Top Western Breakup Songs Ranking [2025]

Come Back To MeJanet Jackson71rank/position

Janet Jackson – Come Back To Me (Closed Captioned)

It conveys the straightforward feelings of a woman who pleads, “Please come back to me,” and says she needs you so much she’d give up everything.

Listening to this song made me think it’s wonderful to be able to need and cherish someone that deeply.

Always Been YouJessie Murph72rank/position

Jessie Murph – Always Been You (Official Video)

This is a heart-wrenching love song sung by Jesse Murph, an American singer-songwriter drawing attention for her genre-defying musicality.

It portrays the bittersweet feelings of unrequited love—realizing that no matter how you compare them to others, it’s always been “you” in my heart.

The more you try to forget, the more their smile and voice stick in your mind—a familiar experience in love.

Through her husky, soulful vocals, the unstoppable longing and the frustration of being unable to confess come through with piercing clarity.

The fusion of country and pop further dramatizes and colors these pure emotions.

the way things gobeabadoobee73rank/position

beabadoobee – the way things go

Beabadoobee is a British singer-songwriter.

While she excels at ’90s alternative rock and dream pop, “the way things go” is a ballad that portrays a heartbroken woman looking back on the past and letting her unresolved feelings build up.

Her high, airy vocals convey that bittersweet state of mind without holding anything back.

It’s also a song about long-distance love, so those who’ve experienced it may find it especially relatable.

Only When I SleepThe Corrs74rank/position

The Corrs – Only When I Sleep [Official Video]

It’s a very heartrending song about how I can only meet you in my dreams.

I think there are many people who, no matter how much they love someone, can’t be by their side.

I’m sure those people will absolutely relate when they listen to this song.

It’s such a bittersweet song that it brought me to tears.

Thank YouEstelle75rank/position

Estelle – Thank You [Official Video]

These are very mature lyrics in which the singer thanks the person by saying, “Thanks to the pain I went through after meeting you, I became a true woman.” To be honest, it might be hard to feel this way unless you’re an adult.

But I think it shows that you can choose to see things like this, too, so it’s a song I really want you to listen to.

Only Love Can Break Your HeartNeil Young76rank/position

Only Love Can Break Your Heart

This is a classic song by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young that quietly portrays the pain of heartbreak.

It’s said to have been written with his bandmate Graham Nash’s painful breakup in mind.

The universal message in the title—“In the end, only love can break your heart”—pierces deeply into the soul.

That helpless sense of loss when you lose someone precious—many of us know it all too well.

Neil Young’s delicate, fragile voice and the gentle acoustic tones softly cradle a wounded heart.

It’s a song that carries a warm reassurance, as if to say, “You’re not alone,” offering quiet comfort.

Could’ve BeenTiffany77rank/position

Tiffany – Could’ve Been

This song is a love ballad that tenderly conveys feelings of regret.

I felt that many people could relate to the thought, “If only I had done things differently back then, could the two of us still be together as lovers?” No matter what kind of relationship you have, there are times when you go on living with regret.

It’s a song that really makes you think.