Love songs are a fundamental part of pop music. Most of us can think of particular songs we associate with the love relationships of our lives. In the fourth of a 5 part series on love songs, here are the top 10 love songs for when things just don't work out. Songs are listed in alphabetical order by the name of the artist.
1. Abba - Knowing Me, Knowing You (1977)
The majestic pop of Abba is particularly effective here detailing the walk through an empty house and memories of "old familiar rooms children would play in" when a relationship has come to an end.
2. Cher - Believe (1999)
Cher is someone with a bit of firsthand experience at relationships coming to an end. "Believe" is an inspirational dance classic providing encouragement to make it through the pain. It became the biggest hit of Cher's long career.
3. Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive (1979)
Almost anyone leaving a long-term relationship can relate to "I Will Survive's" opening lines, "First I was afraid, I was petrified." It's a visceral description of the shock and fear, but, as disco beats sweep in, "I Will Survive" becomes one of the greatest pick-me-ups in the history of breakup songs.
4. Don Henley - The End Of the Innocence (1989)
"When happily ever after fails...the lawyers dwell on small details..." For Don Henley, innocence is swallowed in the legal aftermath of a bitter breakup. Pain, bitterness, and wistful longing all swirl through this pop classic.
5. Whitney Houston - I Will Always Love You (1992)
This is the ultimate anthem for star-crossed love. Dolly Parton wrote and recorded the first version. Then Whitney Houston, as a theme for the movie The Bodyguard, turned the song into a smash pop hit.
6. Greg Kihn Band - The Breakup Song (1981)
With this breakup classic Greg Kihn reminded us there is a certain numbness in the aftermath of a relationship folding. "Now I wind up staring at an empty glass...Cause it's so easy to say that you'll forget your past." The song is irresistibly catchy and heartbreaking at the same time.
7. Carole King - It's Too Late (1971)
Carole King nearly singlehandedly launched the early 70's singer-songwriter movement with this song. "Something inside has died and I can't hide and I just can't fake it." The clarity in King's lyric is stark but beautiful.
8. Alanis Morissette - You Oughta Know (1995)
Barely out of her teens Alanis Morissette recorded one of the most brilliant evocations ever of blinding anger in the face of being dumped. The lyrics drip with a sense of more than we wanted to know...in Alanis' anguished voice you can almost feel her scratch her nails down someone's back.
9. Righteous Brothers - You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' (1965)
Generations of lovers have been on the lookout for the moment at which you no longer close your eyes during a kiss due to this song. Rarely has the pain of a breakup ever been more beautiful than in the voices of the Righteous Brothers.
10. Paul Simon - 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover (1976)
This is probably one of the most cerebral and witty breakup songs ever. The lyric unfolds like a mini-movie with the clever rhymed refrain. The song is still fascinating 30 years later.
