Maybe you’ll gain a greater appreciation for your current relationship. If you’re happily attached, you can still dive in-these are some of the greatest songs ever recorded, and that’s true whether you’re in your feelings or not. So if you’re lonely, fire up our playlist and cry along as you read our thoughts on each entrant. There was only one rule for the final ranking: just one song per artist was included to avoid Dolly Parton or even Drake from dominating. 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. Greatness! Titles include "All In", "Sultan's Request", "See Thru To U" with Erykah Badu, "DMT Song" with Thundercat, "The Nightcaller", "Only If You Wanna", "Electric Candyman" with Thom Yorke, "Hunger" with Niki Randa, "Phantasm" with Laura Darlington, "Dream To Me" and more.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? An incredible roster of guests contribute, too – including string-arranger Miguel Atwood Ferguson, vocalists Erykah Badu, Laura Darlington and Radiohead's Thom Yorke, keyboardist Dorian Concept, and others – but there's little doubt that this is purely the Flying Lotus show. There's nearly always a compelling beat, whether it's abstract boom bap or bubbly and synthy, with heavy bass and thick waves of sound floating over. The best yet from Flying Lotus – who we keep allowing ourselves to believe has hit an insurmountable peak with each new record – but he just keeps getting better! Where the preceding Cosmogramma upped the stranger, spacier and more abstract textures, Until The Quiet Comes is a bit more inviting – and to his credit, Flying Lotus keeps things as innovative as ever, while still giving this one just a bit more immediately appealing atmosphere. Titles include "Message In A Bottle", "Twelve", "Picking Flowers", "May I Assume", "DMT", "Between Us 2", "Cycles", "Hours Away", "Walking Round Town", "On Our Way Home", and "Show Me How You Feel". It's been many years since Sa-Ra have expanded our minds with their revolutionary blend of hop hop and soul – but fortunately, Shafiq Husayn has carried on the group's legacy – and has reached an even higher plane with music like this! Husayn brings all the fantastic production skills to the album that made Sa-Ra great, but also really opens the door to a much more cosmic soul style of presentation – one that creates a sonic universe that's all his own, but which is big enough to allow for some really great guest work from a lineup that includes Erykah Badu, Hiatus Kaiyote, Anderson.Paak, Robert Glasper, Bilal, Thundercat, and Flying Lotus! Unlike other many-guest records, which sometimes get tipped between the talents from track to track, this album's got a rock-solid core in Shafiq's music – which really unifies the efforts of everyone, and makes the whole thing feel like a wonderfully collaborative effort. The record defines a whole new style of expression – " Baduizm", if you will – one in which Erykah sings with a depth that stretches back through a century's worth of jazz, soul, and gospel influences – but works a groove in a stripped-down and forward-thinking mode that sets the pace for countless Neo Soul singers to come! Titles include "Certainly (Flipped It)", "Next Lifetime (radio)", "On & On", "Appletree", "No Love", "4 Leaf Clover", and "Sometimes (mix #9)".
She does a great job of both avoiding easy commercial paths, or some of the temptations to embrace other then-contemporary genres – which has made the work of some of her colleagues seem a bit dated. A landmark debut from the mighty Erykah Badu – a record that really set the world on fire when it first appeared – and which continues to blow our minds all these many years later! There's a simple, straightforward grace to the album that comes through immediately – as Erykah tries to forge new ground for soul music, but does it by taking a few steps backwards – not into retro modes, but more in a way that focuses on the core vocal, songcraft, and right instrumentation that can make a special soul record such a standout.