12 Awesome Breakup Songs that Will Uplift Your Spirits
Not all breakup songs will make you cry and pine for your ex. Some breakup songs will actually make you look at the brighter side of being single.
After a breakup, it's tempting to just wallow in sadness. You spend your days in bed, crying yourself to sleep with Coldplay's Fix You playing in the background, waiting for someone to fix your broken heart instead. What if, instead of drowning your sorrows to the tune of the saddest breakup songs, you listen to breakup songs that make you want to get up and face the day again?
Everyone has had a nasty breakup with someone sometime in their life. It could happen with a childhood love, a high school sweetheart, a college boyfriend, or even with someone you already exchanged vows with.
Statistics suggest 1 in every 3 marriages end up in a divorce. It's no wonder there are a ton of songs, and even albums that deal with breakups. Most of them tend to be bitter, dramatic, and sad. Fortunately, there are songs that can lift you up, instead of bring you down.
Breakup songs that lift your spirits instead of weighing them down
If you are wallowing in the pit of despair you made for yourself the day your partner broke up with you, it's high time to get out of that hole, and listen to the other version of breakup songs.
#1 Leave. The most painful part of a breakup is being left behind. Taken by surprise, you feel the ground under you caving in. Sometimes, the only way to recover is to assert your right not to hurt anymore, and instead, to ask people to leave on your own terms. Listen as Glen Hansard's raspy voice demand them to “Leave, leave. Let go of my hand, you said what you have to, now LEAVE.”
Artist: The Swell Season
Album: The Swell Season
Release Date: 2006
#2 Nice to Know You. The perfect farewell to the person who broke your heart, prepare to sing and shout along with Brandon Boyd. “I haven't felt the way I feel today in so long, it's hard for me to specify. I'm beginning to notice how much this feels like a waking limb, pins and needles, nice to know you, goodbye!” You can even air drum to the beat, if you feel like it.
Artist: Incubus
Album: Morning View
Release Date: January 1, 2002
#3 Bye, Bye, Bye. When a relationship has become so painful that it threatens your own wellbeing, maybe it's time to say goodbye. This 90s pop song is the ultimate goodbye anthem for a lover who made a fool of you and broke your heart.
Unleash the inner pop star in you and sing, “Don't wanna be a fool for you. Just another player in your game for two. You may hate me, but it ain't no lie. Baby, bye, bye, bye!” Yay for Justin Timberlake growing out of his 90s boy band phase!
Artist: N'SYNC
Album: No Strings Attached
Release Date: January 2000
#4 Since U Been Gone. For people involved in a traumatic relationship, the sense of relief brought about by its eventual end can be as palpable as any other physical feeling. As Kelly Clarkson so eloquently puts it, “Since U been gone, I can breathe for the first time. I'm so moving on, yeah, yeah. Thanks to you. Now I get what I want. Since U been gone.”
Artist: Kelly Clarkson
Album: Breakaway
Release Date: November 16, 2004
#5 I Never Really Loved You Anyway. As the saying goes, sometimes the best defense is a good offense. For those with passive-aggressive tendencies, this song can be their breakup anthem. As the chorus triumphantly belts out, “I never really loved you anyway. I know I didn't love you anyway. I never really loved you anyway. I'm so glad you're movin' away.” I bet you sang that in your head.
Artist: The Corrs
Album: Talk on Corners
Release Date: December 1997
#6 Someone Like You. Passive aggressiveness aside, you have two options after a breakup: you can be bitter, and choose to hold a grudge against your ex, or you can wallow in self-pity, and hope that things go back to the way they were.
However, you'll never be able to move on successfully without acceptance and understanding. As Adele so tenderly put it, “Never mind, I'll find someone like you. I wish nothing but the best for you too… Sometimes, it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead.”
Artist: Adele
Album: 21
Release Date: January 19, 2011
#7 Carry On. This song couldn't be more spot on. As the lyrics say, “If you're lost and alone or you're sinking like a stone, carry on. May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground. Carry on.” Sometimes, no matter how difficult and no matter how excruciating it feels after a breakup, you just have to carry on.
Artist: fun.
Album: Some Nights
Release Date: February 21, 2012
#8 Take Courage. If carrying on is getting a little too hard and you need some encouragement, just pop on your earphones and listen to this song. With its upbeat tune, let Andrew Bird serenade you with his soothing words. “Night's falling. So take courage, since you're not alone. No, you're not alone.” Spend some time with your family. Go out with your friends. You are not alone.
Artist: Andrew Bird
Album: Noble Beast
Release Date: January 20, 2009
#9 Sigh No More. The song starts off on a morose tone. However, as in life after a breakup, it gradually progresses into a joyful beat, with the lyrics defining love as it should be. “Love, it will not betray you, dismay or enslave you. It will set you free. Be more like the man you were made to be.” Seems like sound guidelines for future relationships, eh?
Artist: Mumford and Sons
Album: Sigh No More
Release Date: October 2, 2009
#10 Gonna Get Along Without You Now. When you've been with a person for quite some time, it can be difficult to imagine living without them. Suddenly, you have no one to spend time with, go on dates with, or just talk with until the wee hours of the morning. However, as Zooey Deschanel realized in her song, “Got along without you before I met you, gonna get along without you now. Gonna find somebody that's twice as cute, 'coz I didn't like you anyhow.” Maybe you should do so, too.
Artist: She & Him
Album: Volume Two
Release Date: 2010
#11 Dog Days are Over. The title says it all. The dog days are over, and it's about time to bellow along to this powerful indie ballad. Dance to the beat or better yet, run. “Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father, run for your children, for your sisters and brothers. Leave all your love and your longing behind. You can't carry it with you if you want to survive. The dog days are over.” Indeed they are, and now's your chance to rise from the ashes of your failed relationship to face the day head on.
Artist: Florence and the Machine
Album: Lungs
Release date: December 2008
#12 One More Time. Jump on your bed, on a trampoline, or on grass in the middle of your backyard. Sing your heart out and dance to your heart's content. “Music's got me feeling so free, we're gonna celebrate. Celebrate and dance for free.” Let your spirits soar high as you feel the freedom of being single. Loop 100x.
Artist: Daft Punk
Album: Discovery
Release Date: November 13, 2000
There are songs to comfort you while you're wallowing in depression over your breakup. Then there are songs that make you want to get out of bed and into the sunshine. Make a playlist on your phone or on your music player. Listen to them when the going seems tough, and let the tunes lift your spirits up. Sooner rather than later, you'll find yourself ready to love and be loved again.
