2025: Heartbreak songs in Western music — tearjerkers to listen to when love ends

Lie To MeTate McRae x Ali Gatie

Tate McRae x Ali Gatie – lie to me (Official Video)

A beautiful duet by Canadian artists Tate McRae and Ali Gatie, this piece paints the wavering of trust with a rich melody.

Released in October 2020, it channels the pain of being betrayed by a partner through a gentle R&B rhythm.

The harmony woven by McRae’s airy, transparent vocals and Gatie’s emotive singing brilliantly portrays subtle feelings from both male and female perspectives.

The music video, filmed at Calgary’s Central Library over an 11-hour overnight shoot, leaves a strong impression with the pair’s emotional performance set against an urban nightscape.

It’s a recommended track for anyone who resonates with the turmoil of a heart caught between lies and truth.

GirlfriendAvril Lavigne

Avril Lavigne – Girlfriend (Official Video)

The title is “Girlfriend,” but it’s a song I want both men and women to listen to.

It helps you forget all the annoying stuff.

It’s up-tempo, so maybe clear your mind and sing along together! It’s great for karaoke, too!

Sometimes I cryEric Benét

Eric Benét – Sometimes I Cry ( Official Video )

Eric Benét is a veteran and popular singer who began his career in the 1990s and captivates listeners with his beautiful vocals over timeless, classic neo-soul.

The song featured here, “Sometimes I Cry,” is an adult soul ballad released in 2010.

Benét’s stunning, powerful falsetto is so extraordinary that first-time listeners may even find it shocking.

In Japan, it also drew attention when w-inds.

released a Japanese cover titled “Yume de Aeru noni ~Sometimes I Cry~.” Many listeners can likely relate to the protagonist’s helpless feelings—two years have passed since the breakup and life should be back on track, yet the emotions for the former lover still linger.

What do you mean?Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber – What Do You Mean?

Why do you want to break up with me? Why? What does that even mean!? Sometimes you get dumped without knowing the reason, right? This is a song I want you to listen to at times like that.

It’s got a pretty upbeat tempo, so for you who want to lift your spirits and start fresh again tomorrow.

SelfishMadison Beer

Madison Beer – Selfish (Official Music Video)

It opens with elegant strings, and the beautiful voice that follows alongside a gentle acoustic guitar belongs to Madison Beer, a young singer born in 1999.

After Justin Bieber tweeted about her music, she quickly became a focal point for media attention.

Selfish is a track released ahead of her long-awaited debut album, scheduled for release in the summer of 2020.

It’s a beautiful ballad that suggests a major breakthrough for this new-generation singer with a rich, deep voice, yet a look at the lyrics reveals a deeply aching state of mind.

The melody, sung in the past tense—“I wanted you to change”—is truly heart-wrenching.

Goodnight GoodnightMaroon 5

Maroon 5 – Goodnight Goodnight (Official Music Video)

The refrain’s “So goodnight, goodnight, goodnight…” is a striking, melancholic line in this breakup song.

As the opening of the chorus—“I’m so sorry, I did not mean to hurt my little girl”—suggests, the song is sung from the perspective of a man who’s done something irreversible.

For anyone who has deeply hurt an ex and ended the relationship, this is a song that will resonate.

Far AwayNickelback

Nickelback – Far Away [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Nickelback’s powerful, melodic sound is beautiful.

“Far Away” is a rock ballad included on their fifth album, All The Right Reasons, released in 2005.

In contrast to its moving music video, the song conveys a poignant sincerity, as if speaking to a loved one about feelings that never reached them.

For everyone who’s hoping for a chance.