayPal.What makes a song a “breakup song”? Does it have to be empowering, à la “I Will Survive” or most of the songs on Lemonade? Should it be for the lonely, like Carole King’s “It’s Too Late” or Bob Dylan’s “If You See Her, Say Hello”? Does it have to address the breakup in the lyrics? (Taylor Swift has many entrants in this category, and Marvin Gaye penned an entire album about his divorce.) What about songs with a famous backstory, like “Cry Me a River” or any track off of Rumours? Plus, we have some exciting ideas we'd like to try now that there's no one to tell us no! Now that the show is independent, we're inviting you to join the band and lend a hand! We need your support more than ever because now we have to do all the behind-the-scenes work that WBEZ handled before (like buying insurance and paying for podcast hosting, ugh).


Solomon Burke, "Maggie's Farm," (single), Atlantic, 1965.Erykah Badu, "Tyrone (Live)," Live, Universal, 1997.Utopia, "I Just Want To Touch You," Deface The Music, Bearsville, 1980.The Grammy nominated Austin duo Black Pumas shares the songs that got them Hooked On Sonics.Īdrian Quesada - N.W.A., " 100 Miles and Runnin’"Įric Burton - New Radicals, " You Get What You Give" Featured Songs: The Dixie Chicks/ The Chicks, " Goodbye Earl".Jim and Greg highlight songs about shady and sometimes nefarious characters. They discuss the differences between "transgressive fiction" storytelling and journalism, plus talk about the myths and stories associated with musicians behaving badly.

This week, Jim and Greg chat with Jake Brennan, the host of the true crime music podcast Disgraceland. Record a Voice Memo Disgraceland’s Jake Brennan Audio player Download Subscribe via iTunes
