Top 10 Breakup Songs of the 2010s
With 2020 approaching, MODA Blog rounds up the best, worst, and most iconic phenoms of the 2010s.
My very first article was on the “allure of the breakup anthem,” and being the self-diagnosed oldhead I am when it comes to music, all of my picks were pre-2010 bops. But the 2010’s were chock-full of stellar breakup songs—there’s been a lot to sing about, as we’ve broken up with a multitude of things like cable, iPods, and the Paris Climate Agreement. Here’s my take on the top breakup songs of the past decade:
Jar of Hearts (Christina Perri, 2010)
Christina Perri’s star burned briefly and brightly in 2010 with this sweet, raw, and unforgiving track about a neglectful ex. Some dismissed her catalogue of sad love songs as Adele-lite, but there was a unique sort of vulnerability in her sadness. And who can resist a good Cruella De Vil/Manila Luzon/Hayley Kiyoko-esque light hair streak? Come back Christina!
The One That Got Away (Katy Perry, 2010)
Katy’s star, on the other hand, has perhaps overstayed its welcome, but 2010 undeniably belonged to her Teenage Dream album. The One That Got Away was seriously crushing for supposed ‘pop drivel’, and that video? Old Lady Katy crying for her true love gone too soon? I’m traumatized to this day.
Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye, 2011)
You simply could not exist in 2011 without hearing this one. With an artsy video that spawned a decade’s worth of memes, this one hit wonder hit us hard. I once heard someone describe this song as sounding like “The Police as remixed by the xx” and my life was never the same.
Someone Like You (Adele, 2011)
Adele was the Queen of Sad Songs in this decade. Every breakup post-2010 was officially sponsored by Adele. 2010’s Rolling In the Deep inspired Carrie Underwood-esque flipping exes off, but Someone Like You flipped the script and encouraged a hearty cry. I, at all of 11 years old, spent many a night applying this song to any and every perceived injustice in my life in order to evoke a dramatic cry session.
Climax (Usher, 2012)
Is it a true breakup song or a sex song? Highly contested, but the clever lyrical double entendres don’t fool me: this is full Sad Boy Usher. In the tradition of Burn and Confessions, this is mistake-making, anguished Usher. That falsetto never fails to pull at my heartstrings.
Wrecking Ball (Miley Cyrus, 2013)
Miley’s Bangerz era was truly Something Else. But behavioral opinions aside, Wrecking Ball was a truly touching and heartwrenching ballad that dug deep into the (now officially terminated) on and off relationship between Miley and (now ex-husband) Liam Hemsworth. Wrecking Ball is what I love about pop: hungry but structured, it winds you up and excites you and makes you feel the hills and valleys of the song. More of this, please.
Don’t Hurt Yourself (Beyonce, 2016)
“But what about Sorry?!,” you may ask, and to that I present you with my hot take: Don’t Hurt Yourself will always be the superior f-you track on Lemonade to me. While Sorry is more about dismissing toxicity, Don’t Hurt Yourself is about slapping it right back in the face. Don’t we all wish we could just slap whatever problems we have right in the face? But if, as it often is, our problem is in the form of a person, that would be unadvisable. Don’t Hurt Yourself is pure musical catharsis. It’s bold, bombastic, raw, distorted, with almost heavenly backing vocals as a musically contrasting yet complimentary cherry on top. Plus it samples Led Zeppelin’s When The Levee Breaks. Pure power.
Praying (Kesha, 2017)
Praying is one of the most powerful songs I’ve ever heard. It chronicles the extreme difficulty of breaking up with a toxic presence in favor of falling in love with yourself again, while still hoping that those who hurt you can do the same. Minimal production, distant vocals and strings make the song soar with the emotion it deserves. Kesha’s Grammys performance of the song in front of the very people involved in the industry that cast her aside in favor of her abuser, joined by Cyndi Lauper, Julia Michaels, Bebe Rexha, Camila Cabello and Andra Day, is beyond moving.
New Rules (Dua Lipa, 2017)
Dua Lipa’s New Rules are the Ten Commandments of break ups. And musically, its got everything: 90s influences, tropical instrumentation, EDM, and girl power! The video is stylish, minimalist and colorful, seemingly very ‘now’ but somehow carries an air of timelessness. More of this, please!
thank u, next (Ariana Grande, 2018)
To quote an excited freshman and first-time writer: “The song is unique in the breakup song genre in that it both focuses on Grande’s personal growth and her love and appreciation for the loves that didn’t last. She artfully blends self love and the ability to reflect on things that didn’t work out, not regretting them but instead using them to make herself that much more ‘amazing.’” It holds up! Plus, any video that takes the time to reference four of my very favorite rainy day rom coms can do no wrong.
Feature image via.
